Nobody would have imagined a few years ago that Armored Core could arouse so much interest among the general public enthusiastic about video games. Even more, outside of Japan. And yet, here are the numbers: The new installment of this veteran saga, which went on sale worldwide last Friday, is already the second title from the prestigious Japanese studio FromSoftware –only behind Elden Ring– in peak concurrent players on Steam. In other words, more than 150,000 users of its PC version have agreed to play it at the same time this weekend – and that's not counting all those who have done the same on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox. Series–.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon the creature is called. It has a six in Roman numerals in the title and a subtitle that appears on the box much larger than the name of the franchise itself. Anyone would say that they want to hide the fact that this is the sixth installment in a series with a quarter of a century of history! And the truth is that nothing is further from reality. At Bandai Namco – who know how to sell games for a long time – they are aware that for most players this is going to be their first Armored Core.
The big question is: Is Armored Core the game that FromSoftware fans are waiting for? The answer is a resounding yes. There can always be some clueless, but the stalwarts of the Japanese study know well the importance of being cautious. They've died too many times in Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro to make fun of things. They are well-informed people who are used to sharing their knowledge with the rest of their community. In fact, their devotion to everything coming out of the Tokyo-based developer is such that it's highly unlikely they haven't scrutinized every last YouTube video only to discover that Armored Core doesn't really look too much like the games they've seen. today they are associated with the creators of the so-called soulsborne.
Where Dark Souls had an expansive, hyper-connected map, Armored Core is structured around self-contained, unconnected quests. Where Dark Souls tested players' sangfroid in tense one-on-one combat, Armored Core does so by pitting them against robotic armies. Where Dark Souls had a bonfire, Armored Core has a garage. They are very different games, but they share one characteristic, and it is none other than the demand to face ruthless challenges, forcing the player to die over and over again, manage health kits, and learn attack patterns until they find their way. that key with which to defeat that huge final enemy.
If Hidetaka Miyazaki's games were fed by the perseverance of the players when it came to not giving up and looking for alternative paths and routes, this one directed by Masaru Yamamura needs the player's ingenuity when it comes to optimizing their combat robot in the garage. This workshop acts as the Nexus of Rubicon 3, the planet in which this sixth installment is set and in which different mega-corporations compete for a very precious source of energy. A plot that is presented to the player through a series of voices (in English or Japanese) that the player hears through his intercom, but which has its counterpart in the spectacular visual design of its icy hangars, in its industrial aesthetics and , above all, in their war machines.
Long before revolutionizing the world of video games with titles like Dark Souls or Elden Ring, the prestigious Japanese studio FromSoftware had its longest-running and most emblematic franchise in this series of niche games, designed entirely for the Japanese public. Now, ten years after its last installment, and after the Japanese study has become the most influential of the 21st century, a new legion of faithful enthusiasts is ready to board the robot.
