It’s been ten years since From Software delved into their Armored Core Franchise, with Armored Core V released for Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2012. Now we have the latest instalment in the franchise, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, and a return to what is, for me at any rate, the hardest games From Software have ever made. Or at least, that I’ve played. Sorry Souls fans, but Armored Core has always felt harder and more obtuse to me.
Now this incredibly niche series is gaining a larger audience thanks to From Software’s growing popularity through its Souls series and the recent, phenomenal, Elden Ring. With that added recognition, From Software has delved back into Armored Core and introduced changes to the series formula and gameplay to bring it to a much wider audience than before. That isn’t to say that Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon drops its difficulty, because believe me, it doesn’t, but it’s become a damn sight more accessible than it’s ever been with just enough gameplay tweaks to make even the slowest mech pilot feel like a force to be reckoned with.
Set on the planet of Rubicon 3, you take on the role of a numbered, augmented mercenary pilot with a mysterious handler sending missions your way. You’ll be taking on missions from multiple factions across the decimated, industrial landscape of Rubicon. What’s the connection to the mysterious substance known as Coral that mankind exploited and thus caused Rubicon’s downfall? Get those skills up and you may just survive long enough to find out!
Armoured Core has always been, for me, a difficult series of games, both to play and get into. And while Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon has difficult sections that will have you wanting to throw your controller at a wall, it is, conversely, so much easier to get into. The series’ signature gameplay and design make a triumphant and easier-to-understand return.
At its core, Armored Core isn’t just about mech combat, it’s also about building your mech. You can swap out your core, your arms, your legs, your boosters and generators and chipsets and weapons. You can paint your mech, decal it, and make it all the crazy designs you want in the livery. And then, when you’re done, you can take it out for a ride and blow stuff up.
And boy does Armored Core blow stuff up real good. The basic combat system is designed around having four weapons equipped, one for each arm and shoulder. You can mix and match whatever you’ve bought, as long as it doesn’t strain your weight or energy limit. And when you have what you want, you can use your boosters to dash around the level and enemies, firing everything at once.
You’ve got a boost meter that you have to pay attention to, much like a stamina bar, which governs your quick dodges, aerial boosting and forward thrusts. For as much as you’re wielding a projectile-throwing death machine, this time round, close-quarters combat is just as important.
Most of Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’s combat is spectacular to look at, involving side strafing burst dashes and enough lock-on missile barrages to put a mecha anime to shame. This is also where Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon will either grab you or push you away from it. In a bid to keep the game accessible, most of the missions are populated by enemies that either die quite easily or put up just enough of a fight to make you feel like a pilot extraordinaire.
But when you hit the bosses, that’s when From Software’s traditional hard design comes into play with massive difficulty spikes. This is where Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon will challenge you because, unlike a Souls-like where you can keep grinding to level up attributes that will eventually make you death incarnate, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon favours clever mech builds, strategy and serious piloting skills. You’ll either love it or need to replace a controller. It’s also where Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is at its most fist-pumping satisfying when you finally beat a boss that’s been blocking you for hours.
Another great detail is the game’s checkpoint system which, if you peg at a boss, will start you just before said boss and fully restocked, ready to go again.
All the information that details how each equipped part affects your overall build is more parsable in Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon than it’s ever been. Previous entries in the series made me feel as though I needed a degree to understand all the stats thrown my way. This time around, it’s all comprehensible without straining your brain. And these stats matter, regardless of whether you’re going for a light, medium or suck-up damage tank build.
And all of that customisation, whether it’s your build or your livery design, can be shared online. The process is less comprehensive than it could have been, by uploading a specially generated code that others can use to download your blueprints. A browser showing other users’ builds and designs would have been easier.
As you play across the campaign, new parts will be unlocked for you to buy. Money is earned through missions, with your overall reward based on how many enemy units you’ve taken down along with the damage received. There’s a constant flow of parts and, unlike earlier Armored Core games that forced you to grind to be able to afford something, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon throws enough cash at you to lessen the grind. If you need more money, you can replay completed missions both for cash and a better completion rank.
Furthermore, there’s an arena mode that pits you against various special enemies. Defeating them rewards you with their mech blueprints and tokens that can be used to buy further OS upgrades for your mech, such as a boost kick or different shields. A special shout-out goes to the game tutorial mode which not only teaches you the basics of combat, along with advanced tactics and build differences, but also unlocks more mech parts for you to use with each completed tutorial. It is, again, a great way to keep the game accessible to newcomers by making sure they’re not crippled right out of the gate with a mech design that might not work for them.
Visually Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is beautiful, in a stark, industrial way. The game’s environments are all of the military-industrial complex design, scattered across the remains of ruined cities, puddles of water and more concrete and metal than you could shake a stick at. It’s a stripped-back kind of beauty. While the environments may not sparkle as much as say, Elden Ring, the game combat visual effects, along with the mech designs, are absolutely stunning. The pulse of laser fire, smoke and fire from missile barrages and speed bursts when dodging are gorgeously rendered. And the detail on the mechs is impeccable.
Sadly ray tracing is only used in the garage while the world makes use of standard screen space effects for reflections. There are performance and quality modes to choose from, though Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’s speedy combat benefits from performance modes. That said, I didn’t find much of a difference between the modes myself. That may be because I was too busy trying to stay alive!
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’s lock-on system is a bit of an issue though. You have essentially soft and hard lock-on modes. Hard lock though seemed to be very iffy, disabling itself quite a bit, especially during boss fights which sometimes meant the difference between success and failure because the camera didn’t stay locked on to an enemy, switching off just as something boosts behind you and peppers you with shots before you can rotate the camera to get it back in your sights.
Outside of its sudden difficulty spikes, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is a fantastic return to the Armored Core universe. With in-depth customisation, explosive combat, beautiful, pyrotechnic visuals and easier to get into game design than ever before, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is a must-play action game.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon Gameplay
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