Arknights Endfield 1.6 - Si is so lovely! Wuling is over? Rhodes Island?!

I just played through Patch 1.6 of Arknights Endfield without expecting too much, given the inconsistent quality throughout the Wuling region, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story they delivered this time. Taking center stage is definitely Si, an old acquaintance of the Endministrator and one of the few people who knew her from long ago.

As we all know, the Endmin's health has been deteriorating due to the endless cycles of slumber and awakening over the centuries, to the point that this could have been the final cycle. To stave this off, the past Endmin entrusted Si with a fraction of her power, meant to be returned at the right time (which is now).

Endmin's eyes are so damn beautiful, how long before the mask can be finally retired? I guess it needs some particular event, but seriously I need it!

This is a classic picture of celebration I've seen in various media, never understood fully the meaning, but will search later...

Thus begins the adventure inside Si's "home" within a magical painting, slowly climbing a mountain while solving puzzles and revisiting shared memories between the two. The puzzle mechanics were simple: you just use the brush to create paths across the map. They never posed much of a challenge, but they felt very thematic with the environment. This worked well for both the narrative and exploration, with certain paths unlocking treasures and monster encounters.

Si can be summarized as a massive tsundere. She truly cares about the Endmin and thinks of her as an "older sister" of sorts (though it's hard not to see romantic undertones as well), and watching the two play together in flashbacks was wonderful. That was especially true seeing Endmin without the mask hiding her eyes. I wonder how long it will be before our current Endmin is allowed to walk around without it, too.

The Endmin simp team united under one banner. Nobody can stop them once they ally!

This felt very romantic comedy more than siblings to be honest. Just one second away from a kiss really!

Most of the big reveals came at the end of the journey, though: Endmin encountered the memories of her past self and managed to exchange some crucial information. It was much-needed lore, but honestly, I felt like other characters could have provided most of that information directly instead of forcing such a contrived setup.

The key takeaway is that Wuling is over, and we are finally moving on to the next major area of the game: Rhodes Island. Yes, that is the exact same faction as the Doctor's in the original Arknights, and the very reason the exploration and colonization of Talos began. Warfarin was mentioned by name in the scene, so I wonder how many familiar faces we'll see once we get there.

Si's personality really is wearing a mask at times, trying to act like the responsible adult when really she isn't. Adorable really

The boss fight was surprisingly nice, took me two tries because the first time I tried to brute force it ignoring the mechanics and it didn't work. Si is strong!

I'm especially curious about what happened to the original cast, because they were supposed to solve the Originium crisis, yet now Originium is somehow treated as a beneficial resource. Did they fail? I doubt they will outright spoil major plot points from the original game, but a few subtle hints would be nice...

Furthermore, the new environment should be completely different from Wuling, and I have high expectations now. As you know, the storyline in the Wuling area never really managed to impress me (outside of a few rare exceptions), despite the immense care and effort the team poured into the environments, sound design, and visuals.