For the ignorant like me
With the kind permission of GRYPHLINE, I have personally reviewed Arknights: Endfield II Beta Test within a few hours. Consider this a guide for the uninitiated to everything you can expect when the beta begins on November 28th.
Before I was invited to this event, I had never heard of the Arknights universe. After a carefully scripted and somewhat awkward deep dive into Endfield led by producer Light Zhong and lead designer Ryan, I began to understand its appeal.
Arknights: Endfield is a 3D real-time RPG set in the Arknights universe. You play the role of the “End Fielder”, tasked with leading a cast of nine new characters known as “Endfielders” or operators. Your mission is to explore the planet Talos II in the name of science and technology. Along the way, you fight both alien enemies and human enemies.
History at the forefront
What's immediately noticeable is the impressive precision of the 3D characters, their animations and beautiful environments. The introductory tutorial alone takes you through the stunning tundra, teaches you the basics of combat, introduces dialogue options, and culminates in a massive boss fight.
Developer HYPERGRYPH highlights a significant leap in the use of storytelling with cinematic cutscenes, further showcasing the work they put into voice acting and animation. The team describes the art design as being like a sci-fi anime.
I don't know where to start describing the narrative. This seems interesting, combining fantasy and mysticism with science fiction and potentially hinting at a time loop element. Given my short time with the game, evoking feelings for the characters was challenging. At this point, they seem to fit many of the tropes of anime characters and role-playing games – the mysterious, quiet protagonist, the comic relief, the wise dumper, the sharp shooter, and more.
HYPERGRYPH wears inspiration on its sleeve, but not in a way that detracts from the experience. I didn't experience anything during my hands-on experience that I haven't experienced before, but the storytelling and gameplay are top-notch.
Have you seen this before
I openly don't like turn-based combat, but I respect its heritage and can admit that it's well designed, despite my bias. I'm sharing this to say that I'm excited that Endfield has real-time strategy combat.
At its core it is simple. You have basic attack, combat skills and ultimates. You attack enemies by holding down the attack button, ending with a final blow that deals significant staggering damage. Combat skills allow you to unleash powerful attacks, usually in an area of ​​effect, and ultimates are exactly what you'd probably imagine.
It's easy to understand, looks great and most importantly feels good. I appreciate that it's not pointless. There are attack chains that trigger a subsequent attack from your fellow operators, requiring you to stay focused on the task at hand.
I fought hundreds of enemies, as well as several bosses. The cycle is sequential: basic attacks, combat skills, subsequent operator actions and the revelation of ultimates. The attraction lies in the corresponding attack patterns of the enemy. The precise timing of your dodge results in a powerful attack in return. You can also thwart powerful enemy attacks by timing your combat skills correctly. The goal is to increase your enemies' stagger meter. Successfully stunning them opens up the opportunity to deal the most damage.
Where is it interesting?
Within a few hours of starting the demo, I got a sense of the scale of combat in Beta II. It doesn't put me to sleep, but it doesn't offer me anything new either. You can freely switch to any of your operators and try out their move sets, but they don't require you to adapt. Each one controls the same. One of the benefits of switching is the ability to take a closer look at their animation. Having the same controls is a smart design choice, as frequently learning new mechanics in an already complex game mechanics can be tedious.
The main task of the battle is to meet bosses. Each one I fought threw different attacks at me, requiring me to dodge and attack at different intervals. Again, it's a basic design, but it has enough variety to keep me occupied for a while. If you've played a few third-person real-time fighting games, you'll feel right at home, for better or worse.
“A little for everyone”
Most of my demonstration was devoted to studying the Automated Industrial Complex (AIC) plant construction system. HYPERGRYPH positions it as a means to expand combat and exploration capabilities, and improve the lives of humanity on Talos II. This description alone can paint a picture for you.
As you explore the planet, you collect many resources for crafting and building factories. Most of your discoveries are initially aimed at creating valuable items, such as healing tonics. I admit that I am indifferent to most crafting mechanics. I usually find them tedious. Endfield's crafting system seems surprisingly tight. It's not hard to figure it out, there's a lot of stuff there.
Ultimately, your goal is to create and maintain your own factories that automate resource collection and development. This reduces and can eliminate the need for manual handling. On the one hand, it makes me question the purpose of regular crafting. I guess the fun should be found in designing and building your factories, and the reward will be the work they end up doing for you.
HYPERGRYPH has openly stated that the goal of this system is to emphasize the fun factor and attract players attracted to the mechanics. AIC includes outpost trading, goods delivery, inventory distribution, and blueprints.
Art imitates art
It's clear there Death inspiration is present in Endfield. In the regions you visit, things like ziplines built by you and other players appear, as well as other useful structures such as pylons. Blueprints developed by players can be shared, speeding up the construction process.
These are all great ideas, not revolutionary, but new for Arknights. I'm not particularly interested in AICs, but they can attract new audiences. Overall, I think Endfield is a game that lets you get what you want out of it. AICs are not entirely necessary for a fun gameplay experience. There's a lot to offer here, whether you're here purely for the story and characters, world exploration, combat, or factory building.
It is difficult to know whether these systems are synergistic or underdeveloped. After all, Beta Test II is not the final version of the game, so I believe that HYPERGRYPH is relying on player feedback to improve the game as it moves closer to version 1.0.
Red light, green light
Over the course of several hours of hands-on training, I was bombarded with frequent tutorials. Textbooks are required. They are critical to attracting new players to everything your game has to offer. I wish they had either been expanded upon or implemented in a more creative way. I was starting to enjoy the exploration at about 20-30 minute intervals, only to be stopped by long-winded explanations on another system. Tutorials are excellent at explaining how to understand what you are doing. They don't ruin the game. It would be just great if they were more nimble.
A big part of Endfield's appeal is the diversity of the regions you explore, with every biome imaginable represented, including traditional and modern Chinese architectural designs in the city of Wuling. They are not just pleasing to the eye. Each region has unique mechanics that change the gameplay from moment to moment. For example, one area I passed through introduced me to bombs produced by the local flora, which were used to damage enemies or break blockades.
Along the way, you meet NPCs offering missions. The experience gained and material rewards contribute to the development of the character. You can equip and level up weapons, unlock combat skills and supers, and equip equipment that provides passive benefits. I'm describing a standard RPG, but it's all well executed.
Impressive presentation
The game looks amazing combined with good sound design and great music. On that note, the group Star set The event featured a live performance of some of the game's music, including a new song written for Endfield. That awkward aspect I mentioned earlier? It was like this: a rock band bordering on metal, dressed to the nines, performing heavy music to a seated crowd of about fifty media personnel and a few influencers in a small hotel ballroom. The band killed it, but the experience was pretty fun. The band knew it, we knew it, but it was okay. This idea was more suitable for a conference or The Game Awards.
HYPERGRYPH emphasized their efforts to rework history and create rich areas to explore. In my experience, their work pays off. Mobile gaming has come a long way in a short time. It's one thing for Endfield to run smoothly on PC and PS5. The most impressive achievement will be its performance on mobile devices. Given the precision, animation, large maps and real-time combat, it may be a miracle that the game runs well on older phones.
— Wefield?
Technical testing for Arknights: Endfield Beta Test II will begin on November 28, 2025. It will be available on PC, PS5, iOS and Android, with custom controls for each platform. The test will be of paramount importance to HYPERGRYPH as it prepares for full launch in early 2026.
The team said that there are approximately 50-60 hours of content available in Endfield's second beta. I've barely scratched the surface, and while the gameplay isn't new to me, the Arknights universe is. It looks good, runs smoothly, and implements a lot of mechanics successfully.
I hope what I've shared is informative for fans of the genre interested in giving it a try. For more information on Arknights: Endfield, stay tuned to COGconnected.
***Preview of invitation, trip and hotel provided by GRYPHLINE***
