Software:Arknights

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Short description: 2019 video game

Template:Infobox animanga/header

GameArknightsDeveloper

  • Hypergryph
  • Studio Montagne

Publisher

  • CHN: Hypergryph
  • WW: Yostar
  • TW: Longcheng

GenreTactical role-playing, tower defenseEngineUnityPlatform

Released

  • CHN: 1 May 2019
  • JP/KR: 15 January 2020
  • WW: 16 January 2020
  • TW: 29 June 2020

GameArknights: EndfieldDeveloperHypergryph, Mountain ContourPlatformAndroid, iOS, Windows, PlayStation 5 Anime television seriesArknights: Prelude to DawnDirected byYuki WatanabeMusic byYuki HayashiStudioYostar PicturesLicensed byCrunchyrollOriginal networkTV TokyoOriginal run October 29, 2022 December 17, 2022Episodes8 Original net animationLee's Detective Agency: A Day in LungmenStudioGravity WellLicensed byCrunchyrollReleased December 23, 2022 April 22, 2023 Audio dramaChildren of UrsusWritten bySoichiro MorizumiStudioAegirOriginal runJune 14, 2023 – presentEpisodes11 Anime television seriesArknights: Perish in FrostDirected byYuki WatanabeMusic byYuki HayashiStudioYostar PicturesLicensed byCrunchyrollOriginal networkTV Tokyo, TV Osaka, BS11, AnimaxOriginal run October 7, 2023 November 25, 2023Episodes8

Arknights (Chinese: 明日方舟; pinyin: Míngrì Fāngzhōu; literally: 'Ark of Tomorrow') is a free-to-play tactical RPG/tower defense mobile game developed by Chinese developer Hypergryph. It was released in China on 1 May 2019, in other countries on 16 January 2020, and in Taiwan on 29 June 2020.[1] Arknights is available on Android and iOS platforms and features gacha game mechanics.

A spin-off game, Arknights: Endfield, was announced for Microsoft Windows and mobile devices in March 2022.[2] An anime television series adaptation produced by Yostar Pictures aired from October to December 2022.[3][4] A second season, titled Arknights: Perish in Frost, premiered in October 2023.

Gameplay

A game of Arknights
One of the levels of Arknights. In this level, enemies proceed from right to left, and to stop them the player has deployed (from the top) a ranged operator, a melee operator and a healer on the left side of the screen. At the bottom, the remaining deployable operators are displayed.

The core gameplay is that of a tower defense game, with a number of characters ("operators") as towers. Melee operators can be placed on ground tiles and ranged operators on elevated tiles. Melee operators physically block enemies from advancing, and ranged operators deal ranged damage, heal or otherwise support melee operators. Players must place operators on the correct tiles to prevent the enemy from infiltrating the player's base. Once in place, an operator's skills can be activated after a time for special effects, or they can be withdrawn for redeployment after a delay.

Because there is often a limited number of viable solutions, especially at high difficulties, Arknights has also been described as a puzzle game.[5] The gameplay does not require quick reaction times (the game is pauseable, and time slows down while commands are issued), but rather on-the-spot tactical analysis and foresight.[6]

As the player progresses through the game, they unlock more stages, operators and resources, and are also introduced to new types of enemies and gameplay mechanics. Levels that have been cleared with a three-star rating can be auto-completed without player input, as the game records the player's actions and replicates them.

The game also has a base-building aspect, which allows players to construct facilities and assign operators to them. This allows players to increase their resources in the manner of an incremental game.[7] It features the usual array of free-to-play, gacha game mechanics, such as daily login rewards and randomized character acquisition through virtual currency which can be obtained by playing the game, through limited-time events, or optional in-app purchases using real currency. Because of the limited resources available (even if real money is spent), another layer of challenge lies in "internalizing multiple complex economic systems"[6] and in prioritizing the right operators to recruit and develop in order to build a capable roster. Arknights players have created a number of internet resources and tools to assist in this effort.[6]

Seasonal gameplay events introduce more complex but optional difficulties and handicaps, such as the game's semi-quarterly Contingency Contract. Players are awarded with resources and medals exclusive to these events. A roguelike game mode, "Integrated Strategies", was added in 2022.[8]

Plot

The game is set in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic future setting of the planet Terra, where people exhibit kemonomimi features – characteristics of animals or mythological races. Natural disasters leave behind a valuable mineral, originium, which infects people with a progressive disease, oripathy, but also allows them to also use "Arts" (magic). Because oripathy is highly infectious and invariably fatal, the infected are shunned and persecuted. In response, some of them form the Reunion movement, a militant group waging war on the despotic governments of Terra.

The player takes the role of the masked and amnesiac "Doctor", who commands a team of "operators" of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical, medical, and self-defense organization. As oripathy spreads, Rhodes Island searches for a cure while defending itself against Reunion and several of the governments of Terra.[7]

Music and voice acting

Arknights has an eclectic soundtrack drawing on a range of Western and Asian musical genres. Hypergryph has partnered with musical groups across the world to release Arknights-related songs and music videos. These include Steve Aoki ("Last of Me"), Yellow Claw ("End Like This"),[9] Starset ("Infected"),[10] and Low Roar ("Feels", later re-released as "Fade Away").[11] Contributing composers include Go Shiina,[12] Kevin Penkin[13] and Adam Gubman.[14]

The Arknights-related song "Renegade" written by Jason Walsh and performed by Substantial and X.ARI was nominated for "Best Original Song – Video Game" at the 2020 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[15]

The game's characters were voiced only in Japanese at the time of release. Standard Chinese, Korean, and English voice acting is being incrementally added.[16]

In 2022, Arknights announced that voice acting for regional Sinitic languages would also be added. Cantonese, Suzhounese, Sichuanese, Xi'annese, Wuhanese, among others, have also been added.[17] As part of "Il Siracusano" update in November 2022 Italian dub for certain characters (Texas, Lappland, Penance, Vigil, Lunacub) was introduced,[18] while "Zwillingstürme im Herbst" update in November 2023 added German (Viviana, Lessing, Ebenholz, Czerny) and Russian (Zima, Rosa, Gummy, Istina, Absinthe, Hellagur) voice acting[19] to reflect native languages of characters.

Reception

Pocket Gamer highlighted the game's extensive lore and high production values.[20] Julia Lee of Polygon said that the gacha system is better than in Nintendo's Dragalia Lost, and wrote that "Arknights is the only gacha game I recommend to people" because of its art design, lack of purchase pressure and competition, and limited grind,[5] and Sisi Jiang of Kotaku noted that Arknights is rare among gacha games in that its easily obtainable characters are better in some circumstances than the game's rare, high-powered operators.[21]

The game was nominated for Google Play "Users' Choice Game" at the Best of 2020 awards and for "Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game" at the 2020 Dragon Awards.[22] It won an award as one of the Best Innovative Games of 2020.[23]

Anime adaptation

In December 2020, Hypergryph released a nine-minute Arknights anime video, "Holy Knight Light", on the occasion of the game's first global anniversary. It was made by the global publisher's in-house studio, Yostar Pictures, which previously made anime trailers for in-game events for the global version of the game.[24]

In October 2021, Hypergryph published a teaser trailer for the first season ("Prelude to Dawn") of an anime adaptation of Arknights, also made by Yostar Pictures.[3] The anime is a television series directed by Yuki Watanabe, with Masaki Nishikawa serving as assistant director, and Yuki Hayashi composing the music.[25] Takashi Matsuyama is cast as Ace.[26] The series aired from October 29 to December 17, 2022, on TV Tokyo in Japan.[4][lower-alpha 1] Crunchyroll licensed the series.[28] The anime's opening theme song is "Alive" by Reona, and the ending theme song is "BE ME" by Doul. A second season, "Perish in Frost", was announced at the end of the eighth episode and features returning staff and cast.[29] It premiered on October 7, 2023, on TV Tokyo. The opening theme song is "Ache in Pulse" by Myth & Roid, and the ending theme song is "R.I.P" by Reona.[30]

A spin-off miniseries, Lee's Detective Agency, began airing on Crunchyroll on December 23, 2022.[31]

Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal air date

Notes

  1. TV Tokyo lists the series premiere at 25:23 on October 28, 2022, which is effectively 1:23 a.m. JST on October 29.[27]

References

  1. Lada, Jenni (24 January 2020). "The Doctor Is in as Arknights Is Available Outside Japan". Siliconera. https://www.siliconera.com/the-doctor-is-in-as-arknights-is-available-worldwide/. 
  2. "Hypergryph Announces Arknights: Endfield for PC and Mobile". 2022-03-18. https://gamerant.com/hypergryph-announces-arknights-endfield-pc-mobile/. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Luster, Joseph (24 October 2021). "Arknights Anime Adaptation Revealed, Season 1 'Coming Soon'". https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/10/24-1/arknights-anime-adaptation-revealed-season-1-coming-soon. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2022). "Arknights: Prelude to Dawn Anime's Promo Video Reveals ReoNa's Theme, October 28 Premiere". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-09-24/arknights-prelude-to-dawn-anime-promo-video-reveals-reona-theme-october-28-premiere/.190116. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Lee, Julia (2020-10-30). "Arknights is the only gacha game I recommend to people". https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/30/21542357/arknights-gacha-game-recommendation-android-ios. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jiang, Sisi (2022-02-21). "These So-Called 'Casual' Gamers Are Actually Hardcore Strategists". https://kotaku.com/casual-game-players-hardcore-fans-genshin-impact-arknig-1847895923. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Jensen, Brock (29 January 2020). "Arknights Review - Gacha Tower Defense Done Right". Noisy Pixel. https://noisypixel.net/arknights-review-ios/. 
  8. Jiang, Sisi (2022-07-19). "Arknights' New Roguelike Mode Makes Its Gimmicky Characters Worth Playing Again". https://kotaku.com/arknights-roguelike-integrated-strategy-gacha-1849197379. 
  9. Yopko, Nick (28 December 2020). "Arknights Celebrates One-Year Anniversary With New Track by Steve Aoki, Yellow Claw, and RUNN". Edm.com - the Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. https://edm.com/music-releases/steve-aoki-yellow-claw-runn-arknights-episode-seven. 
  10. Childers, Chad (2021-04-26). "Starset Release 'Infected' to Mark 'Arknights' Video Game Anniversary". https://loudwire.com/starset-infected-lyrics-arknights-video-game-anniversary/. 
  11. "塞壬唱片 - A WORLD FAMILIARLY UNKNOWN". https://monster-siren.hypergryph.com/music/953922. 
  12. @cnago (2020-10-27). "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). https://twitter.com/cnago/status/1321035916924702720. 
  13. @kevinpenkin (2021-12-21). "I wrote music for Arknights!!! Beyond honoured to work with the irreplaceable @SarahAlainn on the song "Heal the World". Feel free to check below.". https://twitter.com/kevinpenkin/status/1473229516495482881. 
  14. @ArknightsStaff (2022-08-10). "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). https://twitter.com/ArknightsStaff/status/1557260475804463110. 
  15. Willman, Chris (2021-01-15). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Announces 2021 Nominees; Kenny Loggins Set for Lifetime Honor". https://variety.com/2021/music/news/hollywood-music-media-awards-nominations-songs-score-1234886663/. 
  16. "Arknights Global releases English, Korean dub previews". 2022-06-24. https://www.gamerbraves.com/arknights-global-releases-english-korean-dub-previews/. 
  17. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in zh). 2022-01-15. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fr4y1v78Z/?vd_source=9394ca4a9d59be0efa3bcfd4365bc21b. 
  18. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in zh). 2023-11-22. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Wt4y1T78v/. 
  19. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in zh). 2023-11-22. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV13Q4y1H7N2/. 
  20. Gregson-Wood, Stephen. "Arknights is a tower defense game for iOS and Android that puts a huge emphasis on its lore, you can pre-register now". Pocket Gamer. https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/081891/arknights-is-a-tower-defence-game-for-ios-and-android-that-puts-a-huge-emphasis-on-its-lore-you-can-pre-register-now/. 
  21. Jiang, Sisi (27 September 2021). "Arknights Low Rarity Characters Are Better Than High Rarity Ones". https://kotaku.com/arknights-low-rarity-characters-are-better-than-high-ra-1847752102. 
  22. Liptak, Andrew (2020-09-06). "Announcing the 2020 Dragon Awards Winners". https://www.tor.com/2020/09/06/2020-dragon-con-award-winners-john-scalzi-erin-morgenstern/. 
  23. Faisal, Muhammad (1 December 2020). "Game Arknights Memenangkan Penghargaan dari Google Play Best of 2020!" (in Indonesian). Nawala Karsa. https://nawalakarsa.id/game-teknologi/game-arknights-menangkan-penghargaan-dari-google-play-best-of-2020/. 
  24. "Yostar Pictures Produces 9-Minute Short for Arknights Smartphone Game". December 26, 2021. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-26/yostar-pictures-produces-9-minute-short-for-arknights-smartphone-game/.167865. 
  25. Kit (July 25, 2022). "Arknights anime seemingly confirmed for October 2022 broadcast by its composer". https://www.gamerbraves.com/arknights-anime-seemingly-confirmed-for-october-2022-broadcast-by-its-composer/. 
  26. Pineda, Rafael (January 10, 2022). "Arknights: Prelude to Dawn TV Anime Unveils 1st Cast & Staff Members, Visual". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-01-09/arknights-prelude-to-dawn-tv-anime-unveils-1st-cast-and-staff-members-visual/.181368. 
  27. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Natasha, Inc.. September 24, 2022. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/494987. 
  28. Mateo, Alex (October 18, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Stream Arknights: Prelude to Dawn Anime". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-10-18/crunchyroll-to-stream-arknights-prelude-to-dawn-anime/.190975. 
  29. Loo, Egan (December 16, 2022). "Arknights Game's Perish in Frost TV Anime Confirmed (Updated)". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-12-16/arknights-game-perish-in-frost-tv-anime-confirmed/.193031. 
  30. Cayanan, Joanna (September 20, 2023). "Arknights: Perish in Frost Anime's Songs, October 6 Debut Revealed in Full Promo Video". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-09-20/arknights-perish-in-frost-anime-songs-october-6-debut-revealed-in-full-promo-video/.202565. 
  31. Arknights_EN [@ArknightsEN] (December 23, 2022). "Dear Doctors, welcome to Lee's Detective Agency! The Arknights miniseries Lee's Detective Agency will be airing on Crunchyroll on 2022 Dec 23!". https://twitter.com/ArknightsEN/status/1605867786294726657. 

External links