Armored Core is one hell of a series. After going through the PS1 games a year ago and then the rest of the series (from 2 to Verdict Day) back in January, it quickly became a series I hold dearly as it also had a lot of similarities of another series (Ace Combat) that I love where you also start as a silent nobody and slowly rise into becoming a one-man army that is capable of ending all conflict with over-the top sequences while still having some level of believability and a banger soundtrack to complete it.

When Armored Core VI was finally announced, I was immediately extremely hyped but also a bit cautious. They haven’t made a game in 10 years. How was it going to play? Every generation past 3 had huge changes into the gameplay and you could consider 4 and 5 as soft reboots so 6 may as well be one too. There was also that weird discourse where AC is going to be “Armored Souls”. Will it be able to reach the highs such as Last Raven and For Answer?

Now that the game has come out, I have played it to completion and it has far exceeded my expectations. I recommend this game to both fans of previous Armored Core games and fans of Souls. It has all the good stuff you’d expect from an AC game and has taken most of the cool elements unique in each generation to this one. It also some elements similar to Souls such as the challenging bosses that are more reactive, a freer movement system as well as the introduction of healing consumables. While Armored Core always had a stagger mechanic in the past which was determined by the stability stat of your legs and the power of weapon that hit you (like poise in Souls), they changed it up and is now visible with a stagger bar similar to Sekiro and that does make some fun combinations in creating openings.

The game runs really well. Whoever optimized the game must have used some black magic to make it run so much better compared to previous FromSoftware games. I used a slightly below minimum spec graphics card and barely had any issues.

Presentation is all top notch from the looks to the sound design. Everything is so well detailed including the environments. There are so many destructible objects and the scenery is beautiful. The explosions from the weapons to the breaking of the mechs, they all just sound and look so cool and really good. The ambience fits perfectly too.

The customization options are as good as previous games though there are also quite some improvements and new stats for each part that makes every part more meaningful. For example, the core part now also affects energy output of the generator so it does not resort to simply picking the most energy efficient or the lightest/tankiest core. It may make newcomers feel a bit more overwhelmed though as there are now more factors in building your AC. Personalizing your AC too has never been better now that there are so much more paint/pattern options and new reflective options as well as a very detailed decal/emblem creator. The weapons and its balancing are broken at some points though with some weapons just being straight up too strong. Also, I hope they bring back weapon arms in the future since they are missing here.

AC6 also surprisingly does not play like anything from the previous Armored Core games but it is more like a combination of previous FromSoftware games in a mecha world. It’s still Armored Core in its heart but once you get in the cockpit and start playing, it feels so different from past AC games and you will notice the biggest difference is that the camera is not locked behind the AC and is now free. That also removes mechanics such as turning speed and I think it is a welcoming change. It makes it feel great to play. The changes to the tank legs being independent to the upper body instead of the whole body having to rotate to turn is also such a huge improvement as well as giving quad legs a hover mode. It makes them more viable options and not making bipedal legs the only viable choice.

The game’s story is much longer compared to every previous entry. It took me 35hrs to complete each mission and see every ending and that is impressive. While the story isn’t as great as Last Raven or For Answer’s, it still got me feeling emotional towards the end. I kinda wished it didn’t lack the darker human nature that previous games had where you get certain missions that involve morally questionable decisions because of corporate orders though. I think every mission is fun still. There is a lot of variety and cool set pieces. I was engaged the entire time since the game was such a blast to play anyway because of how good the combat system is. Another great thing they’ve done with NG+ or NG++ is remixing some missions or adding entirely new ones. The story missions were paced pretty well too by balancing out the challenging and relaxing but fun missions in between properly. The ratio between the power fantasy and the difficulty is fine too.

Let’s talk about the difficulty next. Back then, the real challenge in AC was first getting used to the controls and then trying to not get yourself into debt by managing your ammo consumption and/or repair costs from damage even when you fail a mission. While that wasn’t much of a mechanic anymore starting with 3, It may as well also be non-existent in this game since it would not be easy to implement with how they changed up the difficulty here. The real challenge now is from the Souls-like reactionary boss fights. While it’s not really hard especially when you compare them to some AC games which were brutal, it’s still challenging enough and you are incentivized for trying to find the right build for the mission. Like most AC games, the difficulty is also determined by your build. Most of the bosses feel fair and don’t take too long to drop.

Multiplayer is only PVP and is quite the setback compared to AC V and Verdict Day but it is still pretty fun for casual 1v1s or 3v3s. Matches can get pretty wild but hopefully we will see more options/game modes/arenas and more balancing as the game gets patched in the future. EDIT: 1.3.1 has mostly fixed weapon balancing issues with the game but don't expect this game to be competitive still.

I only have a few minor gripes with the game and that is the resupply mechanic ruining the surprise on future encounters, boosters turning off whenever you become stationary, making you have to turn it on again ~~and the game’s soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack is still really good. It’s just that I don’t find it as memorable as the previous games. Armored Core games always had great soundtracks and really memorable moments or fights like Nineball or Mechanized Memories because of how powerful the music was during those moments. ACVI had like only a few songs that I remember which is a shame but I will probably change my mind later as I listen to the soundtrack more while playing. EDIT: Soundtrack does bang tho I still wish there were more standout tracks like in the older AC games

Overall, this game slaps. I enjoy it so much that I will keep coming back to it and replay missions or play multiplayer. Thank God we’ve been given a new game and it is a huge return to form. It’s what I’ve always wanted and this is easily my game of the year. Do consider giving it a try.