You couldn't ask for much better as a finale for the PS2 Armored Core games, at least from a mechanical perspective anyway. Last Raven takes the heavy rebalancing done from Nexus and rebalances it all yet again, making the overheating system a little more lenient and once again adjusting old and adding new parts to try and retool things one last time. Is it the perfect iteration of AC balance? Honestly no idea, I'll leave that discussion up to the hardcore multiplayer guys.
Beyond the additions though this game features vastly improved enemy AI, easily the most aggressive and dangerous the series has seen so far. Mission design is eager to show this off too as the stages here are among the most challenging From has put together for the series, with numerous multi-AC fights, surprise ambushes and other tricks up their sleeve. If you managed to fumble your way through the previous games by the skin of your teeth then Last Raven will absolutely humble you. It's a game that demands you understand these mechanics on more than just a surface level if you want to survive (either that or look up the cheesiest builds online and pray you get lucky).
Coming from the very breezy Nexus this is a huge jump in what it asks and it took me some time to adjust, but ultimately I found the challenge to be refreshing. It encouraged me to try out a variety of different builds and strategies, to finally master bunny-hopping and boost jumping on more than just a surface level, and to all around just put everything I had learned from playing the series so far to the test. It was a great time. And if From Software knew this would be their final game in this style then it absolutely made sense to push the game mechanics to their limit.
Even when stages don't involve fighting enemy ACs they usually offer some degree of challenge. There's almost no filler here, something that the previous game Nexus, for as much as I liked it, was full of. The game's high level of challenge can also be taxing too, so maybe be smarter than me and don't do an entire playthrough in one sitting if you start to get frustrated.
While Last Raven has the usual assortment of missions which diverge based on which jobs you take (and in some cases even how well you complete them) the way they're presented marks a huge tonal shift. The game takes place in just a single day as Alliance (comprised of the major organizations from the previous few games) and Vertex, an organized terrorist force, prepare to go to war with one another. With each mission you complete the clock ticks down slowly toward the final battle. This constant reminder of the impending end really helps to sell the darker tone that Last Raven goes for.
There's no levity here, something the game makes clear from its intro. There is no retreat of friendly duels with other pilots as most missions see you eliminating your fellow Ravens in brutal fashion. Probably more than half of the total missions here are hit jobs against other pilots. And while the arena is back in form (after the less than stellar version in Nexus) it is now relegated to a VR sim, enforcing that there's now time for leisure or pleasantries as the clock counts down.
The branching path system that originated all the way back in Armored Core 1 finally sees innovation in this game. Last Raven sports several endings depending on which choices you make over the course of the game. These decisions will open or close various paths and do so in a (mostly) natural feeling way, although there are some well-hidden branches. As someone who had been hoping to see this feature expanded upon since the very first game it was great to finally see the series evolve.
The only real weakness of this approach is that not all of these endings are made equal. The first one I got was extremely disappointing from a climactic perspective, with the second making for a far more fitting finale. Like most AC titles this is a very short game so replaying to see different endings doesn't take too long.
While Last Raven is great at selling its tone I do think it comes at a cost. The soundtrack is far weaker than usual, which was really disappointing after the absolutely incredible variety and use of music in Nexus. And while there is mission variety it does ultimately come down to mostly fighting other ACs for most stages. As great as these fights are I think I ultimately prefer a larger variety of stages.
Still, Last Raven marks itself as one of the best entries in the series and an extremely fitting way to send off the "classic" style of Armored Core game before moving on to the next generation. It's a title that builds upon everything that came before it and asks much of you as a player, but rewards just as much in return.
Beyond the additions though this game features vastly improved enemy AI, easily the most aggressive and dangerous the series has seen so far. Mission design is eager to show this off too as the stages here are among the most challenging From has put together for the series, with numerous multi-AC fights, surprise ambushes and other tricks up their sleeve. If you managed to fumble your way through the previous games by the skin of your teeth then Last Raven will absolutely humble you. It's a game that demands you understand these mechanics on more than just a surface level if you want to survive (either that or look up the cheesiest builds online and pray you get lucky).
Coming from the very breezy Nexus this is a huge jump in what it asks and it took me some time to adjust, but ultimately I found the challenge to be refreshing. It encouraged me to try out a variety of different builds and strategies, to finally master bunny-hopping and boost jumping on more than just a surface level, and to all around just put everything I had learned from playing the series so far to the test. It was a great time. And if From Software knew this would be their final game in this style then it absolutely made sense to push the game mechanics to their limit.
Even when stages don't involve fighting enemy ACs they usually offer some degree of challenge. There's almost no filler here, something that the previous game Nexus, for as much as I liked it, was full of. The game's high level of challenge can also be taxing too, so maybe be smarter than me and don't do an entire playthrough in one sitting if you start to get frustrated.
While Last Raven has the usual assortment of missions which diverge based on which jobs you take (and in some cases even how well you complete them) the way they're presented marks a huge tonal shift. The game takes place in just a single day as Alliance (comprised of the major organizations from the previous few games) and Vertex, an organized terrorist force, prepare to go to war with one another. With each mission you complete the clock ticks down slowly toward the final battle. This constant reminder of the impending end really helps to sell the darker tone that Last Raven goes for.
There's no levity here, something the game makes clear from its intro. There is no retreat of friendly duels with other pilots as most missions see you eliminating your fellow Ravens in brutal fashion. Probably more than half of the total missions here are hit jobs against other pilots. And while the arena is back in form (after the less than stellar version in Nexus) it is now relegated to a VR sim, enforcing that there's now time for leisure or pleasantries as the clock counts down.
The branching path system that originated all the way back in Armored Core 1 finally sees innovation in this game. Last Raven sports several endings depending on which choices you make over the course of the game. These decisions will open or close various paths and do so in a (mostly) natural feeling way, although there are some well-hidden branches. As someone who had been hoping to see this feature expanded upon since the very first game it was great to finally see the series evolve.
The only real weakness of this approach is that not all of these endings are made equal. The first one I got was extremely disappointing from a climactic perspective, with the second making for a far more fitting finale. Like most AC titles this is a very short game so replaying to see different endings doesn't take too long.
While Last Raven is great at selling its tone I do think it comes at a cost. The soundtrack is far weaker than usual, which was really disappointing after the absolutely incredible variety and use of music in Nexus. And while there is mission variety it does ultimately come down to mostly fighting other ACs for most stages. As great as these fights are I think I ultimately prefer a larger variety of stages.
Still, Last Raven marks itself as one of the best entries in the series and an extremely fitting way to send off the "classic" style of Armored Core game before moving on to the next generation. It's a title that builds upon everything that came before it and asks much of you as a player, but rewards just as much in return.