As someone who has never played a From Software game before, something about this newest Armored Core entry intrigued me way more compared to their previous games despite these being critically acclaimed especially Elden Ring. I just think a badass mech game with deep customization and not being very lengthy made it more interesting to me.
I was expecting to play a great game knowing From Software’s reputation, but I didn’t expect to walk away from this being my GOTY and one of the strongest games that I have played in recent memory. The main 3 things that make the game work so well together are mission design, mech customization, and boss encounters/difficulty.
I want to start with mission design. It's pretty impressive how consistently they shake things up without completely changing the simple gameplay loop of destroying anything that is in your way or finding stuff whether it the varied environments, having AI partners with you sometimes, level design utilizing its vertically a lot, or set pieces that makes these missions so memorable to go through and witness. The cherry on top is the pacing just being near perfect with each mission knowing when to end.
The second key ingredient is mech customization, as you complete missions or progress through each chapter. You consistently unlock new parts for your 4 weapon slots (2 on the back and the other 2 on the front), heads, cores, arms, legs, etc. I’m gonna honest, even after beating the game. The amount of different parts that I can create for my ideal mech builds overwhelmed me as a novice to AC, but I will give it credit for making each part useful & distinctive to where it is constantly rewarding getting new parts, and it is very generous of the game to let me sell any parts that I won’t use for a while for the same value as when I purchased it.
That seriously makes experimenting with different builds or parts so much more encouraging because you don’t lose much. It's like seasoning your chicken with infinite use of different herbs & spices that don’t run out and you can just sell it back for a specific type of herb or spice you want to put on your chicken to season it (I’m so sorry if that comparison made you feel hungry)
The final ingredient that makes previously 2 key elements that I have gushed about already just coming together to complete this package is boss encounters. It’s no secret that From Software games are fucking hard from what I know, with that being said. Most of the regular missions in AC6 are pretty easy, but that's because the boss encounters are where this game pushes you hard and some are going to call this a weird difficulty curve. I think it's brilliantly designed because this game handles you with so many tools constantly from completing missions that putting together ideal builds against the bosses that suit you feels so satisfying to pull through with this combat puzzle element that isn’t even the only solution. I have seen a decent amount of different builds from other people winning against the same boss fights. It shows that boss encounters don’t feel like you are smacking your head into the wall without knowing if it was worth your time or not.
All of these 3 key elements make the general gameplay loop of AC6 so engaging from start to finish. This all elevates further with a stellar presentation that is both very moody & unique to tell its tone with the art direction. A very strong plot & lore that made me attached to the journey despite barely seeing the characters themselves & making the setting of Rubicon 3 way more interesting than I anticipated. I also want to give a serious shoutout to the amazing audio with the sound design & music being music to my ears to make the overall package standout.
If there is anything that I have to complain about this game genuinely is that dying takes way too long to get over with and I wish the menu to restart was loaded way quicker to not break the pacing too much when I die constantly from boss fights. Besides that, I hardly have anything else to complain about with this game.
It's no secret by now that I find this game to be an incredible experience that I want to sink my teeth into further and luckily with a new game plus that even unlocks more stuff without spoiling anything. This game even has strong replayability with the cherry on top and how much I find the gameplay loop to be addictive, I will 1000% be replaying it right away. This is my GOTY and I would be shocked if any other game this year tops it.
I was expecting to play a great game knowing From Software’s reputation, but I didn’t expect to walk away from this being my GOTY and one of the strongest games that I have played in recent memory. The main 3 things that make the game work so well together are mission design, mech customization, and boss encounters/difficulty.
I want to start with mission design. It's pretty impressive how consistently they shake things up without completely changing the simple gameplay loop of destroying anything that is in your way or finding stuff whether it the varied environments, having AI partners with you sometimes, level design utilizing its vertically a lot, or set pieces that makes these missions so memorable to go through and witness. The cherry on top is the pacing just being near perfect with each mission knowing when to end.
The second key ingredient is mech customization, as you complete missions or progress through each chapter. You consistently unlock new parts for your 4 weapon slots (2 on the back and the other 2 on the front), heads, cores, arms, legs, etc. I’m gonna honest, even after beating the game. The amount of different parts that I can create for my ideal mech builds overwhelmed me as a novice to AC, but I will give it credit for making each part useful & distinctive to where it is constantly rewarding getting new parts, and it is very generous of the game to let me sell any parts that I won’t use for a while for the same value as when I purchased it.
That seriously makes experimenting with different builds or parts so much more encouraging because you don’t lose much. It's like seasoning your chicken with infinite use of different herbs & spices that don’t run out and you can just sell it back for a specific type of herb or spice you want to put on your chicken to season it (I’m so sorry if that comparison made you feel hungry)
The final ingredient that makes previously 2 key elements that I have gushed about already just coming together to complete this package is boss encounters. It’s no secret that From Software games are fucking hard from what I know, with that being said. Most of the regular missions in AC6 are pretty easy, but that's because the boss encounters are where this game pushes you hard and some are going to call this a weird difficulty curve. I think it's brilliantly designed because this game handles you with so many tools constantly from completing missions that putting together ideal builds against the bosses that suit you feels so satisfying to pull through with this combat puzzle element that isn’t even the only solution. I have seen a decent amount of different builds from other people winning against the same boss fights. It shows that boss encounters don’t feel like you are smacking your head into the wall without knowing if it was worth your time or not.
All of these 3 key elements make the general gameplay loop of AC6 so engaging from start to finish. This all elevates further with a stellar presentation that is both very moody & unique to tell its tone with the art direction. A very strong plot & lore that made me attached to the journey despite barely seeing the characters themselves & making the setting of Rubicon 3 way more interesting than I anticipated. I also want to give a serious shoutout to the amazing audio with the sound design & music being music to my ears to make the overall package standout.
If there is anything that I have to complain about this game genuinely is that dying takes way too long to get over with and I wish the menu to restart was loaded way quicker to not break the pacing too much when I die constantly from boss fights. Besides that, I hardly have anything else to complain about with this game.
It's no secret by now that I find this game to be an incredible experience that I want to sink my teeth into further and luckily with a new game plus that even unlocks more stuff without spoiling anything. This game even has strong replayability with the cherry on top and how much I find the gameplay loop to be addictive, I will 1000% be replaying it right away. This is my GOTY and I would be shocked if any other game this year tops it.