Armored Core VI [Review]
In another life, when I was an anime-obsessed teenager (as opposed to the anime-obsessed 38 year old I am now), I would rush home from school to catch Gundam Wing on Toonami. The mech design, the weapons, the tense clashes both in space and on the ground…it had me yearning for a chance to control a machine like that.
Of course, the closest I could get was seeking out the experience in video game format - and sure, many video games attempted to emulate the experience. There was the arena battler Virtual On, which gobbled up many of my quarters in those earlier years - not to mention Hideo Kojima’s Zone of the Enders, which also offered its own take on controlling a massive machine, armed with missiles, laser beams and gatling guns. However, the steadfast franchise in this genre was Armored Core.
First released on the Playstation in 1997, Armored Core places you in the role of a silent mercenary - taking on jobs to destroy enemy mechs or strategic locations (for the right price of course). Successful completion of jobs nets you credits, and these credits can be used to purchase new parts to further enhance your mech. While it doesn’t seem to have aged well, believe me when I tell you that this:
looked amazing.
Between the cutting edge graphics and manageable controls, players began to get a feel for mechs in the video game space with Armored Core. As a result, the franchise saw a steady stream of titles through 2006, with its most recent game coming out in 2012 to middling reviews. From there, the series went quiet for over a decade as FromSoftware iterated and mastered its Dark Souls formula, releasing Dark Souls II & III, as well as Bloodborne and Sekiro.
Now, two console-generations later, the mech-battling franchise has returned with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, and has delivered a gaming experience that miraculously is able to stand on its own two (or four) legs in the scorched battlefield that is 2023’s year in gaming.
You see, in an era of interstellar travel and colonization, a mysterious substance known as “Coral” was a breakthrough for mankind. Able to manage both data and power, it heralded a number of scientific breakthroughs that were poised to propel humanity to the next phase of space-travel and technological advancement. Of course, it wasn’t meant to last. The coral triggered a cataclysmic event known as The Fires of Ibis, destroying the planet leaving behind a lethal contaminant. Now, 50 years later, coral has been discovered on Rubicon 3. Not heeding the tragedy of before, numerous corporations have rushed to the planet to secure the resource and make themselves wealthy in the process.
As for you?
You’re just here to shake things up a bit.
As mercenary 621, you take missions from a gruff handler named Walter - playing all sides of the conflict as you seek a payday. An augmented human, you have been conditioned and built to handle the tremendous strain that comes with piloting an Armored Core (or AC).
Much like Nier Automata, one of the major draws of Armored Core VI’s narrative is its New Game+ mode. While the core narrative can be completed in ~15-20 hours (less, as you grow more comfortable with the controls), the New Game + and New Game ++ modes offer unique missions and choices that construct an almost entirely different narrative than the one you thought you knew based on your first playthrough.
The voice acting in the game definitely stood out for me as well. All of the story is carried out via codec and walkie-talkie chatter. There are no human character models - this is a world of metal and cobalt and lasers. And yet, the very real human experience reveals itself from the mess of tangled cables and burning husks of steel.
On one mission in particular, as you’re doing battle against an enormous mechanized worm, an ally is manning a massive sniper rifle far from the battlefield in an attempt to take down its shield so you can damage it directly.
As the worm erupts from the ground, ready to lay waste to you and your allies, you hear through your comms:
“I won’t miss.”
Before a powerful sniper blast lays the worm out, susceptible to your attacks.
Hoo boy - when I tell you that moment gave me goosebumps - and it’s just one of a handful of amazing moments within the core narrative of this game.
Aesthetically, the world of Rubicon 3 is not pretty - you’re not going to be thrown into any lush forests or landscapes of particularly vibrant color - but that’s not the point. This is a world covered with corporate bases, littered with the remains of ACs, and generally a war-torn battlefield. The graphics really lure you in when it comes to the sheer scale of the environments and bosses that you are battling, including a fairly early mission where you are taking on an AT-AT on steroids.
Don’t misunderstand me - the graphics are superb. Particularly when it comes to the detail of the AC: the accuracy of depicting varying AC performance is the standout; from the blinding speed of lightweight mechs, to the weight and power of a tank build.
The soundtrack is also amazing, and complements the aesthetics perfectly.
However, all of this aside: how does it play?
Like a dream.
Your AC has 4 weapon slots, each mapped to respective shoulder buttons. You have a dash option, as well as a Boost ability for when you need to cover long distance. I don’t care how cool you are: the first time you’re in full Boost mode and do a quick side dash to avoid a barrage of missiles, you won’t be able to resist cracking a grin.
The movement in Armored Core VI is fast and furious - it can be easy at times to get turned around, and locking on isn’t always as helpful as you would hope. That being said, the controls are extremely responsive. You start the game out with a light-medium style build, but as the game progresses, you will be exposed to various types of AC design (in fact, the tutorial stages walk through them all with you), and you may find yourself drawn to a certain style of AC for most of your missions.
However, you can’t get too comfortable using the same AC type. You will find that tinkering with your AC is not just a recommendation: it’s a requirement.
Which brings us to an inevitable conversation when it comes to FromSoftware titles: the difficulty.
Veterans of FromSoftware titles are aware of the “Skill-check” bosses. Whether it was Margit in Elden Ring, or The Cleric Beast in Bloodborne - there’s a sudden sharp upward turn in difficulty to introduce players to the world that FromSoftware has created.
While the tutorial boss had its own meme-worthy difficulty, the real gate for many players is the Chapter 1 boss: Balteus.
While he was eventually patched, the general frustration experienced by many Armored Core VI players also brought on one of the game’s most valuable lessons: the garage is your friend.
Building AC templates and swapping between them will help you overcome many challenges as you progress through the game. Sometimes, speed will be essential (try dodging orbital lasers in a tank), while other times will call for a hefty amount of AP (armor points) and an obscene amount of firepower.
Having rolled credits on the game twice, I can tell you that while I did find an AC build that was able to do 90% of the work, the ease of building and curiosity in testing out new weapons and models definitely leads players back to the garage…and the ability to go into assembly mode after dying without having to restart the whole mission is a godsend.
Overall, I was hyped for Armored Core VI for a while, and am thrilled to share that it has delivered on my high expectations for the title. With smooth controls, an excellent narrative, compelling aesthetics and just enough of a challenging difficulty to keep me on my toes, I relished my time on Rubicon 3.
I think you will too.
