Full disclosure, I love Arknights and know basically everything there is to know about the world and lore. Despite that, this season suffers from substantial pacing problems, most notably in the 2nd and final episodes. While it is easy for someone already familiar with all the characters to follow, I think people who know nothing about Arknights would have a hard time keeping up, and some of the most impactful and important scenes would be lost on them as a result. The breakneck speed some scenes are presented at also lessens their impact. Darknights Memoir is one of my personal favorite side stories from the game,and while I agree that its inclusion in the season was a good choice, the speed at which they blast through it is crazy. There are so many things that story does to introduce some of the most foundational conflicts in the Arknights world, but much of that is lost because the studio simply did not have time to communicate all of it.

In a perfect world, this season (and the previous seasons if we are dreaming big anyway) would've gotten full 12 episode runs and had the time to portray the world more effectively. Ultimately, though, we are left with a fantastic story told sub-optimally. While I don't think the final product is bad, as there are still some fantastic scenes here, it still makes me sad to think about how much better it could have been if the story had more room to breathe.