Hypergryph (YJ) probably never imagined that their carefully crafted 'Reclamation Algorithm' permanent mode would become the community's favorite punching bag within days of launch — a bowl of slop with all the corn kernels picked out, as one player eloquently put it.
The story starts with the permanent launch of 'Reclamation Algorithm: Sand Shores Legend.' The mode was already controversial when it first debuted during last year's Lunar New Year event, but players found ways to cheese it — farming points via scripts, exploiting building carryovers on restart, etc. So when YJ announced a revamped, permanent version with marketing fanfare, expectations were cautiously optimistic. What players got was anything but.
The biggest change: the old turn-limited format became an endless survival mode. Sounds cool on paper — except YJ gutted nearly every carryover mechanic. Between runs, everything resets: base construction, tech trees, all resources gathered from exploration and hunting. The only thing you keep is event tokens. Each session runs 1-2 hours minimum, and clearing all rewards demands 10+ hours of total playtime. Every restart means rebuilding from absolute zero.
The save system is arguably even worse. You can only have one save file — starting a new run deletes the old one. Within a run, there are just two auto-save checkpoints. For newcomers unfamiliar with the map layout, it's easy to spiral into an unrecoverable resource deficit where neither checkpoint can bail you out. And restarting? Back to square one. Again.
The mode also has brutal roster requirements, demanding deep, wide, and often very specific character rosters — essentially cooking casual players and newcomers alive. As one commenter roasted: 'This event was like a bowl of sh*t with a few corn kernels you could fish out by scooping endlessly. This time, the devs decided their genius wasn't appreciated — so they removed all the corn.'
The backlash was swift and brutal. A single rage post on NGA's Arknights board accumulated 3,000+ upvotes. Bilibili, Weibo, and QQ groups all erupted simultaneously. Leakers claimed the real reason for YJ's quick response was that their backend data had 'collapsed' — barely anyone was actually playing the mode.
YJ quickly published an adjustment plan: a new lower difficulty tier (with the same reward efficiency), partial resource carryover on lower difficulty, and bonus reward points to reduce the grind. Notably, this is reportedly the first time YJ has ever knee-jerked on difficulty — historically, no matter how hard a stage or mode was, the devs held firm.
But the 'knee-jerk' didn't quell the controversy — it split the community in half. Hardcore players were furious at the adjustments, parroting 'git gud' and mocking complainers for being unable to think without a guide. This condescending attitude only fanned the flames further. One player fired back: 'People aren't playing because this is literal garbage they can't stomach — the Arknights sub is full of elitists mocking casuals, but the reality is the backend data tanked and nobody's touching it.'
Some players dug into the deeper motivations. YJ apparently poured massive resources into this mode, 'treating it as a second Integrated Strategies (roguelike) — a permanent mode designed to sustain player engagement.' But the poorly designed mechanics led to dismal engagement numbers, forcing their hand. Others speculated it was a one-two punch of 'limited banner revenue tanking + new mode getting mass-negative reviews.'
The adjustment plan itself was also criticized as insufficient. While the numerical difficulty was lowered, the fundamental mechanical issues — the wipe-on-restart design, the brutal early game, the save system — remained largely untouched. As one commenter summarized: 'They reduced the numbers, but the core mechanics that actually suck are still broken.' For players who lost hours of base-building progress to the restart wipe, merely 'reducing the pain' isn't nearly enough.
For now, YJ's intention to please a broader audience is understandable, but the community clearly isn't buying it. One player self-deprecatingly admitted, 'I don't dare post on the Arknights sub — I only come to the gossip board,' perfectly capturing just how toxic the discourse has become. The war over Reclamation Algorithm is far from over.
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