Players are apparently spending ‘tens of hours’ building factories in Arknights: Endfield as dev says the ‘sandbox’ mechanics set the game apart

• Arknights: Endfield is proving popular with players, according to developer Hypergryph
• Its apparently down to its unique factory building mechanics
• The studio says players spent more time playing Arknights: Endfield on average than “other similar games” thanks to them

Arknights: Endfield might look similar to countless anime-inspired free-to-play gacha games, but its unique blend of base-building factory management and action role-playing game (RPG) combat is quite unlike anything else on the market.

It’s basically Factorio meets Genshin Impact, and this distinct formula has won over plenty of players, according to developer Hypergryph. Speaking with GamesRadar+, lead developer Ryan argued that in other titles, “players cannot influence the world,” whereas in Arknights: Endfield, “the factory building part introduced some of the experience from the sandbox games, which makes players feel different.”