"If this were a sponsored article, this title would definitely be unqualified." As I typed the above line, I said this to myself in my heart.
Logically, I should thoroughly praise the Hypergryph Carnival, describing to everyone how many stunning items were packed into that huge exhibition hall and how many fun games there were. But the problem is, I barely experienced any of it, so I can't write a comprehensive summary for everyone.
Of course, saying I didn't play anything at all is an exaggeration. Accurately speaking, I didn't seriously queue for several projects, nor did I complete many conventional check-ins. The reason is simple: Hypergryph prepared too much content, and the players were too enthusiastic. I happen to be someone who dislikes socializing, crowds, and queuing. This resulted in me spending most of the day wandering around during my visit to the carnival, not playing many games or interacting much, being more of an Arknights fan than the fans themselves, and more of a "cockroach" than the cockroaches.
However, perhaps it is precisely from such an atypical perspective that I arrived at this seemingly contradictory conclusion of "fun." Because beyond the official mini-games and stage performances, I observed something that I genuinely found interesting, consistently upheld by Hypergryph Network and concentratedly displayed here.
Let's start with this small item. As you can see, I have an interesting PVC card. Although its material and size are ordinary, resembling bulk-customized advertising membership cards from various shops, a closer look at the content reveals that it features the pattern of the Battle Record item from the game Arknights. Turning it over, you can even see a QR code linking directly to a strategy guide creator's Bilibili homepage—now it's truly a battle record.
Surely you can tell that this small card is actually a fan-made freebie from an Arknights player. So, can you guess on what occasion I received it?
Since this article is about the recent Hypergryph Carnival, you might assume this card was one of the freebies I received at the carnival—but actually, it dates back several months.
It was during Arknights' seventh anniversary. The Xujiahui subway station was decorated with an operator display wall and a real-life weapon exhibition. Many people specially dressed in cosplay came to take photos, and many Arknights fans stopped by to check in, including me. It was in this subway station that I saw a guy distributing freebies, and I received this experience card from him.
At that time, I had a vague feeling that Arknights fans would inexplicably gather at game-related locations, spontaneously generating an indescribable order, eventually evolving into a tacit understanding of "cockroach" meetups. Thus, I kept this incident and its peculiar atmosphere in mind, preparing to write about it in a future article related to Arknights when the opportunity arose.
But I didn't expect this event to be utilized so quickly. A few months later, after visiting the 2026 Hypergryph Carnival, seeing countless breathtaking sets and witnessing many surprising performances, I felt that familiar atmosphere again, and finally understood how it was triggered.
Therefore, this time I not only want to discuss "what" the Hypergryph Carnival has, but also "what it inspires." If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "emergence." Gamers should be familiar with this term, as many well-known games feature similar "emergent interactions." Emergence roughly means that game developers only need to set the underlying logic of a world, and then players will constantly try and collide within these rules, giving birth to gameplay methods that even the developers couldn't have imagined. In other words, it's about creating a world and letting Everythinggj happen naturally within it.
Coincidentally, at this Hypergryph Carnival, I also observed a similar structure—within a world created by Hypergryph, countless奇妙 events occur naturally.
First, since this is a Hypergryph Carnival, its components must inevitably come from the four titles under Hypergryph Network—Arknights, Ex Astris, PoomPoom, and Arknights: Endfield. Of course, given the venue size, Arknights and Arknights: Endfield, each occupying an entire hall, have a higher proportion. The first thing the carnival did was to bring those impressive in-game scenes into reality.
For example, in the Endfield hall, right at the entrance is the massive O.M.V. Dijiang Hall. Many cargo items move up and down here, creating a strong sense of dynamism. Accompanied by brilliant yet not chaotic lighting, it successfully renders the sci-fi atmosphere of Dijiang, this closed space station, within an open exhibition hall space.
Turning around, you can see Qingbo Village standing in a corner of the exhibition hall, with every detail exuding quality. After passing through the gate, you'll spot the familiar large waterwheel in the center of the layered architecture, making me want to mimic in-game actions and jump around on top of it for some platforming fun.
Going further inside, there is an entire Wuling commercial street. Whether it's various landmark buildings, familiar shops, or even the giant dragon bubble on the roof, all have been recreated. Additionally, if you follow the "Run Freely in Wuling" track, you can see the dragon bubble stone piers at the intersection and the "Xirang" billboards along the roadside. These details have been perfectly replicated, which is truly astonishing.
The design concept of the Arknights themed hall on the other side differs from the Endfield themed hall, which replicates in-game scenery. Here, it's more like an expansion or supplement, or rather, a realistic imagination based on game content. In other words, there is no fixed layout, and each time offers new surprises.
For instance, Hypergryph actually constructed a new Jieyuan in the exhibition hall. Unlike the small corner from the previous roguelike exhibition, this time they created a garden of considerable scale. The entire Jieyuan display area centers around an artificial pond, with waterside pavilions built along the pool and corridors surrounding it for passage. It indeed looks like a miniature garden with all vital organs intact.
After passing through the moon gate into Jieyuan, amidst the scattered vegetation and eerie lighting, one can still feel an exceptionally诡谲 atmosphere, even though surrounded by tourists. Of course, once you walk around and see Big Brother and Second Brother playing chess there, you probably won't be afraid at all.
There's also the familiar Laterano console. The last time I saw it was probably at the Ambience Synesthesia event, where audiences could only view it from afar. This time, the console was positioned very close to the photo spot for the audience, allowing viewers to see more details and feel a stronger sense of oppression.
Of course, these quite obvious large-scale sets are not all. While wandering around bored, I saw a "DO NOT TOUCH" sign. With the experimental spirit of risking it for the sake of writing, I gently touched the turf and was shocked to discover it was all real. Upon carefully reviewing the photo later, I noticed numerous tiny water droplets on the "DO NOT TOUCH" sign, which I now realize were likely traces left by maintenance staff watering the plants daily. To maintain realism, Hypergryph really went all out.
Moreover, I subsequently paid subconscious attention to other plant details in the venue—aside from certain off-season or game-styled plants, all other vegetation in the venue was genuine. Additionally, the materials of various ground lights were flexibly switched between acrylic and glass according to different scenes, striving to ensure each scene matched its tone. Admittedly, these details are hard to notice directly, but it might be these极致 stacked details that allow people to subconsciously accept this world and immerse themselves in it.
However, immersion is only one aspect. More importantly, the real scenes and installations in the venue are not merely background boards; they also serve as stages, allowing character stories and celebrations that originally existed in the game to reoccur in reality.
For instance, in the Minat Hamayi area, I initially thought it was just a scene display. Who would have guessed that after walking around and returning, I'd discover it was actually a stage where a group of backup dancers would appear to join Peipei in mixing Bingbing drinks.
New Volsinii is similar. Hypergryph built a stage with elevation differences in the center of the venue, hosting dual-wolf stage performances in shifts. Through the performances of numerous dancers, they vividly portrayed the carnival atmosphere.
Looking at it this way, the themes of these sets were carefully chosen, not randomly selected—they all have a strong "carnival" atmosphere. Both New Siesta and Minat Hamayi were locations for Arknights summer events, capable of evoking memories of past summer carnivals. The carnival in New Volsinii also allows the audience to feel an extremely intense atmosphere. As for the Versus Channel opposite, needless to say, who knows how many people were shouting "ALL ALL" over there.
Thus, Hypergryph has created a lively and highly immersive carnival world through realistic sets and exciting event designs. Next, to use game design terminology, it's time to "establish rules" for such a living world.
Upon entry, each player receives an interactive wristband linked to a corresponding mini-program, which includes practical features like map exploration. Although a paper menu was distributed at entry, it was indeed difficult to read in the dimly lit venue, and the digital version solved this problem.
Additionally, through the linkage between the wristband and the mini-program, you can check in at various locations to obtain tour photos, and exchange prizes by collecting 12 photos—doesn't this sound like certain points of interest in open-world games? Moreover, you can even find daily random tasks inside, so now even "dailies" are included.
However, following the official wristband is just one main quest for players. Beyond that, Hypergryph deliberately left some side quests without fixed content, handing them over to players for self-exploration. In other words, this world is more like a framework, with players having a significant presence within it.
The most typical examples are the Skland Island area and the Free Stage area in the Comprehensive Hall, as well as the Freebie Exchange Area nearby, although it wasn't shown on the map.
The Freebie Exchange Area needs no mention; players can go there to interact wildly with other Doctors and return with pockets full of items. The Skland Island area showcases a large number of fan-created works, including both artwork and strategy guides.
Nearby, there are sticky note walls and bead art walls, where anyone can casually write a few blessings, post some crazy thoughts, or assemble various strange things on the wall. The officials only provide the space; what actually appears on it depends entirely on what the players' "wild minds" come up with that day.
After all, player participation is an extremely important part of the Arknights community culture. What better exemplifies this than the "Free Stage"? This is actually an old tradition; previous Arknights Carnivals had similar attempts. Players can voluntarily sign up and perform on stage. The viewing experience is akin to gacha pulls; no one knows whether the next performer will be maxed out in skill or maxed out in passion.
Perhaps it can also be described as controlled randomness. It is precisely in this living world filled with randomness that things which cannot be pre-designed have the chance to truly happen. Thus, entertainment value grows organically—if you've heard about what happened on stage that day, you surely understand what I mean.
During the afternoon session on the first day of the carnival, there was an interactive activity where audience members were randomly selected to go on stage for a "cricket fighting" style competition. Twenty audience members participated in a live guessing game on stage, and the first round resulted in a shocking upset where one person eliminated nineteen others in a 1v19 scenario. If someone wrote such a script, I'd criticize it for three days as unrealistic, but it actually happened in real life.
By the way, I even found a follow-up explanation from the person involved—the confidence in the 1v19 was actually because they had encountered the same question before; the sea-of-questions tactic was still in effect.
And this kind of entertainment value that grows organically is my entire understanding of the Hypergryph Carnival—first create a world, then leave space for players to fill, and finally let Everythinggj happen naturally within it. This is precisely what I mean by "emergence."
Its benefits are obvious. As long as Hypergryph can create a suitable occasion, Everythinggj will fall into place with the addition of players. The audience is no longer just spectators but co-creators of this world. Looking at it this way, Hypergryph is still playing the dual protagonist game.
This may have nothing to do with time or place—remember the small card I showed at the beginning? A subway station isn't strictly an exhibition, but because Arknights was there, Arknights players were there; and because Arknights players were there, unexpected surprises occurred naturally.
The small card I received at the subway station is like this, the viral "Arknights Fan Restaurant" from Ambience Synesthesia is like this, and the "Arknights Fan Hotel" near the carnival is also like this. They all grew outward spontaneously, becoming another event outside the main activity.
From this perspective, I might even say something that sounds slightly offensive—this Hypergryph Carnival itself might not be that important. Of course, to add some disclaimer, the significance of the carnival lies beyond itself.
Because what truly matters is having a world where players can gather together. The carnival is just one of the gates leading to this world, and it's the most prominent and lively one.
But beyond it, there are many such entrances, big and small. Whether it's offline events hosted by Hypergryph, small gatherings among players, spontaneous discussions of memes and jokes created by players on the internet, or even certain fan-made items that glow when they touch other Arknights fans... they all become channels connecting reality with another world, becoming celebrations time and again.
And precisely because of this, even though I didn't play anything at this carnival, I still found it very enjoyable.
Because it showed me this point—as long as you are willing, anywhere can be a carnival.