Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon marks the return of the once most popular series by FromSoftware and almost 10 years later, the Japanese company achieves a result capable of expanding its popularity. If you imagine yourself playing a mech game, with bosses that represent a huge challenge and test more than just your reflexes, including your resilience, then Armored Core 6 is a game for you. FromSoftware brought back Armored Core 6 to the modern era with a strong touch of its methodology, once again demanding dedication and willingness to learn the gameplay strategy to reward you with strong fun and a sense of overcoming. This is done on the planet Rubicon, where humanity has managed to reach and disputes control of Coral, a substance that serves as fuel and conductor of information. There are several organizations at war for the control of Coral, and in the role of a mercenary, you will have to take advantage of the conflict that has spread throughout the planet.
Not an Action RPG, but has Soulslike in the gears
Something to keep in mind is that Armored Core 6 is not an RPG, but many of the Soulslike mechanics and the essence of FromSoftware are present here, through mechanics and functionalities. In terms of gameplay, you have the boost bar used to dodge blows or move faster and you will have to manage it because each attack puts pressure on this bar. Whether for you or for the opponent, reaching the limit means being stunned and at the mercy of several devastating attacks. Furthermore, it is a kind of interpretation of the Soulslike essence, without XP, in the way each boss demands tactics, strategy, and adaptation. It is like a puzzle that you will have to interpret to choose the right weapons. The same philosophy of learning their movements, adjusting dodge timings, and understanding how to stun them more quickly are also examples of how this company preserves its methodology. It is still an experience of overcoming, difficult, and capable of taking you to despair. When you triumph, you feel more than relief, you feel triumph.
Strategic gameplay through deep customization
If we think that a video game serves to entertain, as a pastime, but also to stimulate you in various ways, FromSoftware does these two things through mech personalization and how it affects various gameplay parameters. This puts all the decision on you on how the confrontation will unfold and how you interpret each boss. I am emphasizing bosses because most of the remaining gameplay is relatively simple. It is the moments of greatest challenge that will stay in memory. There are many mundane levels that are almost unnecessary and have no consequence for the overall picture, they seem to be created to artificially extend longevity, even if they repeat maps. On the other hand, there are many larger scale and difficulty missions, which will really stay in your memory and where you will have several phases, with one or more bosses that really wreak havoc. This is where strategy comes in the midst of all this action. Mech customization is deep because it allows you to equip various parts to adapt to the challenge, but you must take into account various parameters, such as available energy and weight. It is a balance between firepower and mobility, to be able to attack but also move with agility and without allowing yourself to be quickly stunned. You can equip energy weapons, fire weapons, and even laser swords in your hands. You can equip a weapon on each shoulder, head, torso, arms, and legs, not to mention the generators. Everything has associated parameters and numbers, from weight to consumption, it is a matter of balancing according to the need. You will have to repeat many boss fights multiple times (and some of the levels in the second half) to improve behaviors, refine routes, and play better. One example I can give is a boss for which my weapons were working, but it had little life. I had to equip parts with more life, but that affected mobility. This is part of the strategic management of your mech in the midst of strong action gameplay (not forgetting the loading time between the various weapons). After learning the boss patterns, I realized what was failing, made changes, and my chances of winning increased, but I still had to get used to the adjustments made, and that required some more time.
When Artistic Touch Prevails
This is the level of depth and strategy that fast-paced action gameplay has. This customization, with pros and cons, along with the ability to stun, results in a mech action game like no other.
FromSoftware’s Artistic Ingenuity Shines Through
FromSoftware’s latest game showcases epic moments and an impressive scale, where their artistic ingenuity prevails despite the sometimes austere and empty industrial world. The challenging gameplay allows for strategic customization, putting the path to victory in the player’s hands. This unique approach to customization sets the game apart, making it a memorable experience.
Pros and Cons of Armored Core 6
- Good performance on PS5 (played version)
- High customization of the mech to adapt to each boss
- Good checkpoint system that avoids repeating the entire mission
- Difficult experience on bosses that forces you to try different parts and weapons to adapt the mech to the opponent’s specificities
- Some moments of great splendor graphics
- High-quality soundtrack
- An industrial world abundant in locations of lower graphic quality
- Too many mundane missions that you cannot escape from
- The story does not captivate
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