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Armored Core 6 is almost here.
I can also safely say that I’m an instant convert.
Armored Core fans have been waiting an incredibly long time for this title.
FromSoftware has transformed itself on the backs of games like Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
But once upon a time, Armored Core was the company’s bread and butter.
A herculean task, perhaps.
So far, though, it looks like FromSoftware has nailed it.
FromSoftware games are known for their firm-but-fair approach to difficulty, and Armored Core VI is absolutely no exception.
Some games even go as far as to add special difficulty modes for attendees.
That was very much not the case here.
Armored Core VI does not have Elden Ring’s sprawling open world or Dark Souls' intricate interconnected map.
You’re not overly punished for failing or dying.
There are no “souls” to track and recover, and its levels even come with checkpoints now.
More on that in the next section.
Armored Core VI’s development has been led by Masaru Yamamura, who built Sekiro.
Rubicon is a bleak world, decimated by accidents from its Coral extraction process.
Even in our relatively brief demo, the variety of threats was awe-inspiring.
Despite the advantages good gear and tactics can give you, your personal skill remains absolutely key to victory.
The mission-based structure in Armored Core 6 essentially encourages you to bring the right loadout for the job.
Some bosses may be better suited for a heavier mech with shield capabilities.
Others may be resistant to missiles.
Some may require a faster targeting system upgrade, and so on.
Despite the advantages good gear and tactics can give you, your personal skill remains absolutely key to victory.
Armored Core 6 gives players a huge variety of freedom for approaching combat.
The drawback is that the controls are quite complex as a trade-off.
Armored Core 6 modernizes some aspects of its gameplay over earlier versions.
I’m making the fight sound less complex overall than it was.
And this was one of the easy bosses.
It decimated me in a hailstorm of missiles, carving me into hellish fractals.
This machine made it unashamedly apparent that my build was inadequate, and my tactics were lacking.
I’ll steel myself.
I can’t wait to jump back into the full game.
I loved Armored Core 6 for that structure, and I hope you will too.
Armored Core 6 was just utterly satisfying to play.
I hope what I saw was a fair representative of the full experience because right now…
I’m steeled and restless.
See you on Rubicon 3.
