Arknights: Endfield Could Be a Banger – Here’s Why

by

I was surprised to learn OneRepublic would be performing for Arknights: Endfield when the release date was announced. I always expected Starset, as they’ve been associated with the original Arknights for a long time, but OneRepublic’s music quickly appealed to me. Perhaps their energy just fits the game’s futuristic, ambitious feel. Regardless, the song “give me something” perfectly captured what I wanted from Endfield ever since I first saw its early gameplay.

Having played a lot of games over the years – like Genshin Impact, PGR, Wuthering Waves, Honkai: Star Rail, Reverse: 1999, and ZZZ (let’s not mention Tower of Fantasy) – I always enjoy the start of something new. It’s exciting to discover a fresh world, meet compelling characters, and learn a new combat system, even if it gets frustrating later on. And a great soundtrack is a huge plus! If a game looks promising, I’m willing to give it a try – I might end up playing for hours, or maybe just a little while. A free-to-play option with no pressure to commit is the perfect way to get started.

What really drew me to Arknights was its rich world and story. I loved learning about Originium and Oripathy, the different groups of people, the history of disasters, and the personal stories of each character. While I enjoyed the gameplay, I wanted a more immersive experience that truly showcased this amazing setting and its characters – and that’s saying something, considering how beautiful the art and music already are.

Endfield excels at world-building, which is remarkable considering the game is set on a brand-new planet 150 years from now. You play as the leader of Endfield Industries – known as the Endministrator – and have a lot on your plate. One of your main tasks is assisting the Terrans who were stranded on Talos 2 when the portal they used to get there collapsed over a century ago.

You’ll venture into a dangerous wilderness filled with threats like the hostile Aggeloi and the Landbreaker raiders, relying on the machines you’ve built. But there’s a catch – you’ve lost your memories. The mystery of how and why is the core of the story, and it seems to be connected to something called Originium. It might sound familiar, but this is just the beginning.

I’ve been playing Arknights for a while now, and it’s always had that sci-fi vibe – Hypergryph really knows how to build a world that’s falling apart and lets you, as a character who’s lost their memory, try to fix it, even if the answers aren’t what you expect. But their new game, Endfield, feels like a whole different kind of sci-fi. It’s got these huge, open horizons and beautiful green areas to explore. Wuling City, from what I’ve seen so far, is like a massively expanded college campus, but it’s still full of life. Honestly, it’s giving me NASA-punk vibes, especially when you start checking out the industrial parts – and trust me, you will eventually!

I’ve been hoping this game would move beyond simple tower defense and become a full action RPG, and I’m pleased to see it’s forging its own path. Instead of one huge open world, Endfield is divided into several large areas, each packed with things to do and connected to a unique factory system. It’s been compared to games like Satisfactory or Factorio – you build complex production lines to gather and process resources, constantly trying to make them more efficient. You can even use designs created by other players, letting you automate as much as you want, but there’s still plenty of incentive to get involved and fine-tune things yourself.

Okay, so one of the coolest things is definitely exploring! Need to get around quickly? You can build a whole network of ziplines – it’s seriously awesome for zipping between places, and it reminds me of delivering packages in Death Stranding. Plus, they just look amazing. And as you explore, you earn these things called Regional Stock Bills, which you can trade for new gear and even more upgrades. It’s a great way to reward your curiosity!

Perhaps even better, the AIC lets you create your own equipment. If you’ve ever spent hours trying to get the perfect stats on an item, this will be a huge improvement. You can customize the stats to fit each unit, and there’s a whole system, called Artificing, dedicated to further improving your gear. Replacing a frustrating, random process with something more predictable is a major change.

Let’s talk about battles. Unlike many free-to-play games where you control one character at a time, Endfield lets you use your whole team in combat, like a classic RPG. The game features a familiar stagger system, but applying the same status effect repeatedly can unleash a powerful Burst attack. Mixing different elemental effects together will create even stronger Reactions.

The combat system in Arknights has come a long way. It’s moved from being simple to focusing on teamwork, using special abilities like Bursts, Inflictions, and Reactions to defeat enemies quickly. Battles feel much faster and more responsive now, especially when calling in assists. The new dodge button is a great addition, too – perfectly timed dodges help you recover energy and deal more damage. Ultimately, the game still feels like Arknights: a well-planned team usually wins. However, knowing how these games typically evolve, I expect the developers will likely introduce new, more powerful units over time, potentially making older units less effective or requiring players to collect even more premium units to maximize their potential.

The most surprising thing about Arknights: Endfield isn’t its release – it could have happened much earlier. Considering how popular the first game is, the developers at Hypergryph easily could have launched this for eager fans without another beta test. Instead, they chose to invest time and resources into significantly improving the game. Before the second beta, they completely reworked a huge amount of content – GameSpot’s preview noted that 40-50% of the levels and 80-90% of the cutscenes and dialogue were overhauled.

The game has improved dramatically since the first beta, feeling almost like a new experience. It’s clear Hypergryph understands the importance of a strong first impression in the free-to-play market. With high production quality and a substantial amount of content – including 20 to 30 hours of story quests before you even reach the next area – they’re aiming to create a top-notch experience that attracts and keeps new players.

As a fan of Arknights, I’m already captivated by Endfield‘s art and world. I’m eager to jump into the action RPG combat, and I’m hoping the open world areas are packed with things to do. It’s still unclear whether Endfield can truly stand out among the biggest games in the genre, or compete with newer titles like Where Winds Meet, and upcoming ones like Ananta or Silver Palace.

It’s clear this product delivers a high-quality experience from the very beginning, and it’s doing things differently – that’s definitely a positive sign.

Please be aware that the opinions shared in this article are the author’s own and don’t reflect the official stance of GamingBolt.

Read More

2026-01-19 16:19