ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON Review for Xbox

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is the newest instalment in the Armored Core franchise developed by Fromsoftware. This is quite the surprise as the Armored Core games have been on the backend as the Souls game and the critically acclaimed Elden Ring have been front in center as the poster children of the company. That being said Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is completely different from the action games that brought them success in the contemporary market. There are only so many words that can describe, the heart pounding and fast paced action that an Armored Core game can provide to the players playing. The customization offered to the player is something to behold as it allows the player to express themselves freely. This freedom melds well with the presentation of the game as the player is a mercenary for hire trying to fulfill some unknown objective allowing for some liberties as to what the player wants that goal to be. Fromsoftware has brought forth an amazing game to this generation of gamers with Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’s gameplay, customization, and the overall presentation of the game.

In regards to gameplay, the game is a different to the rest of the games Fromsoftware has made recently. Games like Elden Ring and the Souls series focus on moving forward, to the sides, and backwards. However, that is not the case for Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon as the game allows the player to move in the air allowing combat and movement to be more freeform. This allows the player to experience combat on the ground and in the air and some players can utilize the best of both worlds to truly shine. By utilizing the air and ground the player has access to four more directions allowing the player to dive bomb enemies or ascend to face those in the air. Furthermore, this is reminiscent of two previous installments such as Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer as they are known for their sheer speed and freeform style of combat similar to what is seen in the newest installment of the series. There is another trait that was borrowed from those two games that can be referred to as a special move to enhance combat. To go into the combat in greater detail the player will have access to a wide variety of weapons with several of falling into different categories. This adds to the overall experience of the game allowing players to have fun customizing their mech.

Armored Core as a series allows the player to take a lot of liberties in how they can customize their mech. This is a staple feature of the franchise allowing for a wide variety of builds to be made allowing players the freedom to play as they like. The freedom associated with the Armored Core series dates back to the base concepts of the original game where the player has the right to choose how they can build their own mech. Furthermore, aside from how the mech can be built, the customization goes a little bit further to allow players to really show off their mech in multiplayer. When choosing the paint scheme for the mech the player has various options available to them from the start, were they have access to a rgb slider to find precise colors, as well as weathering effects to make the mech have some more personality. This allows for some really realistic battle damage to be seen on the mech to a pristine mech that standout from the realism of the game. This amount of creativity allows the player to design their mech in whatever way they want possible allowing them to make the mech of their dreams. To further enhance, this creativity the player can create their own icons using various shapes and symbols allowing them to recreate a wide variety of images from popular media. This all culminates into a near unlimited set of expressions available to the player with only the limitations being set are through gameplay and their own creativity. While having a near infinite customization is great the way the game presents itself is also an important part in the game’s style.

The presentation of the game can be boiled down to a dystopian style where blood can be paid cold hard cash. This paints the game in a dark setting where mercenaries are seen as expendable and this is evident in the opening sequence of the game where the player is referred to as 621. The importance of this fact is that it represents a number and the player is the 621^st person to undertake this role as an acting mercenary for a small group they represent. Moreover, this plays into the overall presentation of the game and how the player has to grow as a mercenary. By starting off the character with only basic resources this ties into how the player can get new equipment and weapons. One way is to find them in chests or through collectibles that unlocks equipment. The alternative, however, is to progress through missions allowing the player to experiment with the new parts and see if they will fit the playstyle they are going for. Aside from that, the aesthetics of the game are all muted colors with the exception of the color red which has been a prominent color since the first trailer being released on April of this year. In addition, to that the red weapons used in the trailer by a boss type enemy appear to be a lot stronger. As for the multiplayer it is tied to story progression while this may seem disappointing it also serves to protect new players from those who have access to better equipment. While players might be blocked from instantly accessing multiplayer, they can still enjoy mech on mech action through the arena mode in the game.

Fromsoftware has developed an amazing game that showcases the best parts of the Armored Core series and placed them all into one game. Armored Core VI Fires Of Rubicon focuses on melding amazing gameplay utilizing aspects of Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer to ensure that the gameplay is not boring in the slightest. Moreover, the game allows players to have quite a lot of freedoms of expression especially in regards to customization. This leads to how the game presents itself as a sort of sandbox like game in terms of customizing a player’s mech. Furthermore, this follows a mercenary like presentation which is quite suitable for the game as it would break the flow of the story of the game. Armored Core VI Fires Of Rubicon is an amazing game that demands a lot from the player testing them and pushing them to become better as they play, this game is an easy 9/10 game with the only minor issue being a lack of co op to showcasing specialized builds facing off against tough enemies.

For more information, visit: www.armoredcore6.com

Related: Reviews by Kyle Manila