After nine long years, theArmored Corefranchise is back in action withArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. This title marks the continuation of one of FromSoftware’s original hit series, a mech-building and piloting simulator that became an annual franchise for the burgeoning company. TheArmored Corefanbase may be small in the grand scheme ofFromSoftwarecommunities, but its passion for one of the most notorious mecha series next toGundamcannot be understated. Because all ofArmored Coreis currently locked on older hardware,Armored Core 6could mark a major revival and expansion for the franchise.
Even so,Armored Coreis going to be a big departure from what FromSoftware has put out over the past few years. Initial director Hidetaka Miyazaki and current director Masaru Yamamura were interviewed by IGN, and dismissed rumors ofArmored Core 6being similar to the studio’s Soulsborne titles. As Miyazaki implied at the end of The Game Awards 2022, there are stillmore plans forElden Ring, soSoulsfans are still being catered to. No matter the risk,Armored Core 6is going back to the formula that made its series great in the first place - though likely not without some innovations brought about by FromSoftware’s experienced pedigree.
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Souls and Armored Core Take Different Approaches To Similar Concepts
From the beginning,Armored Corewas all about simulating the life of a giant robot pilot. The PS1 original opened with players undertaking their final exam to join the Ravens, a group of neutral mercenaries taking work from competing megacorporations Chrome and Murakumo. After being introduced to the controls, players are brought to thereal meat ofArmored Core: the Garage. Across any playthrough, hours can be spent assembling the right parts to ace a given mission. Part selection, fine-tuning, color schemes, and even player-drawn insignias are at every aspiring Raven’s fingertips, and the options grow as each game continues.
This is similar to howSoulsgames let players design their characters and encourage variety through treasures and challenges, thoughACemphasizes constant adaptation rather than a lasting build. WithArmored Coreinitially sharing an engine withDark Souls’ loot-obsessed predecessorKing’s Field, it’s not a stretch to say that both franchises are cut from similar action-RPG cloth. Just in this one aspect, it’s clear that there will be some definite parallels betweenArmored Core 6and a Soulsborne title, but these are rooted more in FromSoftware’s preferences.
Armored Core Isn’t a Souls-like, But it is a FromSoftware Game
Miyazaki posits that the high-difficulty, post-apocalyptic settings and general darkness of FromSoftware’s games originate from FromSoftware’s preferences rather than its Souls-like formula.Armored Core 6is going to be builtwith these in mind, but that doesn’t mean it has any compulsion to conform to recent successes. While it sounds like the posture-breaking system fromSekiroandElden Ringwill return, that’s about it.
The structure ofArmored Core 6is confirmed to be similar to pastArmored Core’s, and that runs contrary to the interconnectedSoulsexperience. The series is mission-based, though it’s unclear if the campaign co-op fromArmored Core 5andVerdict Daywill make a return. Bonus rewards from exploration in those particular entries have been hinted at, but aside from fighting FromSoftware’s trademark epic boss battles on the largest scale yet, players won’t be sifting through anything likeElden Ring’s open world. An eternal dance between mech customization and intense third-person combat will remain the beating heart ofArmored Core, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconwill be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
