Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

“Overall, Armored Core 6 is excellent for newcomers and longtime fans alike. It serves as a great introduction to the series, and you don’t need to be familiar with past entries to have a great time. On the flip side, the gameplay and mechanics are familiar enough that you’ll feel instantly at home here if you played AC5 or Verdict Day. Given the positive response to AC6, I hope we see more of the series sooner rather than later. It deserves to be one of FromSoftware’s cornerstones as much as the studio’s Souls games do.”

“The long-awaited return of FromSoftware's mech-filled series, Armored Core 6 delivers on a lot of what fans will have been hoping and dreaming of. Building and customising mechs is engaging, missions are action-packed and it looks gorgeous, but it's undercut by swings in difficulty for boss fights and an all-too-familiar story.”

“Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon serves as a glorious return, filled with exhilarating mecha action.”

“Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon is a masterful return to form for the series that incorporates the modern design philosophies of From Software. It’s a dystopian world with a brutally gorgeous aesthetic and refined gameplay elevated by exceptional boss battles. Any fan of the series new or old will find something to love.”

“Armored Core VI is a solid return for one of From Software’s long-dormant franchises. It still carries many of the mech genre’s old contrivances, like its generic mission structure and predictable plot. However, it modernizes mech action meaningfully to introduce it to a new generation. While legacy fans may have some complaints about the “casualization” of Armored Core, I am ultimately glad the series is back and firing on all cylinders.”

“Armored Core VI sees From Software return to and refine its roots with a game of thrilling mech combat built on aggression, agility, and customization.”

“Armored Core 6 is the essence of a soft reboot. It has the unenviable task of drawing newcomers to a niche, sometimes overly challenging series without changing too much of what made fans like it to begin with. The result is a mixed experience that, while it has some shining moments of brilliance, feels a bit loose and never plays to its strengths.”

“No, it’s no Dark Souls with mechs, but Armored Core VI carves out its own identity.”

“Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is visually stunning, and the omni-directional combat and build assembly is tons of fun.”

“Overall, Armored Core VI is a proper mecha action game. It’s not the best game in the series, but it is solidly done. The new target assist setup works fine and is also able to be turned off if need be. The story and localization are great, and very much inline with the Japanese dialogue for the first time in the series’ history. It’s also definitely a return to form for the Armored Core series, but the never-ending boss fights do take away from the decent mission structure and pacing, especially later in the game. However, for someone like me that’s been playing Armored Core games for over 25 years, it’s nice that this series is back and finally being given a proper chance to shine”

“Armored Core VI is a game that delivers what it promises: it is fun, difficult and satisfying throughout. With some conceptual errors in its design it proposes a futuristic dystopian world that is far from the dark fantasy works that have made FromSoftware get to where it is, but with a clear objective: Fires of Rubicon will be the Dark Souls of its saga, not because of its resemblance to this one but because it has the same ambition. With a unique gameplay in its genre and an extraordinary setting, it has everything it needs to become a mass phenomenon.”

“Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’s stellar customization options feed into its excellent mecha combat, and the result is challenging combat puzzles that kept my attention all the way through its 15-hour campaign and beyond. It’s let down by a dull story, but lands direct hits where it counts.”

“Armored Core VI is a revolution in the mecha genre, a video game that manages to drink from everything FromSoftware has learned over this last decade of success strongly linked to Souls-like. This installment has truly challenging peaks at the level of difficulty, and that precisely enhances its great strength: the player's imagination to build a mecha that adapts to the circumstances.”

“The coolest mechs in gaming history form the core ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) of an intense, focused action game.”

“FromSoftware delivers a superlative action game that builds on its Soulslike pedigree while staying lean and laser-focused.”

“I've seen two endings now and they both make me miserable in different ways, which feels like a good summary of this and maybe all war”