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Simply the best mobile game you could install on your phone ever, rivalling even PC games in quality.
This is a VERY LONG review, so here's a table of contents:
▪︎Graphics: Character art, User interface and In-game sprites
▪︎Gameplay: Character viability and Core gameplay principles
▪︎Sound: Music and Voices
▪︎Story: Worldbuilding and Writing quality
▪︎Short Summary
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[ GRAPHICS ]
As you'd expect one of the main features in gacha games is character art, and the game delivers artwork of consistent quality for each and every Operator, even ones of low rarity. And most of the time, they also come with several versions, namely the "Promotion" art you get when you upgrade an Operator to Elite 2 status, and their outfits that are released in the shop, sometimes with extra visual effects, animations and voice lines.
User Interface deserves a special highlight because it is incredibly stylish while being easy to navigate. Just recently updates have been made that make UI navigation easier than ever. No wonder other games are copying the style!
(Looking at you, GFL: Neural Cloud ![[怪笑]](/cdn/img/transparent.png){kind=spacer}
)
When you are actually in the game, stages are rendered in 3D environments with 2D sprites of enemies and allies placed on top. The chibi sprites fit the game's overall aesthetic really well compared to the traditional "big head, tiny body" chibi artstyle, and you'll find the enemies telegraph their roles and abilties well. Heck, they have cool designs of their own, I'm particularly fond of the Armorless Union forces, they are so tacticool!
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[ GAMEPLAY ]
I've praised the graphics enough, but how does it play?
You'll be surprised to find out that Arknights might be one of the only gacha games out there that require tactical skill, and where high rarity characters are not the be all, end all.
The way the core gameplay is structured and how the developers approach stage design means that each operation allows for all kinds of strategies. There is an entire niche revolving around clearing stages with 4-star or lower characters and... wouldn't you know it: these players have managed to find clears for EVERY. SINGLE. STAGE.
In fact, Arknights seems to revolve less around building the strongest character available, but rather having a diverse roster of characters so you can adapt to the challenges you face. Why? Because each character has a unique set of skills and talents available ONLY to them, ensuring that even if they don't perform well everywhere, they can be an excellent choice for when a specific type of strategy or threat demands their expertise.
The basic gameplay is quite simple to grasp: deploy Operators to prevent enemies from reaching your base. Classic tower defence stuff.
However, the kits of your Operators and their synergy, enemy abilities, special stage mechanics, and even the many types of gamemodes available add a LOT of depth to this seemingly simple premise.
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[ SOUND ]
The highlight for this section is the god-like music production behind Arknights. There is a meme within the community that Hypergryph is actually a music company that just so happened to make a gacha game. They are incapable of producing a "bad" song. Rock music? Eldritch sea shanties? Summer vibes J-pop? Synthwave electronic? Payday 2 heist? We've got it all.
I also would like to praise the direction the game takes with voice dubbing. For two years the CVs were purely in Japanese. A fool-proof strategy that didn't need adjuatments, but then... they started dubbing characters to other languages. Chinese, English, Korean, even mf'in Italian!
Chinese and English being the strongest contenders, I have to say that the English voice acting is one of the best in anime. Accents. ACCENTS! Characters actually have accents depending on where they come from!
My favourites are Ebenholz and Czerny: one wouldn't tell them apart in the sea of JP voices, but in EN they are instantly recognizable. They even throw in German mannerisms every now and then that aren't out of place!
Oh, and between you and me, Czerny sounds SO ANGRY when he is deployed on the battlefield it sends shivers down my spine! Don't mess with this music man!
"Extraordinary melodies can be only played by the SOUL that quakes!!"
-- Czerny, moments before caving someone's head in with a piano shield.
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[ STORY ]
Finally, I want to touch upon the plot of the game.
It features one of the most immersive, realistic worlds out there. From incredible sagas spanning dozens of stages, to each Operator having pages' worth of backstory, down to every item in your inventory having small lore bits in their tooltips. All of this contributes to developing a living world that doesn't revolve around the player but can exist on its own and cross over mediums.
A lot of players make the mistake of skipping the story because, admittedly, it can get sluggish and convoluted in the beginning. Chapters 1 through 4, in particular. I assure you though, the localisation team has been steadily improving their performance and nowadays the story sections flow really well and are easy to comprehend.
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[ SHORT SUMMARY]
Arknights is an innovative game with production quality exceeding a lot of modern AAA titles. The developers behind this game show a clear passion and commitment to deliver the best EXPERIENCE to the player, and are willing to make decisions that aren't necessarily profitable but will be greatly appreciated by the fans.
Deep gameplay mechanics, immersive worldbuilding, beautiful character and UI design, a banger of a soundtrack... Arknights just excels at everything!
So, do give it a try. You will not regret it.
Phoenix 2
4.2A great Shoot Em' Up that is easy to pick up, not time consuming and has interesting variety for its simple premise.
![[開心]](/cdn/img/transparent.png)
Every ship in the game's roster has a different attack pattern and equipment. One ship could be relying on homing missiles and using EMPs to clear enemy bullets, while another could be deploying barriers and launch mega bombs from behind those. I'm always excited to try out a new ship just to see what their playstyle is like!
As for the missions, you get three levels daily ranging in difficulty, and you can check Intel to see what weapons and armor the enemies are equipped with. The patterns can be delightfully challenging, and some ships can be better suited to a particular scenario than others.
The meat of the game is clearing the missions as fast as possible, and while I'm usually not a fan of leaderboards... It's actually really satisfying to pull off a good run with a unique strategy! You're always up to date on your split time with each wave cleared.
Oh, and the soundtrack is absolute banger.