FromSoftware unveiled the first trailer for Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. This will be the first title for the Armored Core series since Armored Core: Verdict Day. We previously reported that FromSoftware was working on a mecha game and it was most likely going to be the next entry in the Armored Core series, based on the job postings. The rumors about the new game started earlier this year when insiders leaked that the studio was working on a sci-fi world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki. These days, when people hear the name FromSoftware, they immediately think of the Souls games. It is easy to forget that the Armored Core series was its first true flagship title long before Demon’s Souls became commercially successful. Miyazaki’s first project in FromSoftware was actually Armored Core: Last Raven.
What we know so far about Armored Core 6
Miyazaki and game director Masaru Yamamura recently sat down with IGN to share details about the upcoming game. First off, Miyazaki will take a step back and assign game-directing duties to Yamamura. The new director has been a long-time game designer for FromSoftware, previously working as the lead designer for Sekiro: Die Twice. According to Miyazaki, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will focus more on a single-player campaign compared to its predecessors. The upcoming game will not feature a true open-world setting and retain the mission-based approach that defined the series. “The essential direction of [Armored Core VI] was to go back and take a good look at the core concept of Armored Core and what made that series special,” Miyazaki shared. “So, we wanted to take the assembly aspect, assembling and customizing your own mech — your AC — and then being able to exact a high level of control over the assembled mech. So, we wanted to take those two core concepts and reexamine those in our modern environment.” “Boss battles are the highlight of the game in this title,” Yamamura revealed. “The essence of the battles, in which the player reads the enemy’s moves and then plays games with them, is of course provided, as is typical of FromSoftware. In this title, both the enemy and your own machine are aggressive and violent in their attacks. We are developing the game so that players can enjoy the dynamic and intense boss battles that only mechas can offer, along with the unique aspects of AC, such as how to assemble the right parts to take on the strongest enemies.” Yamamura said the new title will still focus on “really intense and tough mecha battles.” The difficulty will vary from mission type and will have “some nice tempo changes and some nice balance to the difficulty and the level of challenge.” Miyazaki also stated that Armored Core 6 will incorporate lessons learned from Elden Ring. “We didn’t want to lower the level of challenge or dumb it down, so instead we wanted to increase the level of freedom,” Miyazaki explains. “We wanted to introduce more people to that style of game and wanted more people to enjoy that. So, I don’t know personally if it was successful or if it had a hand in that, but that’s what we set out to do.” In a nutshell, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will have the core gameplay of the series and will add the learnings from the past decade of Souls games. Like Elden Ring, the game will satisfy returning Armored Core veterans but also attract new fans to the series. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will be launching on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
