Games
Armored Core 6 from Elden Ring developers isn’t Soulslike: that’s behind the series
Crisp bosses, individual customization of your mechs and a mission-based desEsports Extrasawait you in the new Armored Core.
At the Game Awards, developer team FromSoftware announced the revival of the Armored Core series instead of a story DLC for Elden Ring. At first glance, the mech shooter franchise has little in common with the Souls games, which you probably immediately think of from this studio, but there are some parallels.
What is behind Armored Core and what we already know about Part 6: Fires of Rubicon, we summarize for you here. After all, even the last offshoot before that is already ten years old and shouldn’t be known to all of you.
Mission-based demolition action with a focus on customization
Armored Core sends you into a richly dystopian sci-fi world in which you control giant battle behemoths from the third person. These mechs, which the main character climbs into, are eponymous for the franchise. The first part of the main series was released back in 1997, while the last, Armored Core 5, was released in 2012 and received the Verdict Day standalone expansion in 2013. The fifth part put a strong emphasis on multiplayer aspects, while the new offshoot should focus more on single player missions (via IGN).
A distinctive feature of the series is the strong focus on customizing your mech. In addition to the fights, the games are mainly about assembling your robot giant according to your own preferences, or about preparing yourself optimally for a fight.
Here you can watch the trailer for Fires of Rubicon again:
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Armored Core 6: Mechwarrior faces competition from a genre veteran
Under no circumstances should you expect an open world like in Elden Ring from Armored Core 6. The Mech series, unlike FromSoftware’s latest Soulslike, uses a mission-based desEsports Extrasthat requires you to complete quests. In part five, the main character belonged to the resistance, which opposes a power-hungry corporation and its fighting machines.
As Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki Esports Extrasrevealed, the mission-based concept will not change in the new offshoot. This structure fits better with the focus on customization and optimal preparation for battles.
Here are some other highlights announced during the Game Awards:
Still, there are similarities with Souls games
But there are some parallels to the Souls titles, for example, as far as the bosses are concerned. Armored Core 6 director Masaru Yamamura told Esports Extrasthat the bosses are the highlights of the game and players need to learn their movesets in detail. The same can be said of every FromSoftware Souls game.
There is another similarity between the fights that Souls fans and especially those who have played Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice should be aware of: As Yamamura, who incidentally worked on Sekiro, reports, attitude plays a major role in Armored Core 6. As in Sekiro, it’s said to be worth breaking opponents’ stances to deal heavy counter damage.
However, there will be no classic sword fight. The fights focus on ranged weapons. Nevertheless, as Yamamura explains, there should also be melee options. The title will be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Now you are asked: What do you think of Armored Core 6 so far? Does the title appeal to you and do you plan to play it?
