Original article on bilibili: https://b23.tv/jUKbBPx
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After the launch of [At the Wake of Spring], we have continued to monitor various discussions regarding this update. As developers, we thank everyone deeply for your love and support. Please allow use to use this chance to invite our scriptwriting team, storytelling team, narrative team, concept art team and sound design team to share some interesting information and tidbits about their time working on [At the Wake of Spring], and we hope these little stories will bring a sliver of joy to everyone's exploration efforts.

Part 1: Narrative Design

In [At the Wake of Spring], through a sleuth of character interactions and relationships, along with conversations that revealed snippets of information, we have settled on the backstory of Wuling, enriched the pasts of Zhuang Fangyi, Chen Qianyu & Li Zhiyan, and slightly stepped into the intrigue behind the curious relationship between the Endmin, Ardashir & Nefarith. What were the thoughts behind bringing these characters and their backstories to life?

Scriptwriting team:-

>Throughout the history of video games -- especially in the genres of RPGs -- those before us have proven through countless works that time and time again, stories that make good use of relationships and interactions between characters are the most welcomed by players.

>Because of that, while designing important new characters such as Zhuang Fangyi, Li Zhiyan and Ardashir, especially regarding their backstories and roles in the narrative, we thought very deeply about the present story -- and more importantly, their future interactions with the Endmin and their companions.

>For example, we hoped for Li Zhiyan to be someone secretive and serious, and unable to open up to everyone. This personality fits her past, and sets the stage for her performances in the future. But more importantly, this contrast is what sets her apart from Chen Qianyu in a way that is different from Tangtang and Mi Fu -- the trope of "rivals happy to meet each other" shouldn't be repeated too many times within a short period in the plot. Our objective is to ensure that each relationship dynamic between different characters stays fresh and interesting, yet markedly different from each other.

>Now let's take Zhuang Fangyi as another example: this Tianshi Viceroy has had her ideals shattered by the sudden loss of her seniors and peers, which mirrors the Endmin who has ceaselessly lost many companions throughout their long history despite shouldering a grand mission all by themselves. Their similar lives have led Zhuang Fangyi to develop a sort of empathy towards the Endmin, and that empathy has given way to a sort of longing for her past. As someone who is also both a leader and alone, she would hope for the Endmin to understand her more, and show her the correct path to move forward. What she displays is a desire for mutual redemption. To better showcase this trait of hers, on top of her base personality, we also carved out the portrayal of a city leader who trusts her fellow tianshis yet keeps them at arms' length, who always thinks of shouldering responsibilities alone, and who is more than a little reckless. As for the Endmin, they have naturally become the impetus of her redemption, and a compliment to her vulnerable side in the story.

>We also hope that, through a central character like Zhuang Fangyi, we can help players to immerse in the Endmin's role in the world of Talos-2:-
The Endmin's existence has influenced many, many people throughout the history of the planet, and these countless stories by countless individuals that have long passed will be revisited through many forms in the current narrative that players are experiencing. At the same time, through the adventures of Endfield Industries experienced by players, there is more to be done. This is our sincere expectation.

>Ah yes, here is some fun facts about our conceptualization of Ardashir.

>In the early stages of our conceptualization for the Wuling arc, internally we have always wanted to create an antagonist who could truly "engage in the narrative". This is because the global crises in Endfield tend to lean towards environmental threats. While this kind of story is important to the atmosphere and worldbuilding, but if the story merely focuses on "combating natural disasters" or "rebuilding cities", but lacks a central character who can emotionally clash with both the players and the characters (especially a character that that can speak), then it becomes much harder to sustain dramatic tension.

>Therefore, very early on we discussed what kind of "adversary" the Wuling arc needs. The early concept of Ardashir was a traditional powerful, dangerous and oppressive enemy. But as we developed him further, we slowly realized that if we only emphasized "power" and "menace", that would overlap with Nefarith in certain aspects, failing to give players a way to anticipate something fresh. Therefore, we went through several adjustments in the later part of concept design, and thanks to the efforts of the scriptwriting and art design teams, we now have the Ardashir you see today. ^((the above is slightly edited from) this post)

Whether it is chasing Ardashir through the Feranmut Heart and the scrolls, or ziplining through Wuling City in flames, or following Zhuang Fangyi to the Underground Array and experiencing her past, the story of [At the Wake of Spring] has created a strong sense of immersion. Could you share the inspirations and ideas behind the narrative design?

Narrative team:-

>While designing a story mission, the safe and traditional way is to split the overall experience into multiple blocks -- story is story, and gameplay is gameplay. This is a tried-and-true method, but from the perspective of player experience, there is a clear boundary between playing the game and watching the game. That along with technological limitations (asset loading, environmental design etc) meant that during our own testing, there was an overuse of black screen transitions. Black screens in and of themselves are not an issue since they can be used correctly to connect certain sections together, but overuse leads to a heavy feeling of disconnect and broken immersion.

>Therefore, in the mission flow of [At the Wake of Spring], we experimented with "having events happen side-by-side in real time" to increase immersion, and to reduce that feeling of disconnect and avoid taking away too much player agency. This allows the plot, the environment, players and the world of the game to mesh together much more nicely, and allows the gameplay experience to progress continuously.

>To raise some good examples:-

>1) The corridor outside the Marker Stone surrounded by phantoms
Before arriving at the port of the Marker Stone area, players have already seen the phantoms once in the story, but only for an instant during Li Zhiyan's introduction sequence, and their relationship with Ardashir was still unknown at the time. Hence, we needed a clearer way to hint at "what are they" in order to proceed with the narrative. At the same time, despite the large size of the Marker Stone exterior area, at this point in the story we did not wish for players to be overly distracted from the main objective of "Enter the Marker Stone", so we needed a way to subtly guide players' movements. After several iterations, we settled on having players simply walk forward while surrounded by the phantoms' whispers and the environmental noise, while slowly unveiling Ardashir's next appearance. This sequence also sets the stage for the phantoms to become the main enemies at the end of the corridor. The final product was the result of much help provided by the concept, special effects, animation, voice acting, sound design and many more teams. In this sequence, players move side-by-side with Li Zhiyan without being interrupted by black screens, and the speaking phantoms appear at the precise timing and locations, enriching the overall experience.

>2) Ziplining through Wuling City during the final battle
In the final battle, players need to defend the array at three different points. In terms of distance, these three points are extremely far apart. If we simply allow players to move to each point on foot, the rhythm of the plot may be broken by many factors, and players' attention span will also be stretched thin; this is not the result that we want. In the earliest version, we had planned for players to simply TP to each point, but in terms of experience this idea sorely lacked the grand spectacle befitting of a final battle, and it did not convey the full scale of the crisis surrounding Wuling City; to put it simply, it wasn't cool enough. Hence, the director in charge of this particular section came up with the idea of using ziplines instead; because we can control the speed and direction of the ziplines, we can guide players through the exact route that we hoped for, and we can also control what players see and feel along the way. For example, the startled wildlife when ziplining through the forest at the start, or the chaos in the streets, the explosions and the erratic drones when ziplining through the city; then the sight of citizens escaping and evacuating, followed by the deep ringing of the Bell of Three Presences while passing through it......every minute detail is the result of extensive design and precise timing. Worthy of note is that players maintain full control of the camera during this sequence; while this method may risk players missing out certain details, making it lose value from a development perspective (we made it but players can't see it), but this is exactly the kind of "things are happening around us" experience that conveys the full scale of the danger.

>3) The final stairs in Zhuang Fangyi's flashbacks
At the end of the Underground Array sequence, there is a scene where players control Zhuang Fangyi while walking past her former seniors and peers before ascending the stairs to close the rift. This sequence lasts less than 1 minute, but we believe it has left an extremely deep impression on many players. In the earliest version, we had intended for players to control the Endmin, while Zhuang Fangyi accompanies them. But owing to the emotions of the reconciliation scene and Zhuang Fangyi's own emotions. we felt that it would leave a stronger impression if players controlled Zhuang Fangyi to walk up those stairs instead. During this sequence, we also made use of shifts in camera perspective and her seniors' states to further portray Zhuang Fangyi's determination. ^((TL note: If you don't know what this means, you may not have noticed that during this sequence, after walking past each ghost and reaching the stairs, the camera pulls forward as you take the first step then slowly pulls back to reveal that the ghosts have changed positions and are crowded near the stairs wishing Zhuang Fangyi farewell)) Of course, turning this whole sequence into a cutscene and making Zhuang Fangyi walk the path on her own may have been a safer method, but we felt that the experience would feel too passive for players and did not do much for Zhuang Fangyi's character growth. Instead, allowing players to control her for that short sequence after going through the set up of the earlier cutscenes instead makes each step feel heavier and more meaningful. Moreover, to maintain control of the camera perspective and the NPC peers, we locked Zhuang Fangyi's movement in that scene to only forward. ^((TL note: The backwards button is disabled during this sequence in case you didn't know)) This little gesture perfectly compliments the narrative -- there is no turning back. This little inspiration during the development process also moved many of us in the dev team emotionally. Everything fell into place.

The two main narratives of this update -- the final battle aptly named [Against the Tide] and the second half with Zhuang Fangyi -- whether through characterization, cinematography, spectacle, or story climaxes, have left a deep impression on players. Could you share the process from concept to completion?

Storytelling team:-

>[Against the Tide] is the largest-in-scale and most difficult scene to create between the three versions so far. In terms of setting, we needed to move from the office in the Main Pillar to the skies of Wuling, while at the same time putting a spotlight on the Blight Tide outside the city. Faced with such a daunting development, we had no choice but to rely on Nefarith's dragon form flying through the skies to solve the problem of pacing.

>From a technological perspective, designing the special effects for large areas of the Blight Tide took countless hours and manpower. It wasn't easy, but luckily we made it before the deadline.

>Starting with the scene of Zhuang Fangyi signing those letters, and right until the very end of that mission, we had many interesting ideas for storytelling and cinematography, including; using the letter in the Endmin's hands as a transition into the Endmin running out of the building, Zhuang Fangyi's reminiscing of her time spent with the Endmin, the corridor towards the office seemingly expanding to highlight Zhuang Fangyi's anxiety, the conversation between the two at the elevator, and the pear blossoms drifting past Zhuang Fangyi from ten years ago......every sequence was handcrafted with the express intention of getting players to know Zhuang Fangyi better. Every movement, and even down to the characters' line of sight carries a deep meaning. This level of quality is mandatory for us to deeply immerse players into the myriad of exciting stories waiting to happen under the worldbuilding of Endfield.

In the story, Zhuang Fangyi's determination to take on the rift alone has left an extremely deep impression on many players through its presentation of literally penning a letter. ^((TL note: This scene is considered many CN streamers' #1 favorite moment in the game)) Could we ask how this scene came to be, and why you chose to use this particular style of presentation to portray her departure and expectations?

Scriptwriting team:-

>Because a letter is stronger than a speech.
Let's recap the buildup to that scene -- Zhuang Fangyi feels a strong sense of responsibility to Wuling as its viceroy, her survivor's guilt has caused her to take on an obviously illogical amount of self-blame, and her feelings of longing and respect towards the Endmin has caused the selflessness carved into her soul to take over her sense of self-preservation at the very instant she chose to take on the rift. In this instance, Zhuang Fangyi is unable to face the Endmin personally and say "let me do this", but does that mean she is willing to leave without a word? Obviously not, and her responsibility towards the city logically would not allow her to leave without settling her affairs in order first. Therefore, we naturally came upon the idea of leaving behind a letter. The very instant she leaves her signature, does it better fit her complicated feelings? Does it fit her slightly awkward persona? Our decision is that a letter would portray far stronger emotions than spoken words in this instance.

Storytelling team:-

>As we were planning this scene, considering the importance of the portrayal of Zhuang Fangyi settling her affairs in order in the overall progression of the plot, simply reading from a script cannot emphasize the seriousness of the situation. Hence, we chose to use this method of letting players personally see her sign those letters with each stroke of the pen, and to allow those paragraphs which almost seem like last words to appear in front of players. The combination of words and facial performances mesh into a more objectively accurate portrayal of Zhuang Fangyi's inner turmoil. To realize this effect, we even developed a new section of the game engine specifically for this scene, and it took many tries to finally produce the smooth cinematography shown in this version. In conclusion, this scene was the final result of countless hours of storytelling, scriptwriting, game engine development and BGM design.

After the final battle, Wuling continues to tell the story of many characters; not just those familiar to the Endmin such as Tangtang, Mi Fu, Lifeng and Da Pan, but also NPCs such as Xi Mo, Rusty Hook and Iron Boatswain that have hooked players' interests. Could you share the process behind designing these NPC stories?

Scriptwriting team:-

>What does a world need to be immersive and relatable? Logical historical backdrops? Crystal clear settings and portrayals? A creative imagination and standout aesthetics? Of course, all of the above apply. Yet at the end of the day, a world only provides a "stage", and there is no point evaluating a "stage" on its own -- no matter how intricate the set pieces, that's not what the audience came for. You must have expressions, you must have emotions, and therefore you must have characters.

>To most game projects, creating good playable characters is clearly a must, but what about NPCs? Honestly speaking, NPC stories do not bring any direct profit to the project. But, from a long-term developers' prospective, whether or not the world becomes believable -- whether or not players come to love Wuling and Talos-2 -- depends not only on the central plot and characters. These NPCs scattered all over are also a part of the world and the narrative, which is why we have designed a simple backstory, relationship chart and progression path for every single named NPC in the game. Even though characters like Xi Mo, Rusty Hook or Iron Boatswain will not stay with the player constantly like Perlica or Zhuang Fangyi, but we hope that as this project goes beyond 3 years, 5 years or even 10 years, aside from the core characters and plots, these lesser characters and their stories will also bring some enjoyment and surprise to our players.

Which other characters' stories can we expect in the near future? After the final battle, will we continue to explore more of Wuling, or will we begin our exploration of other regions' stories?

Scriptwriting team:-

>I'm sure most people have noticed by now, but our story in Wuling is far from over. The most important locale is, of course, the "North Wuling Exclusion Zone" that has been repeatedly brought up by many characters, and the truth behind the disaster between Wuling City and Qingbo Stockade. Through these, we will also unveil the next phase of antagonists and character stories. For Endfield, the story of Talos-2 has only just begun.

>Of course, we haven't only worked hard on Wuling City and its surrounding areas. In future versions, players will see more of the territory of Wuling and experience a "Wuling" that has never been seen before, including some areas that cannot even be considered the same as Wuling's aesthetic anymore......we hope this will provide players with a fresh and exciting experience.

Any other tidbits to share with everyone?

Storytelling team:-

>We have to mention the moment where Ardashir hands the Endmin his favorite dinar. From an emotional perspective, it wouldn't be right for Ardashir to force the dinar into the Endmin's hands (we also thought of having Ardashir throw it for the Endmin to catch, but it wasn't cool enough......), so we came up with the idea of making the dinar float in midair, and then eventually going into the players' valuables stash.

Narrative team:-

>We put heavy emphasis on characters' behaviours after their missions have already ended. In the aftermath of nearly every single mission, you will see shifts in behaviours for post-event NPCs; where should they be, what should they be doing, etc. So, we hope that players are willing to explore further to find them and see what they're up to. For example, Tangtang trying to study, Rossi teaching some kids how to fight, Mi Fu throwing some shade at Zhuang Fangyi in the office, etc. Our goal is to increase these characters' sense of belonging and freshness, to show that they are not only capable on the battlefield, but they also have their own lives and emotions.

Part 2: Concept Design

In [At the Wake of Spring], the Marker Stone, the Underground Tianshi Array, and Wuling City under siege all come with a very clear and consistent design language. Could you share the process behind creating these locales from conception to implementation?

Concept art team:-

>1) Marker Stone

>The Marker Stone is the starting point of the Xiranite Dam, and the very first pillar built on Wuling City. From the concept stage, we felt that it was very similar to a monument. The Marker Stone is not only a functional construct, but it also bears the entire history of Wuling City's reconstruction after the disaster from 10 years ago. Considering these factors, we settled on having the theme of the Marker Stone area be a "memorial garden" -- it not only commemorates the first pillar of the Xiranite Dam, but only observes the brave souls who sacrificed their lives for Wuling City,

>In terms of its actual design, we took inspiration from many IRL memorial gardens, such as the solemn, silent atmosphere, the neat and symmetrical use of space, and many classic plants found in such places like pines and evergreens. To improve the sense of standing in a memorial garden, we also designed perpetual rain as the area's weather. We hope that these elements can accurately portray to players the theme and solemnity of this area.

>And, to fit the scene on the corridor during Ardashir's attack on the Marker Stone, we created a uniquely special design for the skies. The idea we wanted to portray was an impending feeling of "danger has arrived, black clouds oppressing the city". To achieve this, our colleague in charge of the skies specifically handcrafted a huge mass of finely-detailed clouds to be placed behind the Marker Stone. I remember describing to him that I wanted these clouds to be slowly approaching like a massive avalanche, to bury the top half of the Marker Stone under its shadow, and he went above and beyond to deliver the final result.

>Designing a sky is a very difficult process, because at its core it is a ball-shaped sticker that will stretch and deform when spread out onto 2D. Creating a detailed illustration under these conditions is a very daunting endeavor. It took many tries and refinements to create the layers and oppressiveness behind the skies of the Marker Stone you see today.

>The interior of the Marker Stone also has a very interesting concept. As the starting point of the Xiranite Dam, its original function is to suppress the rift through the use of Xiranite, so you can imagine it as a giant apparatus instead of a literal building.

>Therefore, the "functionality" of the interior became our core focus. The beating Feranmut Heart, the flowing ink energy, the ever-moving Xiranite blocks, were all designed around this concept. And the most eye-catching focal point of the interior is, of course, the massive ink scroll in the middle. Every time players see this scroll, they will instantly recognize their current position within the Marker Stone. At the same time, the abstract-looking scroll and the mechanical Xiranite blocks create a strong visual contrast.

>With this direction of being "same-yet-not-same" in mind, we've also created strong differences between each section of the interior. The first section looks like the "beginning of the scroll"; the scroll spreads out beneath the player's feet like a carpet and flows across the stairs, subtly inviting the player to enter. The second section emphasizes the middle part of the scroll as it spreads infinitely into each direction, making the space look wider and deeper. The third section sees players enter the Inkspace; we've emphasized the theme of ink paintings to its limit in this area, along with the ruins of the Marker Stone exterior. The final section on the top floor sees the scroll extend towards the outdoors into the rainy sky, as the Feranmut Heart beats endlessly.

>2) Underground Tianshi Array

>The massive underground area beneath Wuling City is meant to work in tandem with the Xiranite Dam on the surface to suppress the Aetherside. Countless massive tianshi pillars create a formation that connects to the Xiranite Dam on the top and works to keep the rift at bay on the bottom. Starting from the Marker Stone, this formation stretches far into the north, forming an entire underground backbone that serves as the base of the territory of Wuling.

>Underneath these pillars, innumerable blocks of Xiranite cover the floor. To give players the impression of "Aether energy steadily broiling underneath our feet". we did not arrange the blocks on a straight, flat plane, but instead made it bob up and down constantly like waves at sea. We hope these uneven lines can fully convey the viciousness of Aether energy and the rifts.

>And of course, straight ahead in the giant space lies the newly formed rift. From the safe distance at the entrance to the danger of being directly in front of the rift, players will cross unstable Xiranite passages as they finally approach the rift and vanquish it together with Zhuang Fangyi.

>3) Wuling city under siege

>To convey the immediate sense of danger, we created an entirely new atmosphere for the city. The most obvious change is the color -- we swapped the city's usual green palette for a more oppressive red; clear skies are now filled with dark clouds, and the Xiranite energy signatures seen throughout the city have all changed into red as a warning.

>Ziplining across the city allows players to see almost everything from the sky. In the concept stage, we thought about using the dust and smoke from fires and explosions to cover up many parts of the city -- although it provided a decent atmosphere, but it didn't really help with showing the changes to Wuling City as a result of the attack. Hence, we made changes targeting each area to portray how the people of Wuling are dealing with the attack; for example, the dimmed lights in the residential area, Fangxing Avenue covered in blight, the Bell of Three Presences in a state of emergency......we hope that when players zipline across each area, they can instantly recognize each area and the changes made to it, which helps immerse players into the game rather than bombard them with purely environmental filler information.

>On top of that, here is the core concept that we really hope to portray: wills create a city, a city creates duties. To this end, we've added all sorts of details and hints, such as the erratic movements of the kites, the drones incessantly giving out warnings, and even the rare sight of the pillar array fighting back enemies. We hope every player can recognize that you are not the only one fighting. The entire city is still alive, every character and every machine is fulfilling its duty towards the same goal.

Part 3: Music Design

In [At the Wake of Spring], the soundtrack has succeeded in carrying the rhythm of each scene and improving immersion; at the same time, Zhuang Fangyi's personal story, the stories of other operators and their EPs have gone through multiple runs in terms of exploration of stylistic choices and design. Could you share some of the concepts and stories behind the creation of this soundtrack?

Sound design team:-

>The overall sound design behind [At the Wake of Spring] can be split into two core thought processes:-

>Firstly, the energetic, high-tension sound of the first-half of the patch, such as Ardashir's story, Li Zhiyan's introduction, and the final battle. The music is meant to portray the tension, weight and overall tone of the narrative, filled with one battle after another.

>Secondly, the sound behind Zhuang Fangyi's personal story in the second-half of the patch. We used Zhuang Fangyi's emotions as a basepoint to reanalyze and reassess the sound we want to portray.

>In [Zeroth Directive], we've already established a basic idea of Zhuang Fangyi's character. This time, we feel that there needs to be a deeper dive into the sound that belongs to her as a "human" that can be explored further, instead of being content with a "generic" portrayal. We've tried to blend some very experimental genres together, mainly Chinese electronica that is rarely seen on the market, in order to established the characterization of Zhuang Fangyi.

>1) Zhuang Fangyi's EP [Yi] and Scroll Exploration Track [Just So]

>[Just So] uses a combination of artcore and traditional erhu. Artcore as a genre heavily emphasizes artistry and strong emotions, so typically most producers would use violin + electronic music. However, Zhuang Fangyi's decade of experience in Wuling City cannot be described with the phrase "light", therefore we felt that a heavier, richer sound was necessary. Hence, as the Endmin traverses through the final section of the flashback sequence, we chose to use an erhu instead of the usual violin solo. We hope that this melodious performance filled with a sense of confiding yet steadiness coupled with the intense electronic sound successfully conveys the emotional depth of the Endmin and Zhuang Fangyi heading towards the final flashback.

>As for [Yi], we used a style of lyric composition similar to composing a modern poem. Wuling City is a proud, developing city rooted in strong Chinese elements, so we hope to use more contemporary Mandarin and a special performance by the singer to weave a tapestry of melodies reminiscent of a spring breeze.

>2) Operator Story [Spring Wind Always Finds Its Way Back Home] Track [The World is Waking]

>[The World is Waking] continues the Arknights IP "tradition" of metalcore, but this time blended with heavy Chinese elements. It is actually a continuation of the track played during Zhuang Fangyi's debut in [Zeroth Directive]. Although the track is rooted in metalcore, it also maintains an easily distinguishable melody. At the same time, a lot of choir elements were also added to this track; on one hand it portrays Zhuang Fangyi's responsibilities and ideals towards the defense of Wuling, and on the other it illustrates the linked destinies of the citizens of Wuling City.

>3) [Butterfly in Ashes]

>[Butterfly in Ashes] is a song performed, written and composed by Aurora Sky, a Chinese music producer. It is a vocal track that blends a traditional melody with modern electronica. While developing Zhuang Fangyi's personal story, we've had many discussions about how to wrap up her long, emotional journey. Most game developers would go the route of using a "grand" song to accentuate an atmosphere with "finality", but we felt that this wouldn't be enough, and it was too overdone.

>Unlike every other track used in the game thus far, [Butterfly in Ashes] is not an original Endfield production. But when we heard it for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised by how perfectly its tone and emotion fits Zhuang Fangyi's story, and it also strongly evokes the feeling of awkwardness and beautiful reservedness often seen in Chinese romance, so we sent a request to its producer for the rights to edit the track for use in our production.

>At the same time, [Butterfly in Ashes] also works in tandem with the story development to match certain key scenes with the proper emotional payoff. It is not only a closing song, but in some aspects it also serves a purpose similar to an anime ED: after the final story scene of [At the Wake of Spring], when players obtain the medal [Gently Down the Stream], the chorus of the song plays once more to compliment the closing of this chapter.

>^((TL note: This song is universally praised by CN, it is highly unlikely you will find a single CN player who dislikes or even feels indifferent towards this song))

>4) Miscellaneous

>We've also experimented with many more genre blends in this patch, such as future garage and guqin, traditional Chinese choir and dreamhouse, along with many homages to classic Eastern sounds. For example, [Hour of Blossoms], the track that plays as Zhuang Fangyi tours the city one last time before heading to the rift. Though this track uses modern equipment to recreate instrumentals, but its melody and emotional core is a homage to the tragic aesthetic of Sakamoto Ryuichi's The Last Emperor.

>During Zhuang Fangyi's final flashback, we also made heavy use of intersecting music to match the plot and players' experience. Aside from the cut-ins of [Butterfly in Ashes] as the narrative rises that players are already familiar with, our team's favorite tidbit is when players step onto the stairs. Players who walk as slowly and longingly as possible may come to realize: As the music transitions to a powerful choir of chantings, we hoped to use this sequence to represent both Zhuang Fangyi's reconciliation with her past and wish for the future., This choir also resonates with the design anchor of Zhuang Fangyi's fight scenes and transformation scenes, and paves way for the emotions of sealing the rift.

>In any case, we hope that players will come to enjoy our process of experimentation.

u/lietnam

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Arknights: Endfield 1.2 [At the Wake of Spring] Behind the Scenes Interview Full Translation

Part 1: Narrative Design

Part 2: Concept Design

Part 3: Music Design

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