Armored Core 6 : Fires of Rubicon is a full course repast that is stimulant , thought-provoking , and dead valuate .
After experiencing theArmored Core 6 : Fires of Rubiconreveal trailer in December 2022 , I knew I take to play this plot . I ’ve never play anArmored Coregame before and I ’ve aboveboard never heard of the franchise , but after witnessing the reveal drone that looked like a blending of Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hayao Miyazaki ’s work , with an obvious FromSoftware ’s flair , I knewArmored Core 6was going to be special .
And particular it dead is . If you ’re a longtime fan ofArmored Core , then I ’m here to soothe your anxious bosom — Armored Core 6is unbelievable . If you ’re like me , novel toArmored Core , and are here becauseElden Ringwas really good , you ’re in for a treat .
WhileArmored Core 6 : fervor of Rubiconis far from the slow - pace hallowed horrors of FromSoftware ’s famed fantasy entries likeDark Souls , Bloodborne , andElden Ring , FromSoftware proves that it can take its winning formula , hasten it up , and lease it soar . Armored Core 6is garden rocket business leader — high-pitched - octane natural action , adrenaline - pump propulsion , riveting ramification all retrofitted to a domain and a story that gear up the stage for greed and humans to crusade to the brink of total disintegration … and see what lie beyond .
Fires (bullets, explosions, laser swords, etc.) of Rubicon – The combat
Let ’s dive correctly into what everybody ’s most interested in ; there ’s no exercise in make you wait . How ’s the scrap inArmored Core 6 ? Amazing . The art pattern and graphical fidelity work in tandem bicycle to place the tone and backdrop for this breathless game . Against this rich tapestry , the combat glides . It ’s fast , it ’s crunchy , and , as you ’d expect from a FromSoftware game , it ’s incredibly intriguing . It does take some getting used to since the littered HUD can be very overwhelming at first . Still , once you eff what you ’re looking at , the littered HUD works to submerge you into the mecha phantasy , and after every mission , you ’ll feel like you ’re becoming more of an ace mecha pilot .
AC and bosses
In the first few missions , I was faint-hearted , not wanting to engage in combat that I was n’t get up for since I was learn the ropes . Then , against my wishes , you get fuddle into a foreman battle againstHC Helicopterat the remainder of the first mission . With each break down effort , I learned something about my own combat capabilities and the enemy ’s onset patterns . I find a bring home the bacon strategy , blew up the HC Helicopter , and was hungry for more . Now , the mechanically skillful cannon fodder I faced in every mission going ahead was just target practice as I hunt for enemy AC and boss because the real playfulness ofArmored Core 6is the intense AC and political boss battles .
Almost every delegation has an opposition AC hidden somewhere in the point . Finding them is overnice , but fighting them is a blast . Plus , you get moreOS Tuning upgradeswith every enemy AC destruct , so they are crucial to seek out . But the boss struggle inArmored Core 6are the master event . There are about a dozen boss contend inArmored Core 6 . All of them showcase their own make of dazzling visuals and painful ( fun painful ) flack . My only “ but ” with theAC6bosses is that the early party boss were much harder than the former knob . Whether it was my personal acquirement increasing , finding a tilt - square mecha build , or the bosses really not being as severely as you progress , that was the only fragile bummer experienced there . Everything else AC and boss - wise is incredibly habit-forming and satisfying .
Mecha builds
Another early - game , yet very enjoyableAC6feature I was sad lost relevancy was the need to use completely dissimilar human body for unlike mission and boss . In the first one-half of the biz , I had three mechas save : a inverse joint mecha that was extremely lightweight and wandering , a tetrapod mecha that could hover in the air and take a clout , and a tank mecha that did n’t have much erectness but could take and deal tons of damage . Losing a mission to test out a unlike salve mecha was awe-inspiring , but it was short - lived . I loved that experimentation , but once I founda secret plan - break buildthat could take on every mission and knob , I did n’t have to look back .
While every build is fun and amazingly unlike , one of my biggest intestinal colic withArmored Core 6is the lack of workable build . I startedArmored Core 6enjoying my bipedal and overturn joint mecha builds but speedily hit a difficultness wall that I was not able to traverse . I decided to try something else — the tank mecha work up . The moment I built my army tank mecha , one that was passing heavy , had very gamy wellness , and could bear the biggest and highest harm - get by weapons in the plot , I did n’t struggle nearly as much with difficulty for the rest of the biz . I continued to raise to large and more destructive explosive weapons that continue to decimate foe ACs in moment without accept more than a few minor scratch .
This could definitely be a skill matter on my part ; it takes a lot more skill to be successful using the lightweight , low - wellness bipedal and overturn joint mechas . But regardless if it ’s a science issue or not , that ’s an inauspicious defect . While I had a lot of fun as a tank mecha , the feeling of playing the tight - fly , sharp - shooting , laser sword - wielding bipedal mecha is a much cooler fantasy that I , regrettably , did n’t get to experience much of because the tank build was much stronger and more successful in nearly every aspect .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
AC6‘s combat is also one of the most physically taxing games I ’ve ever act as on accountant . Unlike FromSoftware ’s Soulsborne games , Armored Core 6welcomes button mashing . In fact , it require it at times . While there are of track many consequence that want preciseness in fight , the goal of every competitiveness inAC6is to keep the insistency on by spamming your machinelike weapons . And this is where it sucks to be on restrainer . All four fingerbreadth ask to be rapidly firing R1 , R2 , L1 , and L2 at almost all metre while your thumb go into overdrive to leap , dodge , hover , purport , and heal . My advice ? As someone who always prefers controller to mouse and keyboard , if you may , playArmored Core 6on shiner and keyboard .
In a world… – The setting and story
As impressive , delightfully hard , and habit-forming as the armed combat is inArmored Core 6 , I was blow out of the water at how much I like the setting and the story . I ’m not the bighearted rooter of FromSoftware ’s storytelling and worldbuilding , butArmored Core 6is sufficiently digestible and coherent . The environments are cold and devoid of living ; the arenas sometimes obtuse with buildings and , at other metre , detailed spacious slates . There ’s just enough scenic variety to make the missions feel sweet and exciting .
The tarradiddle ofArmored Core 6quite literally starts at the sound of a shank . There ’s no explanation as to who you are or who Handler Walter , your boss , is — you ’re plummet from outer space to Rubicon and you ’ll larn as you go . Basically , there are two corporations struggle for Coral , a valuable resource singular to Rubicon . The casting also features a planetary defense military organization and a rag - tag group of rebels . You play as an sovereign soldier of fortune that work for all sides until you inevitably decide which door to walk through and which ones to close for practiced .
Overall , the stakes , human relationship , and decisions inArmored Core 6are well done . Side billet pertaining to the story : two major wins in my book are that the game is around 20 hours foresightful and , after the credits roll up , you immediately start new game plus . Like the beauty of a firework , Armored Core 6explodes in an all - consuming frenzy that is curtly - lived and something you want to have over and over again .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
However , as cohesive as the story ofAC6is , there were one or two incomprehensible story second , and I did n’t skip any duologue or cutscenes . It felt like I miss a all-important detail even though I tried my best to bear every part of the story . I rather chalk it up to every single FromSoftware secret plan ’s storytelling being lost on me , but I was in earnest following the jist ofArmored Core 6‘s story until one or two key moment happened that left me asking why . That say , I ’m sure a second playthrough or a Reddit discussion could facilitate me understand what I lack .
What’ll it be, Raven? – The missions and decisions
Enjoyable combat and the perfectly bleak setting apart , the delegacy inArmored Core 6offer secure variety and even some grace . One mission might have you sneaking through enemy line of work to slip attempt a boss at the final stage while another will have you avoiding optical maser blasts from space to then fight a boss at the end . There seems to always be a political boss at the final stage — but that ’s okay because that ’s the respectable part ! answer it to say , I was cheerily surprised at the various mission objectives and discover the slight switch - ups beneficial in the constant crafting of a meaningful story . As far as the grace goes , there are checkpoint in missions that help oneself you get repeatedly pummelled by a genus Bos much easier than if you had to start at the beginning of the mission after every death .
Armored Core 6features many charge with big decisions attached , which makes for a great excuse to play NG+ , but the decisiveness themselves are a bit vague . In my first playthrough , I accidentally picked the bad ending because it was n’t clear to me what the result would be based on the conclusion mission I take . After you pick out a mission , a character verbalise you through the briefing of the mission , but the outcomes of the missions themselves , including the relationships you ’re about to discerp , are n’t specially clear .
Build a mecha – The customization
The customization inArmored Core 6is top - snick . There are two aspects to it : you mix and match straits , core , peg , shoulder arm , branch weapons , and generator to create an economical mecha that must make pass a few check and you have C of options to customize your mecha ’s paint occupation .
When make a mecha inAC6 , the turn one factor is weight . If you produce a lightweight mecha , you ’re limited to lower wellness and the inability to carry dense arm , but you give for gravid mobility and verticality . If you create a grueling mecha , you ’ll have more health and be able to gestate heavier weapons but your dash , jump , and advance endurance will be much lower . It ’s a soft terpsichore and a beautiful art to create an optimized mecha . That say , the ill-famed convoluted FromSoftware stats are front and center inAC6 . As someone who loosely understood what every stat meant but did n’t dive too recondite with min / maxing chassis , I have to say that , like the overcomplicated HUD , this maximal presentation of information process with the mecha vibe . Die - strong fans are going to love this , but even casual players like me will savor pick up and bear by the stat requirements .
The Verdict
Armored Core 6is a phenomenal soulslike that win in putting FromSoftware ’s quintessential formula on its school principal . It ’s a tight - paced thrill drive that has a few bumps when it make out to consistent boss difficulty , practicable physique , and decipherable storytelling , but when you ’re blazing at breakneck pep pill , you hover right over the divot .
I love the brevity of this biz , I love everything about the armed combat , I be intimate the customization , I sleep together the domain of Rubicon . FromSoftware , unsurprisingly , does it again withArmored sum 6 , and new and erstwhile rooter likewise will really enjoy this one .
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Screenshot: PC Invasion
