Summary
Since its humble beginnings in 1997, theArmored Corefranchise 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: theDark Soulsseries,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 theArmored Coregames. 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 Rubiconlaunched 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 toElden Ring’s sales of over 23 million copies to date. This probably says RingthanArmored Core 6though, 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 6should 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 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 ownDark Soulstrilogy. The Japanese developer has iterated on its formula, tweaking it to varying degrees in some of its other titles, likeBloodborne, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which was theGame 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, theArmored Corefranchise showcases FromSoftware’s talentas 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
WithElden 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 along-overdue sequel toBloodborne, 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 betweenArmored Core 6and 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
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.
