We spent 4 hours with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

It has been 10 years since the robot-filled action series Armored Core last appeared. Back then it went by relatively unnoticed, but things couldn't be more different with the release of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon as interest in the long-awaited sequel - and not least the creators behind it - seems almost as huge as the mechs themselves. In 10 years, FromSoftware has gone from being an overlooked and unremarkable Japanese game studio, to being known as a notorious cult developer with sadistic tendencies, and finally cementing their position in the collective consciousness as a popular and ground-breaking game factory.

Despite the number, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is actually the thirteenth game in a series filled with spin-offs and standalone expansions. Thankfully, for those unfamiliar with the series, it's also a reboot, which isn't that surprising. FromSoftware has a penchant for rearranging and remixing the same concepts, and after 10 years of radio silence, there's no denying that the slate has been wiped clean. The centre of the action this time around is Rubicon 3, a war-torn and contested planet that, in true Dune style, is the galaxy's only source of Coral, a near-magical resource with high-tech properties. Humanity has already tried to colonise the planet once, with disastrous consequences, and now, half a century later and determined not to learn from history, it's trying again.

Typical of the series - but atypical of the titles most of us associate the developer with - the storytelling in Armored Core VI is quite linear and exposition heavy. Almost from the very beginning, you are bombarded with information of both a narrative and instructional nature, first through film sequences and then a steady stream of updates and briefings from both friends and enemies through the red-hot military radio. Between missions, which take place in separate levels that often can be played in any order, you are briefed on this and that through Metal Gear Solid-like codec conversations, while various documents related to the task appear on the screen. One faceless character follows another as they all eagerly chatter away, but it's the ambitious "Handler Walter" in particular who has big plans for C4-621 - the player's anonymous character's nickname.

It can all seem a bit overwhelming and impersonal at first, and if you're used to FromSoftware's cryptic dialogue and puzzle-like narrative, well, you're in for something else. Don't get me wrong, there are still glimpses of mystery, of bygone history and sublime tragedy, and there's certainly more beneath the surface than meets the eye. But going from Dark Souls' fractured fantasy mythos to Call of Duty-esque back-and-forth dialogue is still something of a climate shift.

Similarly, the game's more traditional way of structuring missions is also a bit of a culture shock. This isn't a wide-open world a la Elden Ring, but a relatively linear progression through various missions. Often you have access to several missions at the same time and can therefore approach them in any way you like, but I struggled to feel the narrative fabric that would connect them. Many of the missions are quite formulaic as in "destroy the three artillery batteries" or "fight your way through the enemies from A to B", while others featured more memorable backdrops and action-packed set pieces. In keeping with the game's almost arcade-like style, you're also awarded points and a rank based on your performance, and even more surprisingly, there are even checkpoints along the way that you can restart at or change equipment at.

Now, as one of the coveted Armored Core pilots, your job is not to document the decaying world of Rubicon 3, but to destroy the Resistance hiding on it. And to do that, you'll need to be able to control the armoured combat robot you've been given. It can jump and leap, dodge in all directions and even hover briefly in the air. While it can move slowly and methodically, you'll usually skate elegantly back and forth to avoid the swarms of projectiles that instantly fill the airspace. Four formidable weapon systems, one for each shoulder button, are hidden on the monstrosity, and it is of course with the help of these - and the continued use of skilful evasive manoeuvres - that victory is assured.

The "third" dimension plays an important role here. You jump over the enemies, dodge their missile bursts in the air and whizz from one end of the environment to the other at lightning speed. The enemies are numerous and their projectiles are constantly whizzing around your ears while the screen lights up with various warning messages. It can be overwhelming and stressful, which is why the developers have tried to gather the most critical information in the centre of the screen, around your crosshairs. A big part of mastering - or more modestly put understanding - the hectic battles in Armored Core VI is therefore undoubtedly being able to read the many variables (charge times, cooldowns, enemy telegraphed attacks, etc.) without panicking.

Scale and gravity are tricky things in a game like this. A combat robot the size of an apartment block needs to feel heavy and significant, but it also needs to react quickly and be comfortable to control. There's no right or wrong way to do it, but in a game with a focus on quick reflexes, responsive controls have ultimately been prioritised over a sense of weight and bulk. Sure, you bust through barbed wire fences effortlessly and can barely hide behind a tower block, but proportionally your character doesn't feel any bigger or heavier than in many other games. Because of this and the invisible walls that arbitrarily delineate areas, Armored Core VI sometimes has a video game-like, papier-mâché quality.

Stamina, reflexes and precision all feature heavily in Armored Core VI, and unlike (here it comes) Dark Souls, you can't just hide behind a shield while studying enemy behaviour at your own pace. Every shot counts, and with only three healing items, four independent weapons and 360-degree movement, the number of decisions you can and must make per second is much higher than any sword-wielding undead can manage. In other words, Armored Core VI is a game that needs to be learned, which is both daunting and appealing.

Fortunately, the game accommodates this fact with a comprehensive series of test missions that you can complete in parallel with the game's campaign. This is where the game really impressed me; not so much because of the test missions themselves, but because of what they demonstrated: Unrivalled flexibility to customise your combat robot according to your needs and play style. The freedom to swap out weapons, armour and various support systems is undoubtedly the reinforced core of the gaming experience. There are plasma rifles, rocket launchers, roller cannons and defensive shield generators. There are robots that can leap over buildings, hover indefinitely, or drift from side-to-side on caterpillar-like feet. There are central cores that produce more energy but weigh a lot, and vice-versa. And they can all be put together in a multitude of combinations.

After a few hours of not really being gripped by the game's narrative, traditional mission structure, or rust-brown world, Armored Core VI finally clicked for me. The way you assemble your robot radically changes the experience, and I was suddenly excited to both experiment and see what others were up to. Even the handful of role-playing statistics (weight, armour value, energy consumption) that help define and balance the various weapons and pieces of equipment can be somewhat ignored or circumvented through the unorthodox "software updates" that can be gradually unlocked and fundamentally change the rules of the game.

Needless to say, with only four hours and a limited budget to buy weapon and armour parts, I couldn't test even a fraction of the possibilities the game offers. However, the freedom - and the replay value it generates - stand out to me as the game's strongest quality. Whether your dream robot is fast and agile or big and heavily armed, whether you want to bombard the enemy from a distance or cleave them with laser blades at close range, I guarantee you can build something that fits in the game. And those signs of promise, capped off with an exciting final boss fight that also hinted at a narrative twist, ultimately meant that Armored Core VI left me wanting more.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon represents an important moment for FromSoftware. The embers of an old cult series have been revitalised, and at the same time the torch has been passed on, as it is no longer the legendary Hidetaka Miyazaki himself, but the younger Masaru Yamamura who is leading the development. I myself have felt a spark in my heart, and I can't wait to see whether the game starts a fire, when it releases on August 25, 2023.