en.wikipedia.org

Arknights - Wikipedia

  • ️Sat Dec 26 2020

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arknights

App icon showing one of the game's protagonists, Amiya

Created byHypergryph
Video game
Developer
  • Hypergryph
  • Studio Montagne
Publisher
GenreTactical role-playing, tower defense
EngineUnity
Platform
Released
  • CHN: 1 May 2019
  • JP/KR: 15 January 2020
  • WW: 16 January 2020
  • TW: 29 June 2020
Video game
Arknights: Endfield
DeveloperHypergryph, Mountain Contour
PublisherGryphline
EngineUnity (Modified)[1]
PlatformAndroid, iOS, Windows, PlayStation 5
Anime television series
Arknights: Prelude to Dawn
Directed byYuki Watanabe
Music byYuki Hayashi
StudioYostar Pictures
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkTV Tokyo
Original run October 29, 2022 – December 17, 2022
Episodes8
Original net animation
Lee's Detective Agency: A Day in Lungmen
StudioGravity Well
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Released December 23, 2022 – April 22, 2023
Runtime9 minutes
Episodes8
Audio drama
Children of Ursus
Written bySoichiro Morizumi
StudioAegir
Original runJune 14, 2023 – present
Episodes11
Anime television series
Arknights: Perish in Frost
Directed byYuki Watanabe
Music byYuki Hayashi
StudioYostar Pictures
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkTV Tokyo, TV Osaka, BS11, Animax
Original run October 7, 2023 – November 25, 2023
Episodes8
Anime television series
Arknights: Rise from Ember
StudioYostar Pictures
Original run 2025 – scheduled
icon Anime and manga portal

Arknights (Chinese: 明日方舟; pinyin: Míngrì Fāngzhōu; lit. '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.[2] 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.[3] An anime television series adaptation produced by Yostar Pictures aired from October to December 2022.[4][5] A second season, titled Arknights: Perish in Frost, aired from October to November 2023. A third season, titled Arknights: Rise from Ember, is set to premiere in 2025.

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.[6] The gameplay normally 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.[7]

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.[8] 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"[7] 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.[7]

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.[9]

The game is set in the dystopian, 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 can also enhance the ability to 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.[8]

This list is limited only to major characters that have appeared in both the game and the TV anime and does not include those that have appeared only in the game.[10][11]

Character Voiced by
Doctor (博士; Bóshì) Yuki Kaida
Amiya (阿米娅; Āmǐyà) Tomoyo Kurosawa
Wei Yenwu (魏彦吾; Wèi Yànwú) Kōichi Yamadera
Dobermann (杜宾; Dùbīn) Atsumi Tanezaki
Franka (芙兰卡; Fúlánkǎ) Ai Kakuma
Swire (诗怀雅; Shīhuáiyǎ) Sora Tokui
Ch'en (陈; Chén) Shizuka Ishigami
Liskarm (雷蛇; Léishé) Yui Ishikawa
Misha (米莎; Mǐshā) Satsumi Matsuda
Blaze (煌; Huáng) Mai Nakahara
Exusiai (能天使; Néngtiānshǐ) Manaka Iwami
Texas (德克萨斯; Dékèsàsī) Azusa Tadokoro
GreyThroat (灰喉; Huīhóu) Misato Fukuen
Hoshiguma (星熊; Xīngxióng) Kiyono Yasuno
Talulah Artorius (塔露拉·雅特利亚斯; Tǎlùlā·Yǎtèlìyǎsī) Maaya Sakamoto
Ace (王牌; Wángpái) Takashi Matsuyama
Crownslayer (弑君者; Shìjūnzhě) Sayaka Senbongi
Guard (防卫员; Fángwèiyuán) Chiaki Kobayashi
Skullshatterer (碎骨; Suìgǔ) Risae Matsuda
Frostleaf (霜叶; Shuāngyè) Ai Kakuma
FrostNova (霜星; Shuāngxīng) Ayahi Takagaki
Jessica (杰西卡; Jiéxīkǎ) Ryō Hirohashi
Lin (林; Lín) Kanae Itō
Mephisto (梅菲斯特; Méifēisītè) Kōhei Amasaki
Nearl (临光; Línguāng) Ayane Sakura
Fumizuki (魏文月; Wèiwényuè) Noriko Hidaka
Kal'tsit (凯尔希; Kǎiěrxī) Yōko Hikasa
Meteorite (陨星; Yǔnxīng) Risa Taneda
Faust (浮士德; Fúshìdé) Shun Horie

Music and voice acting

[edit]

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"),[12] Starset ("Infected"),[13] and Low Roar ("Feels", later re-released as "Fade Away").[14] Contributing composers include Go Shiina,[15] Kevin Penkin[16] and Adam Gubman.[17]

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.[18]

The game's characters are voiced in Japanese. Standard Chinese, regional Sinitic language, Korean, and English voice acting is being incrementally added.[19][20] Individual characters are also voiced in other languages such as Italian, German and Russian, to reflect their origin from the analogous region of the game's world.[21][22]

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.[23]

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.[4] The anime is a television series directed by Yuki Watanabe, with Masaki Nishikawa serving as assistant director, and Yuki Hayashi composing the music.[24] Takashi Matsuyama is cast as Ace.[25] The series aired from October 29 to December 17, 2022, on TV Tokyo in Japan.[5][a] Crunchyroll licensed the series.[27] 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.[28] It aired October 7 to November 25, 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.[29] A third season, "Rise from Ember", was announced on April 27, 2024.[30] It is set to premiere in 2025.[31]

A spin-off miniseries, Lee's Detective Agency, began airing on Crunchyroll on December 23, 2022.[32]

Cosplay of Arknights characters

Pocket Gamer highlighted the game's extensive lore and high production values.[33] 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,[6] 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.[34]

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.[35] It won an award as one of the Best Innovative Games of 2020.[36]

  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.[26]
  1. ^ "面对焕然一新的《明日方舟：终末地》，我们问了海猫和hyf很多问题".
  2. ^ Lada, Jenni (24 January 2020). "The Doctor Is in as Arknights Is Available Outside Japan". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Hypergryph Announces Arknights: Endfield for PC and Mobile". Game Rant. 2022-03-18. Archived from the original on 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  4. ^ a b Luster, Joseph (24 October 2021). "Arknights Anime Adaptation Revealed, Season 1 'Coming Soon'". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  5. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2022). "Arknights: Prelude to Dawn Anime's Promo Video Reveals ReoNa's Theme, October 28 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Lee, Julia (2020-10-30). "Arknights is the only gacha game I recommend to people". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  7. ^ a b c Jiang, Sisi (2022-02-21). "These So-Called 'Casual' Gamers Are Actually Hardcore Strategists". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  8. ^ a b Jensen, Brock (29 January 2020). "Arknights Review - Gacha Tower Defense Done Right". Noisy Pixel. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. ^ Jiang, Sisi (2022-07-19). "Arknights' New Roguelike Mode Makes Its Gimmicky Characters Worth Playing Again". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  10. ^ Arknights: Prelude to Dawn (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  11. ^ Arknights: Perish in Frost (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  12. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  13. ^ Childers, Chad (2021-04-26). "Starset Release 'Infected' to Mark 'Arknights' Video Game Anniversary". Loudwire. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  14. ^ "塞壬唱片 - A WORLD FAMILIARLY UNKNOWN". monster-siren.hypergryph.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  15. ^ Shiina, Go [@cnago] (2020-10-27). — アークナイツ — 大陸版メインストーリー8章 PV PV一曲目作編曲担当させていただきました。 日本サービスはのちほどですが、 是非、遊んでみて下さいー！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-02 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Penkin, Kevin [@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" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-10-02 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ @ArknightsStaff (2022-08-10). #アークナイツ 2.5周年を記念し、この曲をお送りします。 ぜひお聞きください。 「And Yet It Wanes」 作曲：Adam Gubman (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-02 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Willman, Chris (2021-01-15). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Announces 2021 Nominees; Kenny Loggins Set for Lifetime Honor". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  19. ^ "Arknights Global releases English, Korean dub previews". GamerBraves. 2022-06-24. Archived from the original on 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  20. ^ 《明日方舟》2022新春前瞻特辑视频. Bilibili (in Chinese). 2022-01-15.
  21. ^ 《明日方舟》2022「感谢庆典」前瞻特别节目（附字幕）. Bilibili (in Chinese). 2023-11-22.
  22. ^ 《明日方舟》2023「感谢庆典」前瞻特别节目（附字幕）. Bilibili (in Chinese). 2023-11-22.
  23. ^ "Yostar Pictures Produces 9-Minute Short for Arknights Smartphone Game". Anime News Network. December 26, 2021. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  24. ^ Kit (July 25, 2022). "Arknights anime seemingly confirmed for October 2022 broadcast by its composer". GamerBraves. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  25. ^ Pineda, Rafael (January 10, 2022). "Arknights: Prelude to Dawn TV Anime Unveils 1st Cast & Staff Members, Visual". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  26. ^ TVアニメ「アークナイツ」10月28日放送開始、ドクター役・甲斐田ゆきらキャスト公開. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 24, 2022. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  27. ^ Mateo, Alex (October 18, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Stream Arknights: Prelude to Dawn Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Loo, Egan (December 16, 2022). "Arknights Game's Perish in Frost TV Anime Confirmed (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  29. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 20, 2023). "Arknights: Perish in Frost Anime's Songs, October 6 Debut Revealed in Full Promo Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  30. ^ Tai, Anita (April 27, 2024). "Arknights: Rise from Ember TV Anime Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  31. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 11, 2025). "Arknights: Rise from Ember TV Anime Streams 2nd Teaser Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  32. ^ 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!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  34. ^ Jiang, Sisi (27 September 2021). "Arknights Low Rarity Characters Are Better Than High Rarity Ones". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  35. ^ Liptak, Andrew (2020-09-06). "Announcing the 2020 Dragon Awards Winners". Tor.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  36. ^ Faisal, Muhammad (1 December 2020). "Game Arknights Memenangkan Penghargaan dari Google Play Best of 2020!" [Arknights Game Wins Award from Google Play Best of 2020!]. Nawala Karsa (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2021.