It’s been ten years since the release of the last Armored Core game, the series FromSoftware was best known for before releasing Dark Souls in 2011.
In a future where giant mechs are piloted by mercenaries fighting in a hellish landscape of perpetual war, it’s hard not to be excited Armored core 6. It turns out, however, that if not for the success of the Soulsborne games, we would have dealt with our loving robot hands sooner.
From the software finally revealed Armored core 6 at Game Awards 2022 after years of Soulsborne games like Ring of the Elden AND Dark Souls 3. Ten years after release Armored Core: Verdict Day in 2013 it certainly took FromSoftware to return to it.
“It was never intended to leave such a large gap [between Armored Core games]said producer Yasutaka Ogura Haruce Mori interview (opens in a new tab) from BNE Fun Live. Like many who worked at FromSoftware, “they always wanted to create a new Armored Core title.” But unfortunately, there were only a few barriers in the way.
“The only real obstacle […] was that our company always had so many different titles in motion,” said Ogura. So with all those obnoxious, critically acclaimed Soulsborne games, we had to wait a decade Armored core 6but I suppose that’s the price you pay for Ring of the Elden, Carried by blood and the like.
What can we expect?
Put away any dreams of mechs in Soulsborne, though. “We weren’t trying to consciously direct [Armored Core 6] towards Soulsborne-type gameplay,” said Executive Director Hidetaka Miyazaki IGN (opens in a new tab).
Instead, the next title in the series aims to celebrate and build on everything that the series is most loved for, even if it’s sometimes hard to pin down the exact features.
Immersed in some mechanical, apocalyptic world, this sci-fi action RPG sees you as a mercenary who, as a silent hero, performs tasks assigned by various corporate benefactors. These missions vary and can involve protection and escort or mass destruction missions where you fight your way through waves of smaller mechs. However, the tasks themselves are not necessarily important; what counts is the money you get at the end of these quests.
By collecting cash prizes, you can work on highly detailed customization of your mech. The armored core itself can become an extension of the player with hundreds of customization options and upgrades. This is one of the highlights of the entire series.
While FromSoftware will hopefully stay true to that characterization, it can also take inspiration from what it has learned from creating its Soulsborne titles. “We were determined to take advantage of FromSoftware’s expertise and know how to give the player freedom in what can be done with the in-game controls and customization that is at the heart of the series,” said Ogura.
We’ve seen that inspiration come to life in boss fights. “I think [players] will be very pleased with the intensity of the boss fights,” said Ogura. “By using many of the same techniques that have been successful in previous FromSoftware games.”
While I probably won’t get a fully futuristic Soulsborne game filled with high tech mechs and brilliantly destructive cannons, I’ll be content with the fast and intense boss fights I know.