Arknights: Endfield Beta Test II hands-on - "Runs well, and a dream for ARPG fans"
Is it the end or the beginning?
- Arknights: Endfield has finally hit mobile - well, at least its beta has
- We went hands-on to find out how it holds up for smartphones
- And with our other preview in the bag, this'll explore the mobile experience solely
You may recall a few weeks ago, I got to hop on a plane and head to California to try out the highly anticipated Arknights: Endfield. The build I played at that time was then unavailable, but on November 28th, Arknights: Endfield Beta II opened up for all eligible players!
Those of you not lucky enough to be in there may be wondering - how does the latest beta for Arknights: Endfield play? Well, fret not, because I also got the chance to try it on mobile.
The TL;DR
If you don’t want to go over my entire preview, then here are some of my key thoughts…
- Even with settings lowered for performance, Arknights: Endfield still looks visually fantastic in terms of graphical fidelity and art style.
- Controls are simple and straightforward, but offer enough tactical flexibility and movement to keep you engaged. Having multiple characters on the field makes you feel much more connected to them.
- Audio for both music and voice acting is well done and immerses you in the near-future setting of Endfield.
- The installation process is a bit awkward, and the massive 21 GB file size can be very frustrating for users with storage on the lower end of things
- If you’re not already an ARPG fan, then this won’t sway you to the cause. But for enthusiasts of the genre, it’s jam-packed with both new mechanics and refined ideas in a neat package.
Content
Well, spoiler alert, the new content to explore in Endfield is pretty much the same as in my previous hands-on preview. That means you have both the usual intro mission that you’ll likely have already seen in many gameplay demos, as well as a brand-new area in the form of Wuling City.If you’ve seen previous gameplay demos, you’ll already recognise the prologue and introductory chapters set in the Valley IV area. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be skippable if, like me, you’re already familiar with it. Fortunately, if you’ve played previous betas, you can simply log in and pick up where you left off with your old account.
Of course, all of this is going to be entirely new to mobile players. So with that in mind, how does it differ from the PC version I had the chance to play? Well, fair warning - I’m on an S20, so not exactly the most powerful, and we’ll have to see just how it copes with all of that.
What’s new?
The new stuff here is mainly that this is the debut mobile version. And to be honest, the one thing that left me rather frustrated was the installation process. Arknights: Endfield demands a whopping 21 GB of space in your storage, and isn’t exactly shy about taking that after the initial startup process.
Personally, I’d have liked more confirmation, or perhaps a staged installation process to free up space for the installation. And starting up will see you have to wait for shaders to be compiled as well, something I dislike at the best of times when playing anything.
Gameplay
If you’ve read my preview, you know what to expect. And I’m glad to say that the touchscreen makes dodging, chaining combos and activating ultimates as easy as pie. It’s not exactly Sekiro, but there is a decent amount of timing and teamwork involved in combat, while not overloading you with a need to move constantly.
I also particularly like the small plot summaries given to you when you skip a cutscene. It can be very helpful if (like me) you’ve already seen or played other demos and want to get to the action.
There’s a suite of mechanics here, and while I didn’t get as far as the introduction of the factory planning, I’d be surprised if it runs as well as it does on PC, considering all of the (literal) moving parts.
Audio
Arknights: Endfield sounds pretty good to me, but then, as I confessed in my recent Maono review, I’m no audiophile. The music itself gives me strong hints of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with plenty of sci-fi vibes that fit the near-future world of Arknights: Endfield, alongside some more fantastical orchestral tones.Other than that, there’s plenty in the way of stings and sound effects to make you feel like a true anime hero as you dodge, dive and weave between attacks to outflank your opponents. And the shouts from your teammates all help to add to that feeling of working together in order to foil the enemy.
Performance
Using the default settings on my S20, I was getting a pretty solid 30+ FPS while playing Endfield. And it still looks quite good, albeit with a low resolution. However, Arknights: Endfield’s aesthetic and style are what carry it through, and even with concessions for the sake of performance, it looks pretty nice. You'll also find the pre-rendered cutscenes are still at full resolution to give you a break from the pixels.
And on the plus side, while my device did get warm, it didn’t get uncomfortably so while also maintaining that steady performance. Admittedly, I did take off the cover to make sure nothing too bad happened, but it’s good to see that Endfield wasn’t about to burn my hands despite all the effects in place here. So if you've got something above a potato level (which I assume any of you serious mobile gamers would) then this'll be a non-factor anyway.
Endfield also front-loads its most graphically demanding encounter with a huge boss fight. So if you have trouble there, you know it’s only at the highest end that you’ll have issues during gameplay. And again, even on my lower-end device, it looked suitably impressive to grab you right from the start.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
I admit I'm not a big action RPG fan, and Arknights: Endfield is not likely to change that. But I can still appreciate the artistry and technical competence on display here (even if I have to play it through a metaphorical layer of vaseline on my device). And if you’re an action RPG fan looking for a new take on the genre, or a dedicated Arknights follower, then this will be your dream release thanks to its gorgeous aesthetics and fast-paced but accessible gameplay.
