Recover, rebuild, and restore the planet. Organize the best Operator teams for every mission. Reveal all of Talos-II's secrets.

Arknights: Endfield is available on Android, iOS, and Windows.

The game takes hundreds of years after the first Arknights, but you don’t need to play that to get the hang of things here. The primary advantage of those brought here from the known tower defense RPG is for Easter eggs and other obscure lore.

You’re the Endministrator: the great leader of a settler colony sent to develop a hostile planet. It just so happens that the people under your jurisdiction are under constant threat from an alien species and natives who don’t like how the planetary stewards run things.

So, what are we diving into? This is a game that is part open-world exploration, part RPG, and part civilization sim. Not to mention the mini-games that run for at least two weeks. Endfield rides at either the middle or the tail of open-world adventures that have been popular in the last decade. Move around the different regions of Talos-II to gather resources, reestablish supply lines, and remove hostile threats that have decided to live nearby. Those who have played Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves before will notice many similarities when it comes to interacting with things around these parts.

Endfield’s combat may resemble that of the aforementioned two games, but it diverges quickly when you realize that all four Operators take the field and fight. The main fighting mechanic focuses on chaining skills and stringing elemental reactions.

Character management is a mix of regular hero collector RPG features and some carryover rules from the first Arknights. Operatives are improved by increasing base and skill levels. Duplicates unlock increased modifiers or new skill effects. Every character sees a team slot regardless of rarity. As seen with similar titles, the possibility of power creep replacing lower-rarity units for optimum party slots is quite likely.

Let’s talk about the other game content. The Automated Industry Complex (AIC) lets the player build structures all over the game world. It provides its own kind of fun from laying down groundwork, power lines, and production facilities. This significantly reduces the time spent spanning Talos-II collecting resources. Equipment, sundries, and other consumables are crafted through a series of machines. Essential information on how each section works is provided through simulation mini-games. It’s a matter of maximizing space and shifting priorities to make your complex the most efficient around.

You can interact with your Operators once you have access to OMV Dijiang. The mothership of Endfield Industries is a carryover from Arknights’ base feature. The Endministrator assigns Operators to be responsible for producing specific goods, handling day-to-day activities in orbit, and operating critical facilities that support field missions. Talking to characters unlocks exclusive side stories and other fun tidbits; some also give in-game items as gifts after increasing interaction levels. Some character stories mesh well with other readables you’ll find scattered all over Talos-II. If you played the first game, plenty of callbacks and throwbacks await.

To summarize, Arknights: Endfield continues the series’ legacy of creating RPGs with a twist. This game achieves the balance of using familiar core mechanics and innovative presentations.