Summary
- Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon received stellar reviews, proving the franchise still has a future despite lower sales compared to other titles.
- FromSoftware excels in the niche genre of mech combat, showcasing its talent goes beyond just popular Soulslike games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring.
- While Elden Ring's DLC is anticipated, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon's recent successes must be acknowledged.
Since its humble beginnings in 1997, the Armored Core franchise has built a strong cult following from fans who have grown to love the blend of third-person shooter mechanics with action-packed mech combat. For developer FromSoftware, the series represents a stark contrast to the one it's perhaps best known for: the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and more recently, Elden Ring. All of these titles can be categorized as Soulslikes, and have a considerably different look and feel to the Armored Core games. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, and the series' most recent entry, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, proved that it still has a future.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon launched in 2023 to stellar reviews from critics, with fans in agreement that it was one of the series' strongest outings to date. Despite this, the game had only managed to sell 2.8 million copies by October of last year, which pales in comparison to Elden Ring's sales of over 23 million copies to date. This probably says more about Elden Ring than Armored Core 6 though, and the 2022 Game of the Year winner should certainly not be used as a yardstick to measure the success of other FromSoftware releases. Judged on its own merits, Armored Core 6 should be considered a success.
Mech combat may be a niche genre, but arguably, this makes it all the more impressive that FromSoftware has been able to successfully establish itself within this genre specifically.
Armored Core 6 Shouldn’t Be a Barrier to One Possible FromSoftware Souls Game
Armored Core 6 has brought some much-needed variety to FromSoftware's output, and it should let its Souls games enjoy some of the same.
Armored Core Has its Own Place in FromSoftware's Library
The most successful video game developers tend to be those who strike the right balance between perfecting whichever genre they specialize in, and successfully branching into other genres, proving they aren't just a one-trick pony. FromSoftware is undoubtedly the king of the Soulslike, a sub-genre named after its very own Dark Souls trilogy. The Japanese developer has iterated on its formula, tweaking it to varying degrees in some of its other titles, like Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which was the Game of the Year winner in 2019.
These innovations have kept Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team ahead of the competition when it comes to Soulslikes. However, the Armored Core franchise showcases FromSoftware's talent as a developer by proving it is not just consigned to the Soulslike genre, but in fact, FromSoft's abilities extend far beyond it. Mech combat may be a niche genre, but arguably, this makes it all the more impressive that FromSoftware has been able to successfully establish itself within this genre specifically.
FromSoftware Could Return to Armored Core in the Future
With Elden Ring's highly anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, now less than two months from release, all eyes will be on FromSoftware and what may be coming next. Logically, a new Soulslike would make sense, and many will be hoping for a long-overdue sequel to Bloodborne, widely regarded as one of the best PS4 exclusives ever made. However, this is nothing more than speculation at the moment, and Miyazaki's next project could be completely unrelated to the Soulslike genre. Given the 10-year gap between Armored Core 6 and its predecessor, it seems unlikely that a new game will be forthcoming, but it will be no surprise if this mainstay series makes another return somewhere further down the line.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
- Released
- August 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Combining FromSoftware’s longstanding expertise in mech games with their signature action gameplay, ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON brings a brand-new action experience to the series.
Dynamic, Omni-directional Battles Players will pilot their mech in fast-paced, omni-directional battles, taking advantage of massive stages and their mech’s mobility on land and in the air to ensure victory.
Customized Parts for Individual Battle Styles Customize Armored Core parts to suit a large variety of playstyles. Selecting different parts not only changes the mech’s attacks, but also directly affects its movement and battle style, so each mission can be approached with a unique mech strategy.
Thrilling Boss Battles Deploy a wide variety of offensive and defensive tactics at close and long range to take down powerful enemy bosses.
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Franchise
- Armored Core
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action, Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
