Unlike most other, action-oriented Armored Core titles, this installment is a strategy game. The player has no direct control of the mech in the action but can customize the mech as always, implementing additionally an AI that will fight on its own. The role of the player is to customize the mech and train the AI on training arenas. The "Extreme Battle" international release of the game included additional combat scenarios.
Also in series
Released on
Genres
Version
International Version
Reviews View More
Compellingly bizarre game. Unsurprisingly, it kind of sucks. Also, it owns.
Ahem, one thing: the consensus on this site seems to be to use the default Formula Front but this one is listed too and it's the one I played. Honestly, the situation regarding this game's releases alone is incredibly confusing, and sources on the internet do not seem to agree about the basic facts. Like, did the original Formula Front even come out in the west? Did Formula Front: Extreme Battle come out in the west before Japan and that's why Formula Front International exists? Does the PS2 version that never got localized contain exclusive content, or is that stuff in International? (Backloggd's own blurb about this version is incorrect, I'm almost certain, this is a totally different thing from International.) I genuinely don't know what the fuck.
This confusion is part of why I had initially decided to skip Formula Front, the other reason being... basically the whole elevator pitch. This is the most Spinoffy Armored Core game, probably even including Nine Breaker (which I haven't played yet but I'm going by what I've read). It has the least content, story or otherwise, of any game in the series; this game consists entirely of the arena, and it's not even as big an arena as a lot of games. There are a few mandatory rematches that don't advance your rank--I didn't think to count how many--but all told I think you need to win about 40 1-on-1 fights to beat the game, and that's it.
There's also no real sense of character progression, because you have everything unlocked and freely available from the start; there isn't even a money mechanic in the game at all. The difficulty balance is goofy; I got stuck for a while on a good few fights, then beat the final boss (who the game spent its entire story, such as it is, hyping up) in one try. Hell, even the music kind of sucks, which is very strange for Armored Core.
More importantly, and strangely, in the initial release you couldn't actually play the game. Okay, that's an exaggeration; what you don't play is the combat, which is carried out by a "trainable" AI (this aspect is underbaked, I could get my AI to have some pretty impressive maneuvering skills but it always seemed to be dumb as a rock beyond that). Instead, this game is entirely about the process of building an effective AC, which in all fairness is definitely a huge part of the series' gameplay and appeal. I can see the logic, too; they wanted to put out a PSP game, but even old-school Armored Core controls need more shoulder buttons than the PSP has.
(It must be noted that for all releases past the original Formula Front, including Extreme Battle, the option to control your ACs manually was added, but on top of the controls being weird and uncomfortable even by Armored Core standards... well, I'll get to that in a second.)
So, why did I end up playing this game? Simple: I've been taking a break from games I need to play with a controller due to a minor hand injury, but navigating the menus to play Formula Front as originally intended was easy to map to kb/m. I mean, uh... something something legitimate copy--
The manual vs. AI decision is a fascinating paradox; watching the computer fight itself like you've set up an all-CPUs match in Super Smash Bros. feels kind of deeply sad at first, and is definitely a less enjoyable experience than just being able to play a Normal Armored Core Game. But the thing is... manual controls just makes this a significantly worse version of a Normal Armored Core Game. I firmly believe the best way to experience this game is to stick with the AI and get into the intended mindset:
This is a game about managing a sports team. Like, textually. That's (what passes for) the plot. But the main enjoyment to be had from it comes from treating it like you're watching a sport, while having a tangible vested interest in your team winning. It gives you five slots for ACs despite all the fights being one-on-one, which seems odd until you gradually, but automatically, start thinking of them as actual characters. It's the kind of emergent storytelling you might get out of a roguelike or a Nuzlocke in Pokemon; you find yourself cheering or criticizing your ACs while you watch them fight, feeling genuine tension during close matches, picking favorites, calling them your children.
Or maybe you have to be the same kind of weirdo as me for that.
But if you are, it's a lot of fun despite the, like, Everything about this game. And it's a really unique kind of fun, which I think the attempts to bring it more in line with a mainline game mostly just undermine. It's also extremely short, so the admittedly silly and gimmicky appeal doesn't really risk overstaying its welcome. It's probably for the best that it's one of a kind, but that just makes it well worth a shot if you're in the mood for something quirky and obscure.
Ahem, one thing: the consensus on this site seems to be to use the default Formula Front but this one is listed too and it's the one I played. Honestly, the situation regarding this game's releases alone is incredibly confusing, and sources on the internet do not seem to agree about the basic facts. Like, did the original Formula Front even come out in the west? Did Formula Front: Extreme Battle come out in the west before Japan and that's why Formula Front International exists? Does the PS2 version that never got localized contain exclusive content, or is that stuff in International? (Backloggd's own blurb about this version is incorrect, I'm almost certain, this is a totally different thing from International.) I genuinely don't know what the fuck.
This confusion is part of why I had initially decided to skip Formula Front, the other reason being... basically the whole elevator pitch. This is the most Spinoffy Armored Core game, probably even including Nine Breaker (which I haven't played yet but I'm going by what I've read). It has the least content, story or otherwise, of any game in the series; this game consists entirely of the arena, and it's not even as big an arena as a lot of games. There are a few mandatory rematches that don't advance your rank--I didn't think to count how many--but all told I think you need to win about 40 1-on-1 fights to beat the game, and that's it.
There's also no real sense of character progression, because you have everything unlocked and freely available from the start; there isn't even a money mechanic in the game at all. The difficulty balance is goofy; I got stuck for a while on a good few fights, then beat the final boss (who the game spent its entire story, such as it is, hyping up) in one try. Hell, even the music kind of sucks, which is very strange for Armored Core.
More importantly, and strangely, in the initial release you couldn't actually play the game. Okay, that's an exaggeration; what you don't play is the combat, which is carried out by a "trainable" AI (this aspect is underbaked, I could get my AI to have some pretty impressive maneuvering skills but it always seemed to be dumb as a rock beyond that). Instead, this game is entirely about the process of building an effective AC, which in all fairness is definitely a huge part of the series' gameplay and appeal. I can see the logic, too; they wanted to put out a PSP game, but even old-school Armored Core controls need more shoulder buttons than the PSP has.
(It must be noted that for all releases past the original Formula Front, including Extreme Battle, the option to control your ACs manually was added, but on top of the controls being weird and uncomfortable even by Armored Core standards... well, I'll get to that in a second.)
So, why did I end up playing this game? Simple: I've been taking a break from games I need to play with a controller due to a minor hand injury, but navigating the menus to play Formula Front as originally intended was easy to map to kb/m. I mean, uh... something something legitimate copy--
The manual vs. AI decision is a fascinating paradox; watching the computer fight itself like you've set up an all-CPUs match in Super Smash Bros. feels kind of deeply sad at first, and is definitely a less enjoyable experience than just being able to play a Normal Armored Core Game. But the thing is... manual controls just makes this a significantly worse version of a Normal Armored Core Game. I firmly believe the best way to experience this game is to stick with the AI and get into the intended mindset:
This is a game about managing a sports team. Like, textually. That's (what passes for) the plot. But the main enjoyment to be had from it comes from treating it like you're watching a sport, while having a tangible vested interest in your team winning. It gives you five slots for ACs despite all the fights being one-on-one, which seems odd until you gradually, but automatically, start thinking of them as actual characters. It's the kind of emergent storytelling you might get out of a roguelike or a Nuzlocke in Pokemon; you find yourself cheering or criticizing your ACs while you watch them fight, feeling genuine tension during close matches, picking favorites, calling them your children.
Or maybe you have to be the same kind of weirdo as me for that.
But if you are, it's a lot of fun despite the, like, Everything about this game. And it's a really unique kind of fun, which I think the attempts to bring it more in line with a mainline game mostly just undermine. It's also extremely short, so the admittedly silly and gimmicky appeal doesn't really risk overstaying its welcome. It's probably for the best that it's one of a kind, but that just makes it well worth a shot if you're in the mood for something quirky and obscure.