I Don’t Like Mech Games but I Loved Armored Core 6

As someone who never liked mech games, I was very tentative heading into Armored Core. I loved the other From Soft games but what I loved about those games (the detailed open-ish worlds and the dark fantasy setting) was definitely not going to be present in this one. The game dropped and I downloaded it and sortied into my first mission, not knowing what to expect. About a month later, at around 4 in the morning, the Platinum notification beeped across my screen and I put my controller down with a sign of relief.

It’s a game that takes a while to get into, perhaps especially if you’re a Souls vet like me. Structurally it’s a very different game, with shorter, hectic missions as opposed to large, treasure chocked areas. It’s relatively linear, with a few choices for the player to make here and there but nothing like in the other Soulsbourne games where you can break sequence pretty liberally. There’s almost always a mission breakdown, complete with some useless graphics, a little bit of banter to develop the plot and then a final option to make doubly sure you want to play the mission. It’s the most “on rails” game From Soft has made in over a decade.

Plot wise, it’s also a little slow at first. The first chapter is just you and Handler Walter, who, as you can guess, is your handler and basically your boss. The game isn’t clear on what, but basically you did some things that resulted in your character, known as ”621” and later “Raven”, to have to work as a mercenary AC pilot for the various corporations trying to exploit the planet of Rubicon and it’s resources. The chapter boss (from a gameplay perspective) Balteus, is really hard and is a controversial road block for new players. Luckily, he’s only really that difficult in your first play through and overall he might be the hardest boss in the game. Once you meet Ayre, a key story character who becomes more significant the deeper you get into the lore, the game picks up drastically. Some of this is due to the game opening up more and more thanks to weapon availability and some of this is due to the fact that the 2nd and 4th chapters of the game are both very short. Before you know it, you’re basically done with the game. Or so you think.

Armored Core 6 is the first From Soft game where NG+ isn’t actually harder. As such, you get to absolutely crush everything in your path your second (and probably third) time through. The most interesting part of Armored Core 6 from a narrative design perspective is the way it changes it’s endings and the content related to them as you go through the game on subsequent playt hroughs. There are only three endings, but one of them is a NG++ exclusive that only unlocks if you’ve completed each of the other endings. I didn’t find any of these endings to be more difficult than the others but they each have their stressful moments.

Gameplay wise, this puppy runs smooth and feels great. Some clunkiness could easily be explained away in a game where you control a 10 meter tall robot that supposedly accelerates from 0-120 in 0.5 seconds but somehow they made it work. Not only do things feel smooth, they also feel realistic. My tank build plods along and rotates slowly while my lightweight reverse-joint legs build hops around like a velociraptor with an F-16 tied to it. The weapons feel cool (even if they aren’t), from the punchy Zimmerman shotguns to the completely useless assault rifles to the absurdly broken stun needles, which reach their target at a near subsonic velocity. The melee component of combat, though limited, feels weighty and you can incorporate some melee weapons into your build with devastating effectiveness.

There’s a ton of customization options for your AC, from the weapons, internal parts and armor, to the color scheme and pattern. If you’re a number nerd who loves getting into the specific stats and what does what, you will love this game. I didn’t get that deep into it that much, but I will say that inevitably if you do get the Platinum you will probably find yourself monkeying with this stuff a little bit to try and grab your S ranks. Speaking of which….

My biggest objective criticism of AC6 is how easy it is when you have a few specific builds and how hard it is if you don’t. Being creative and innovative seems like it would be a key focus of a mech game where you’re constantly switching out parts but in reality you can pretty much blow through everything with tank legs, two gatling guns and either the VESNA Stun Neddles or the Songbird grenade launchers. These weapons make most other build somewhat pointless because of their ruthless effiency, even if there are more fun options. Too many times I would struggle with a boss or enemy encounter only to equip this build and completely decimate my foe on the first or second try. It’s just too easy and after a while it doesn’t make sense not to use these builds.

My biggest subjective criticism is that I hate S Ranking missions. The goal is to complete the mission as quickly as possible while using as little ammo as possible while killing as many enemies as possible while taking as little damage as possible. You see how that doesn’t make sense? And it changes every mission and there’s no real in-game information on how to do this in many cases. You can make some good guesses but a lot of times you’re just hoping you fulfilled some unknown requirements. You can spend a double digit amount of hours (like I did) doing excellent runs on one mission while someone else gets it first try slopping their way through it and vice versa. There were undoubtedly some times I got lucky but also a lot of times where I would get hosed, barely losing out because of a stray missile or incidental button press. This isn’t really important if you just want to experience the game and play the endings, but if you want the Platinum keep in mind this will be the primary challenge.

Story wise, I was impressed by the depth and complexity of the plot, especially since many of the story telling methods From Soft employs wouldn’t necessarily translate well. This game relies a lot more on its voice talent to convey character. The banter between characters might seem like comic relief or needless filler but it is actually important for understanding the motives and actions of certain characters, especially in future NG+ cycles. It’s not necessary to understand the story to enjoy the game but if you take the time to get into AC6’s story, you will not be disappointed.

If you like video games, I think you will enjoy this game. If you like From Soft games, you will like this game a lot. If you like mech games, this will be your favorite game. It’s systems are that deep, it’s gameplay feels that good and it’s story is that well thought out. It’s an excellent continuation of what made the old Armored Core games great while also being a fun approachable reboot. Obviously Elden Ring will always have my heart, but this game is an absolute 9/10.