Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Reviews
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’s stellar customization options feed into its excellent mecha combat, and the result is challenging combat puzzles that kept my attention all the way through its 15-hour campaign and beyond. It’s let down by a dull story, but lands direct hits where it counts.
The coolest mechs in gaming history form the core ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) of an intense, focused action game.
FromSoftware delivers a superlative action game that builds on its Soulslike pedigree while staying lean and laser-focused.
I've seen two endings now and they both make me miserable in different ways, which feels like a good summary of this and maybe all war
Probably the best giant robot game ever made and an excellent companion piece to the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, that matches both games in terms of spectacle and customisation.
Armored Core VI is a solid return for one of From Software’s long-dormant franchises. It still carries many of the mech genre’s old contrivances, like its generic mission structure and predictable plot. However, it modernizes mech action meaningfully to introduce it to a new generation. While legacy fans may have some complaints about the “casualization” of Armored Core, I am ultimately glad the series is back and firing on all cylinders.
But the most compelling aspects of Armored Core 6 come from its hard-fought battles, when 621 survives their mission with just a sliver of life left, having out-danced their opponent in the exchange of missiles, bullets, and laser beams. It’s noisy, chaotic, and starkly beautiful, all this clanging metal, ricochets, and explosions. It’s unlike many of the FromSoftware games you may have played over the past decade, to its benefit. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is the Elden Ring developer flexing an old, nearly forgotten muscle, but one that’s still strong as ever.
Armored Core VI sees From Software return to and refine its roots with a game of thrilling mech combat built on aggression, agility, and customization.
The central fantasy of every FromSoftware game is pretty much the same—that through close observation and relentless practice you too can bootstrap your way to greatness, slay the dragon, save the kingdom, or solve the puzzle to unlock the mysteries of the universe. In many of the Soulsborne games this means mastering the violent gauntlet ahead of you. In Armored Core VI it means changing yourself until that death march becomes a cakewalk instead. It’s a game about having faith in yourself, even when no one else does, and becoming an ass-kicking mech pilot in the process, not because it will save the world, but because it’s cool as shit.
Overall, Armored Core 6 is excellent for newcomers and longtime fans alike. It serves as a great introduction to the series, and you don’t need to be familiar with past entries to have a great time. On the flip side, the gameplay and mechanics are familiar enough that you’ll feel instantly at home here if you played AC5 or Verdict Day. Given the positive response to AC6, I hope we see more of the series sooner rather than later. It deserves to be one of FromSoftware’s cornerstones as much as the studio’s Souls games do.
I was a bit skeptical that From Software would find a way to make Armored Core relevant again after a lengthy hiatus, but they figured it out. The spark of the series is still very much alive without giving up its soul and making it something else entirely, and a new generation will be able to appreciate why these games were so venerated. Just be ready to tinker a bit, and take some Ls.
The long-awaited return of FromSoftware's mech-filled series, Armored Core 6 delivers on a lot of what fans will have been hoping and dreaming of. Building and customising mechs is engaging, missions are action-packed and it looks gorgeous, but it's undercut by swings in difficulty for boss fights and an all-too-familiar story.
Armored Core VI is a revolution in the mecha genre, a video game that manages to drink from everything FromSoftware has learned over this last decade of success strongly linked to Souls-like. This installment has truly challenging peaks at the level of difficulty, and that precisely enhances its great strength: the player's imagination to build a mecha that adapts to the circumstances.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A dream for any mecha fan, with a remarkable technical invoice and spectacular combats. But its very high level of difficulty, when it comes to overcoming certain bosses, will be a handicap for those players who are not used to the dynamics of the Souls.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Overall, Armored Core VI is a proper mecha action game. It’s not the best game in the series, but it is solidly done. The new target assist setup works fine and is also able to be turned off if need be. The story and localization are great, and very much inline with the Japanese dialogue for the first time in the series’ history. It’s also definitely a return to form for the Armored Core series, but the never-ending boss fights do take away from the decent mission structure and pacing, especially later in the game. However, for someone like me that’s been playing Armored Core games for over 25 years, it’s nice that this series is back and finally being given a proper chance to shine
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon truly feels like a surprise treat this year. I’ve played a lot of good mech games, but few have ever given me the sheer depth of customization in both cosmetics and functionality that we have here. It’s like a dream come true. Certainly, it’s not the easiest game to beat and there are bosses that turn that dream into a temporary nightmare. However, when the answer is always just build a cooler, stronger mech, there’s little I can complain about beyond replaying missions to get there. It took a long time for Armored Core to come back and show a new generation why we loved these games back in the 90s and 2000s, but I couldn’t be happier it’s here. Maybe I’ll see you in the field and we’ll see who’s the real ace. I look forward to it.
Armored Core VI is a game that delivers what it promises: it is fun, difficult and satisfying throughout. With some conceptual errors in its design it proposes a futuristic dystopian world that is far from the dark fantasy works that have made FromSoftware get to where it is, but with a clear objective: Fires of Rubicon will be the Dark Souls of its saga, not because of its resemblance to this one but because it has the same ambition. With a unique gameplay in its genre and an extraordinary setting, it has everything it needs to become a mass phenomenon.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Fires of Rubicon is Armored Core as it should always have been: the new game delivers a great combat system and mobility, but unfortunately, it's hampered by a few shortcomings no longer excusable to a world-class studio such as From Software.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Armored Core 6 is the essence of a soft reboot. It has the unenviable task of drawing newcomers to a niche, sometimes overly challenging series without changing too much of what made fans like it to begin with. The result is a mixed experience that, while it has some shining moments of brilliance, feels a bit loose and never plays to its strengths.