Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is the latest entry in From Software’s Armored Core franchise. It’s a third-person action game where players control a mech and shoot down other mechs as they complete missions all over the planet.
In a future where humanity achieved space travel, a substance called Coral was discovered on the planet of Rubicon 3 that could act as humanity’s new main energy source. However, an apocalyptic event called the Fires of Ibis destroyed the Coral. Fifty years later, Coral has been found again, and corporations, mercenaries and citizens fight over the substance. As a mercenary named Raven, the player must take on assignments from the various factions on Rubicon 3.
Armored Core 6 is an incredibly fast-paced game, so much more so than titles from From Software’s iconic Dark Souls franchise. The action is even vastly more aggressive than in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bloodborne. Armored Core 6 is a fun game when you get into the groove of battle and overcome its tough bosses. However, the game often feels unfairly difficult at times due to certain gameplay mechanics and restrictions, leading to some frustrating experiences.
After spending 30 hours in Armored Core 6, here are our thoughts on the game.
Armored Core 6 brings this cult-favorite action series to the modern era with fluid mech combat, streamlined mechanics and all the brutal difficulty you’d expect from a From Software game.
What we liked about it
Satisfying combat
The moment-to-moment gameplay is Armored Core 6’s greatest strength, as the action is blazingly fast. You get this exhilarating feeling as you constantly dodge incoming lasers and missiles from enemy mechs and shoot back at them. What’s even more impressive is that From Software nailed the mech traversal. Roaming around the battlefield and employing your boosters to rush at high speeds feels smooth.
There’s also a good amount of enemy variety that incentivizes you to switch up your approach. Some enemies have shields that block frontal attacks, so it’s best to equip missiles that rain from above to circumvent those defenses. Other enemies like to zip around very fast, so you might want to equip missiles that have homing target capabilities.
Armored Core 6’s bosses are a highlight as well. Whereas in games like Dark Souls where you can learn bosses’ attack patterns and potentially lose no health, in Armored Core 6, you’re almost guaranteed to get hit. This is due to how aggressive these bosses are with their wide-reaching attacks. So you have to mitigate as much damage as you? can while still trying to look for an opening to attack. It’s an interesting risk-and-reward dynamic that helps differentiate Armored Core 6 from From Software’s other difficult games.
Tons of mech customization
Armored Core 6 really emphasizes being able to customize different parts of your mech to fit your own personal playstyle. By completing missions, you can buy new parts from the store, such as sturdier legs to support heavier weaponry. Or you can purchase lighter and more agile parts if you feel comfortable with your dodging abilities.
Experimenting with different parts in the customization menu can be quite engrossing sometimes, and I found time passing by quickly. Trying to balance each part’s weight so the overall mech isn’t overburdened is also a game in and of itself.
Sometimes I had to sacrifice equipping a heavier engine that gave me a slightly higher boost recovery time in order to use the energy sword that was crucial to taking down the next boss. It’s a good system to prevent you from equipping whatever you want, as the weight restriction forces you to build carefully.
Plenty of content
Armored Core 6 uses a menu-based mission structure instead of an open world like Elden Ring did. Story missions are replayable, and players can earn a letter score based on certain parameters such as the amount of damage taken, the amount of ammunition used and completion time. There’s also an Arena Mode where players can participate in 1v1 matches against other mechs and win various rewards. It’s a fun way to earn more money to purchase more parts and win cores to upgrade your mech.
The game also supports online multiplayer where players can join 1v1 or 3v3 matches against one another. The 3v3 battles are especially chaotic and fun as six mechs are flying through the air and constantly shooting weapons. These additional game modes add a lot of variety to the experience if you find yourself needing a break from the story.
What we didn’t like about it
The difficulty can be too punishing
The biggest gripe with Armored Core 6 is how it can feel unfairly difficult regarding certain story missions and bosses. Missions have varying lengths, and sometimes the checkpoint system can be inconsistent. Early in the game, there was a mission to overtake a wall structure and there were many enemies guarding it. After defeating them, a miniboss appeared, and I ended up losing the fight. Imagine my chagrin when I had to start over from the very beginning of the mission and wipe out the surrounding enemies again before having another chance at the miniboss. More checkpoints would’ve been appreciated, such as one between finishing off those enemies and then fighting the miniboss.
What’s also obnoxious is that you’re limited to three repair kits throughout the entire game. Given how aggressive bosses are in Armored Core 6, it feels unfair to only be able to heal three times throughout the entire battle. There were so many instances where I came so close to defeating a boss to die only because I ran out of repair kits.
Repair kits don’t even heal your mech all the way either. You can upgrade your mech to increase the amount a repair kit heals, but even at the highest upgrade, the increased amount healed is negligible considering how hard and fast bosses hit.
Even in Dark Souls and Elden Ring, players could increase the number of healing potions they could have as they progressed. It’s a very odd decision not to be able to hold more than three repair kits at a time as the game progresses, resulting in a feeling of artificial difficulty.
The camera isn’t good
Another annoying aspect is how fickle the game’s camera is, which is especially true when locking on to targets. Since enemies tend to fly around at high speeds, the camera has trouble keeping up. It’s even more pronounced when fighting bosses. They’d zip right behind me, and then my lock-on would just disengage itself, forcing me to turn the camera around manually.
It’s also hard to tell whether you’re locked on to your target or not. The sound that indicates when you’ve locked on to someone is too subtle, and there’s hardly any haptic feedback coming from the DualSense controller that confirms it. Both the camera and lock-on mechanic are too flimsy and disrupt the fight’s pacing.
Bottom line
Despite some frustrations with Armored Core 6’s design decisions and difficulty, it’s still an incredibly fun game. There’s nothing more satisfying than finally overcoming a boss that’s been giving you trouble for the past hour. The combat is invigorating, and the variety of different customization options is astounding.
It won’t have the same widespread mainstream appeal that From Software’s iconic Dark Souls franchise has, but fans will still feel at home with such a challenging game. It’s also still definitely one of the best PC, PlayStation and Xbox games you’ll play all year. The story is also a stand-alone one, so it’s a perfect avenue for newcomers to enjoy this almost three-decade-old series.
