Armored Core 6 Could Give Newer FromSoftware Fans Whiplash | Push Square

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After gaining absurd popularity in the hardcore space with its Dark Souls series and then capitalising on that with Elden Ring sales up the wazoo, FromSoftware had the Monty Python's Flying Circus thought process: «And now for something completely different.» With five mainline instalments under its belt, the Armored Core franchise is quite familiar territory for the Japanese developer. However, for anyone who hadn't heard of the team before PS3's Demon's Souls, they might be wondering why swords are being swapped for Transformers. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will probably please longtime FromSoftware backers, and there's a good chance newcomers will enjoy it too.

Should you fall into the latter category, though, it is absolutely essential your expectations are set correctly: this is not FromSoftware applying its Dark Souls formula to the Armored Core series — far from it. Fires of Rubicon is an Armored Core game through and through, and that means some of the more mindblowing aspects and features of a Bloodborne aren't a focus. Since Fires of Rubicon excels in other areas, that's alright. However, you may experience a bit of whiplash if you spot the FromSoftware logo on the box and assume it's Dark Souls with mechs.

We were given the chance to play the PS5, PS4 game's opening chapter at a recent Bandai Namco preview event, which totalled roughly three hours of play. Fires of Rubicon remains true to the mission-based structure of past iterations, but in an industry where bigger is generally meant to mean better, FromSoftware has done the opposite. The comparison we think comes closest is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Instead of structuring the experience around lengthy missions with multiple objectives,