I don’t mean to sound like a pretentious game critic, but I honestly wasn’t aware of Arknights: Endfield. I’ve never really gotten into the gacha scene, and while I’ve heard nothing but good things about games like Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, with how many games I have to play for work, big time commitments like those just slipped into the background for me.
So I was genuinely surprised to learn about Arknights: Endfield, especially considering how big a sequel was being developed off a relatively humble tower-defence game. It was something so unbelievable that it could only be witnessed in person, so the team at GRYPHLINE was gracious enough to fly me to Los Angeles to experience it in person. And I’ve got to say, I was genuinely amazed something so admirable was flying under my radar.
Given that this is the second Beta test for Arknights: Endfield, the first thing that impressed me was not only how far the game has come since it began development in 2022, but also how open its creative leads were to player feedback since the first Beta test in January of 2024. Lead Designer of Arknights: Endfield, who simply went by Ryan, said, “Many previous testing and players gave us feedback, and we read through all of them very carefully.”
He continued, “The third test shall feature an overall improvement to combat flow and enhanced character combat movements and special effects. In addition, in order to adapt to the new battle system mechanism, we also redesigned the skills and talents of various characters.” Some of the ways the team implemented these changes were reduced cooldowns on skills, adjusted skill point recovery and a general overhaul to half the character’s skills.
And this could be felt almost immediately when jumping into the demo. Like many RPGs, Arknights Endfield’s Beta Test II began with the player character at the height of their ability, allowing players to get a feel for what the combat is like right away. At its core, it’s surprisingly straightforward, only requiring a single button for basic attacks, but because of its speed and structure, it maintains a feeling of arcade-style action that consistently keeps it fun.
Not only that, but if players can complete a full attack combo without interruption—either from being hit or dodging enemy attacks—then their finishing move will contribute to filling the enemy’s stagger bar. Once staggered, players can utilize a devastating Coup de Gras attack or utilize special attacks for increased damage.
However, there’s a unique layer of depth that comes primarily from its numerous characters, with a roster totalling over 20. Players form teams of four, allowing them to control any Operator of their choice, and while teammates will attack on their own, each one provides a special attack to expand the combat.
“I was genuinely amazed something so admirable was flying under my radar.”
But where combat really shines in Arknights: Endfield is in its “chain-attacks.” Depending on which characters are in your team, when players either finish an attack combo or use an Ability, they may be prompted to chain the attack with other characters. This not only allows for some deadly combinations but also keeps the battle flowing in a unique way that makes it fast-paced and incredibly stylish.
“We also want combat gameplay to be full of possibilities. So it would be like playing a tactical card game,” said Ryan, adding, “We want players to enjoy the fun of discovering effective team lineups. and motivate them to come up with unexpected builds. So even low-star characters, with the help of players’ creativity, can assume crucial roles in powerful builds.”
But the combat is only one side of the gameplay. Something that genuinely intrigued me when I was researching Arknights: Endfield was how it was described as having “Factory Simulation” elements. However, apparently, this automation gameplay had been a key feature from the beginning, with Arknights: Endfield Producer, Light Zhong, saying, “So we wanted to create this type of game in the form of industrial gameplay. Of course, this idea was very difficult to realize. So we thought about it for a very long time.”
Zhong added, “We didn’t have a very satisfactory idea until more than a year later. It was only in 2022 that we decided to go for it.” It’s definitely a unique pairing of ideas—gacha-style character acquisition, action RPG combat, and factory simulation—but it works in a really genuine way that not only informs the narrative of Arknights: Endfield, but enhances the gameplay as well.
Like many open-world RPGs, players will naturally harvest resources from the land in order to craft useful items. As a way to expedite this, players can utilize plots of land to create factories in order to automate much of the harvesting and refining of resources. If players take their time and optimize their processes, they can gain access to progression items, which will enhance their overall experience.
And while it was never said, one of the things I noticed while playing was some subtle influence of Death Stranding, as players are able to place structures throughout the world that not only assist them with traversal and even survival, but can be accessed by other players in a similar kind of indirect multiplayer style. Arknights: Endfield is a game about cultivating a new, unfamiliar world, and these kinds of building-sim elements certainly add to that.
Speaking of the story, according to Zhong, quite a lot of it has been re-created according to player feedback and that, “In the future, we will continue to improve the quality of the story based on our previous experience.” It’s a big jump from the original Arknights, where the story was conveyed through a primarily text-based narrative. Arknights: Endfield has added a lot to convey its story through character dialogue and a plethora of animated cutscenes.
“Something that genuinely intrigued me when I was researching Arknights: Endfield was how it was described as having ‘Factory Simulation’ elements.”
Zhong went on to say, “You’re going to see plenty of obvious and significant changes to story cutscenes and narrative deliveries. We added many new and lively animations to diversify the vibe of storytelling in Arknights: Endfield. There will be new plot sections, and the plot will now also feature fun, light-hearted segments. These pointers will be our direction when optimizing our narrative delivery for future versions.”
And it’s quite a big story for players to dive into, as they take on the role of the Endministrator—leader of Endfield Industries who has been in a kind of stasis for 10 years after some cataclysmic event. The game takes place on a new planet from the original Arknights, Talos II, where strange constructs called Ankhors have begun to appear, bringing with them hostile creatures known as Aggeloi.
On top of this, hostile humanoids known as Landbreakers have begun increasing their attacks and acting in a coordinated manner, unlike their usual style as raiders. For the future of Talos-II and for the myriad members of Endfield Industries who want to live peacefully, the Endministrator must fight to unravel the mysteries of their past and the world of Talos-II.
And unique to this third Beta test, we got to explore the new region of Wuling, specifically Wuling City. According to Zhong, “Wuling is a city with water as its main theme.” Much of the city’s aesthetic designs feature flowing rivers, water features in its architecture and more. Not only that, Zhong said the city’s design is based on his Alma Mater, the China Academy of Arts—which is known for having a unique blend of natural elements and human architecture.
“We took water and elements of Eastern traditions and combined them with advanced technology and our imaginations of it to create this fictional material called Xiranite,” said Zhong. And Xiranite forms one more basis of Arknight: Endfield’s factory gameplay, as players will need to utilize water and special constructs alongside pipes to produce Xiranite and many useful items that will assist players throughout their gameplay experience.
However, being a Gacha game, the looming presence of monetization hangs over Arknights: Endfield. While these elements have become standard for the genre, many gamers still worry about them and how they could potentially affect gameplay. However, Ryan wants to assure both fans of the Arknights series and newcomers that they’re approaching it as best as they can.
“Arknights: Endfield has added a lot to convey its story through character dialogue and a plethora of animated cutscenes.”
As he said, “We will strive to make a more friendly commercial design for players. We will also look at similar games to design a monetization system that is as player-friendly as possible. Our aim is to give active players more free opportunities of getting high-star characters and weapons.”
He added, “In the end, whether players pay or not, they can experience the main content of the game. We will not set the content behind the wall of payment.” And while I personally always prefer games to be complete experiences that charge once, it does sound like the team is committed to creating an excellent experience, with Ryan saying, “I think Gacha’s core is only a business model. What truly earns players’ recognition is the quality of the game itself. A well-made game will naturally stand out, even among other Gacha titles.”
In a letter that was given to us before we left the preview, the Arknights: Endfield team wrote, “We’re grateful you were there to witness every key moment along [this journey]. Your candid feedback and expert insights have been invaluable to our growth.” Naturally, the team weren’t just talking to the journalists who got to participate, but every player who wanted to see this game be the best it could be.
Arknights: Endfield has come a long way, and the team at Hypergryph clearly has more planned for the game. While we got an early hands-on look at the Beta Test II, a global test will be available Nov. 28, 2025. The developers plan to gather more player feedback to polish the experience further.
Arknights: Endfield will launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and mobile, with a planned release in early 2026. Ryan said it will come “shortly after this third test.”
