More than a decade and multiple genre-defining titles later, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon has a new gameplay trailer and a release date: August 25, 2023. This new vision for the AC franchise appears to take scale, speed, and action to even higher levels than the already fast-paced For Answer and AC5, and we got a glimpse of the team’s vision for the game.
Armored Core 6 is poised to take the series to new heights. The trailer has a lot to unpack, but a few things stand out.
As mentioned, the scale — made possible by improved hardware — is on another level. While Armored Core 6 will use a mission-based structure rather than an open or pseudo-open world, levels are bigger, more intricately detailed, and more vertical than almost any seen in the series previously.
Enemy variety is also increased, with almost a dozen types of foes to fight, new MT designs, and plenty of environmental hazards. Perhaps most importantly to fans like me that are familiar with the larger-than-life bosses FromSoft is known for, bosses in Armored Core 6 dwarf the player’s mech. They come in many forms, with one focused on missiles, another a giant worm-thing, and another spider-like robot wielding giant red energy blades.
There are, of course, mech vs. mech fights as well. AC6 is coming with PvP, though it’s unclear whether there were any glimpses of that in the gameplay trailer. However, it’s clear there will be NPC mech encounters, and many of those will have fully voice-acted characters with their own motivations and desires.
Story has never been the Armored Core series’ strongest suit. Though FromSoftware has undoubtedly made strides with its narratives in recent years, it seems this latest AC is following the mold of previous titles in the franchise with some additional complexity.
Armored Core 6‘s story seems to be playing with the concepts of identity, purpose, and a series staple of failing civilizations struggling to remain together while conflict rages across the planet. The player character has apparently taken up another mech pilot’s mantle and has to either prove they are worth the moniker of “Raven” or fight off those who discount them for it.
We’ll undoubtedly know much more as the months continue, and again, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon releases on August 25, 2023, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
