You may, or may not have, heard of this game from your friends, or even seen it on Youtube or some other social media platform. So, what makes Arknights a game worth mentioning?

In this modern day and age, mobile games are something of a common thing where new apps just pop up every other day, and there is no shortage of gacha or RPGs for people to play with on their smart devices. With the rise in popularity of gacha RPGs, mobile game developers have attempted to integrate all kinds of genre together with it, be it the trading card games, match-3 puzzle games, real-time strategy games, and now even tower defense games.

So, let me tell you about some of the things that Arknights, as a mobile game, got right as far as mobile games are concerned. I believe it is fair to say that a lot of recently released gacha RPGs have devolved into what one would call an “auto game”, which is basically letting the game play itself while you as the player merely watch on the side without needing to intervene. This has become a big part of games nowadays, and Arknights is not free from that.

Trial and Error

However, Arknights is one of those rarer games that have really clear and straightforward mechanics, yet you will still continue to discover even more interesting ways to play the game the further you progress. Stages get really tough later on, and you are encouraged to test out different strategies and team combinations without any repercussions (such as losing energy or “sanity” as it is called in this game).

Gacha Welfare

Usually in mobile gacha games, gamers will look out for how punishing the gacha system is in a game, and then classify the game as either “pay to win” or “free to play”. I would say this is not that big of a deal in this game due to a couple of factors. First of all, it is pretty easy to obtain gacha currency in this game, as you can get them through daily missions, and also a dedicated stage. In fact, there is even an option where you can “farm” for them through the Trading Posts in the Base. There is no distinction between “free” and “paid” gacha currency unlike in some other games.

Each new banner that is released comes with a system where within the first 10 rolls, you will definitely receive a 5-star or higher unit. Additionally, there are quite a few welfare or pity systems in place that allows players to easily get even 6-star units in the game, such as through the “Recruitment” process or directly from the in-game shop using certificates that you have accumulated. Certificates are basically a currency that you get every time you recruit a unit, whether old or new.

Strategy over Pay-to-Win

Even though a lot has been said about the gacha system of the game, it is important to note that you can still clear a large majority of the game with 3 and 4 stars ranked units, as the focus of the game is more towards the skill and timing of the player rather than plowing your way through by dumping real cash into the game. Of course, this is evidenced by a large number of Youtube videos posted by incredible, dedicated players!

If you think this is a good deal from what I have described, why not give this game a shot?