Arknights: Endfield 1.5, “Dreamscape of Wind and Snow,” sees the Endministrator (Chloe Eves, Black Desert Online) drawn into the labyrinthine Snowy Forest in search of the lost Andre (Murray McArthur, Rings of Power). While there, they come across Typhoeus (Hanna Annika Johansson), a wanderer from the North searching for knowledge of her people that is perilously close to being lost forever.
One of the greatest dangers in long-form entertainment is digging yourself into a rut. When your storytelling becomes formulaic, it saps much of the interest out of what is nominally a well-crafted experience. After all, nothing kills a tale as quickly as feeling like you’ve already heard it before. Arknights: Endfield 1.5 feels like a deliberate attempt to break the game’s own mold as it follows its lead into a frozen world.
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So much of the story here starkly contrasts with what this game has given us before, to the point that it couldn’t be a coincidence. From the first time we hear the mysterious narrator (a first for the game) as the Endmin first walks into the new region until the last story beat is cleared, the tale feels wholly unique from everything we’ve experienced during our time in Wuling.
While the accompanying narration is the most noticeable feature, effectively expounding on events and providing emotional color, virtually every aspect of the narrative’s focus contrasts with the previous arc. Wuling was all about moving forward; through Typhoeus’ search for knowledge concerning Amma, a spiritual figure from her people’s history, the story is focused squarely in the past.
Even in Wuling’s smaller stories, like Mi Fu and Tangtang‘s dealings with the stockade, there was always a larger impact the stories held for the region. In Arknights: Endfield 1.5, everything solely rotates around the Endmin, Andre, and Typhoeus. And the world itself couldn’t look more different.
In Arknights: Endfield 1.5, everything solely rotates around the Endmin, Andre, and Typhoeus.
The lush green wildernesses we have grown accustomed to are traded for a frigid, snowy landscape. The overwhelming amount of white and reduced animal life give the new area a far more desolate and isolated feeling, while still managing to be gorgeous, with several standout views that take the breath away.
The final supporting element that completes the area’s break from its predecessors is its musical choices. The string-heavy pieces of Wuling are replaced with far more woodwinds. The previous lightness of the soundtrack is brought down, creating a heavier tone that lets the gorgeous music stand out instantly. One particular piece that drops during a major story beat had me reluctant to press on, as I wished to linger and soak it in.
Arknights: Endfield 1.5 uses this change in energy to great effect as it weaves its plot through the new area. The danger that threatens the group is presented through heavy layers of mysticism. While all the “supernatural” elements of the story are explained as representations of Originum Arts, Typhoeus’ people take a much more ritualistic approach to the powers that show up across Talos-II.
Priest/Priestesses are caretakers of knowledge and myth for Typhoeus, and one in particular has drawn her to the Snowy Forest and may have inadvertently caused Andre’s ill fortune, causing Typhoeus to help save the beleaguered engineer and perhaps discover the whereabouts of the missing Priestess.
Combat gets a minor tweak, as enemies in this region are tainted by sorcery.
The main story clips along at a great pace. A good blend of combat, environmental puzzles, and narrative keeps the experience fresh and satisfying. The new puzzles utilize shooting targets with Typhoeus’ bow. However, if players don’t own her, the Endmin is given the ability to do so via a new tool, so nothing is lost.
While the main story does a good job of balancing all its elements, the secondary narrative struggles a bit. A sequence of finding things hidden in the environment to advance the story goes on for far too long. The gameplay featured becomes fairly repetitive, causing it to overstay its welcome, even as the narrative it supports is fairly interesting.
Combat also gets a minor tweak, as enemies in this region are tainted by sorcery. First mentioned in Camille’s story back in 1.3, the ancient arts are explored in more detail, including how they interact with modern-day abilities. These creatures provide a little extra thought as they are immune to damage until certain conditions are met. So if you are like me and have gotten used to firing off a pair of battle skills just as combat starts, you will want to break that habit.
Beyond the story’s refreshingly different focus and tone, Arknights: Endfield 1.5 delivers a strong overall narrative experience. Typhoeus’ journey feels important to the character as she searches for long-sought answers. Johansson’s voice acting is also great for her character, as her soft-spoken delivery feels right for someone accustomed to spending a lot of time alone. However, despite being a bit soft-spoken, the character’s voice has a depth that engenders trust when she speaks about subjects she knows well.
Even though it focuses on the new character mostly, the Endmin also gets some moments to shine as they help Typhoeus take their leap of faith to find what they are searching for. And her ongoing concern for the hapless Andre also gives her a few strong moments too. That poor bird.
Arknights: Endfield 1.5 delivers something special.
Although the story feels unlikely to tie directly into what comes next in the main narrative, it seems reasonable to expect that some elements introduced here will return when the Endmin’s journey continues from Wuling. This setup works well, as the standalone nature of the story lets the game try new things, while introducing concepts that matter to players who want narrative-connected content.
Beyond her place in the narrative, Typhoeus is a fun new addition to the roster as well. A nature striker, she fires volleys of arrows in rapid succession, often as she floats in the air. To fully utilize her, she needs other characters to apply nature arts to enemies so she can consume them to trigger her combo skill and pop off for her maximum damage. She’s fun, but if you already have Arcane, also a nature main DPS, and are short on currency, I would suspect she’s likely skippable.
Every patch brings some quality-of-life improvements, but Arknights: Endfield 1.5 has a couple of particular notes. First, you can now hide the UI during cutscenes. So if you love capturing those gorgeous narrative shots and prefer them without UI clutter, you can now get the clean shots you want.
Also, an ascension planner is available to lay out exactly what you need to finish leveling your characters. Accessible right from the main character screen, the information is laid out cleanly and clearly, allowing you to jump from entries directly to the challenge you need to fight to get whichever material you are looking for.
Despite being a filler story, or perhaps because of it, Arknights: Endfield 1.5 delivers something special. The shift in much of the presentation and elements like the narration, which would feel jarring if inserted into a main entry, get to shine here. Allowing side stories to stray from some of the established conventions of the core narrative could give players some added reason to look forward to these side excursions, as long as they continue to deliver like this one.
Arknights: Endfield is available now for mobile, PC, and PlayStation 5.
