Traditionally, FromSoftware titles are vague on story details. Rather than having lore thrown in your face,FromSoftwarehas a different approach, hiding lore throughout the world. That’s very much an appeal of the developer’s unique form of storytelling. Sure, you can takeArmored Core VIat face value, but if you’re willing to dig around, you’ll soon understand that there’s more to its tale than meets the eye.
Check out theArmored Core VI: Fires of Rubiconlaunch trailer below!
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50 years have passed since that cataclysmic event and against all the odds, it seems that Rubicon still contains that valuable Coral energy source. So with humanity being humanity, greedy corporations will stop at nothing to acquire the resource before any would-be competitor gets the chance, no matter the cost. Enter you, the willing, but relatively unknown Mercenary.
At the behest of an infamous handler named Walter, you’re tasked with infiltrating Rubicon 3 to prove your worth to the corporations that will stop at nothing to drain all the Coral that this planet has to offer. After acquiring a licence from a merc that suffered an ill fate, you are now under the alias ‘Raven’, and you seize the opportunity to climb the corporate ranks, but at what cost to you?
FromSoftware (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon)
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As you might expect from a developer responsible for some of the most gruelling games of all time,Armored Core VIwill test your patience, a lot. Yet, despite the feeling of being continually victimised, once the dust has settled, you’ll soon become aware that practice and patience is a virtue and with a dose of resolve, you will overcome the obstacles that this game throws in your way.
FromSoftware (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon)
Unlike other FromSoftware games, your mech suit will be fairly overpowered from the word go and you will dispose of grunts with relative ease. You’ll have a blast unleashing missile after missile, a barrage of machine gun fire and a swift swipe of your sword for close-quarter combat as you maniacally laugh at your fallen foes. That is until you cross paths with a boss enemy and are instantly humbled.
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Despite being a mech shooter,Armored Core VIdoes have some similarities with previous FromSoftware titles, other than its gruelling combat.Bloodborneis my favourite game from the studio and while there is an option to use a shield inArmored Core VI, I found that a well-timed dodge and parry is my best friend, drawing comparisons to my time spent in Yharnam. Granted,Armored Core VIwill also require a lot of trial and error. I lost count of the number of times it had taken me to defeat a certain boss. Thankfully, after much experimentation, I would eventually find the right combination of weapons to defeat my nemesis.
FromSoftware (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon)
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Speaking of customisation, you will spend a lot of your time in your Garage, the place where you swap your weapons and gadgets for the battle that awaits. Other than swapping your arsenal, you can also customise your mech to give it that personal touch. You can quite literally choose any colour for any part of your mech as you please, as well as having a wide selection of skins that can either give your mech a shiny gloss or something more rusted and battle-worn. You can even create your own logo or choose from some of the pre-sets. It will be interesting to see what snazzy designs the community comes up with in the weeks that followArmored Core VI’slaunch.
In terms of level design, don’t expectArmored Core VIto have an open world similar to that ofElden Ring. Sure, there is a decent level of freedom, but this is very much a linear mission-structured and you will only be exploring arenas that are relevant to the mission at hand. This is fine because not every game needs to be open-world. Sometimes it’s nice to know what is required without the added distraction of wanting to explore every nook and cranny of a massive world.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware)
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Armored Core VIalso has a couple of modes to choose from, such as the standard performance vs. graphics options. Performance onPlayStation 5andXboxSeries X|S will favour 60 frame-per-second at the expense of not having a 4K resolution. If you favour visuals, the game will be more crisp in 4K, but the framerate will be knocked down to 30fps. For a game that features high-octane action that relies on your reflexes, I prefer the higher framerate as that extra speed can help you in the heat of the battle. There is a ray-tracing option, but at this time, it’s restricted to the Garage, which I find to be quite pointless.
FromSoftware (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon)
In conclusionArmored Core VI: Fires of Rubiconis a masterful game that not only reminds veteran fans of the series that this franchise is alive and well, but it also welcomes in a new legion of fans, regardless of whether they have experience with the series or not. It takes the challenging counter-gameplay ofBloodborneinfused with high-octane combat and a heavy dose of the signature difficulty that fans of FromSoftware have come to love.Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubiconis yet another must-buy from the famed developer and another strong contender for Game of the Year.
Pros:Challenging gameplay that continually gives you that itch to come back for more, a surprising level of customisation, a story as subtly enticing as other FromSoftware counterparts
For fans of:Bloodborne, Gundam Versus, Titanfall
9/10: Exceptional
Topics:Fromsoftware
