It’s a fairly common occurrence for gacha games to cross over with popular IP. It’s not every day, however, for a gacha game to hook up with a verified classic. That’s the case with Arknights and The Nine-Colored Deer, a classic Chinese animated film. The film is the subject of the game’s latest crossover event, which kicks off on July 14, 2022.
The Arknights event is a simple one, requiring players only log in during the event period to net the reward. The main reward is a new playable Operator, the titular Nine-Colored Deer. This time the magical deer has been reimagined as a more humanoid character. She appears in-game as a 5-Star Abjurer-type Supporter character.
Check out the Arknights Nine-Colored Deer character trailer below.
The Arknights x Nine-Colored Deer event trailer evokes the classical styling of the original 1981 short film. Also known as A Deer of Nine Colors, the film was produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. The film was inspired by Buddhist Jataka tale of the same name. It drew its look from a set of cave paintings discovered in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China.
Curious viewers can actually watch the original film in its entirety below. It was uploaded by the YouTube channel Unraveling China with English subtitles.
Of course, the Arknights x Nine-Colored Deer event is a simple one. Players looking for meatier content can also sink their teeth into the planned rerun of Who is Real. Originally occurring for the Lunar New Year, Who Is Real ran on the English edition of Arknights for the game’s 1.5 year anniversary. Sadly, the event won’t come with a Headhunting banner, so new players won’t have a chance to roll for the Operators Saga or Dusk. They can, though, net Lava the Purgatory for free, if they haven’t recruited her yet.
Arknights is available on iOS and Android. The Nine-Colored Deer crossover begins on July 14, 2022.
