Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon marked the return of FromSoftware's mech action series after more than ten years away, combining fast, vertical action with a deep customization system for combat machines called Armored Cores. The player becomes a mercenary pilot hired by corporations competing for a rare mineral on the planet Rubicon, assembling their own mech from dozens of parts — legs, weapons, core, and generator — where each combination fundamentally changes the playstyle, from lumbering tanks to nimble bipedal machines capable of long airborne flight.

Battles are fast and vertical, emphasizing energy management, weapon overheating, and the so-called stagger system, which allows a devastating critical attack once the opponent's gauge is filled. The bosses are among the most demanding and memorable elements of the game and require repeated experimentation with the mech's loadout as well as mastery of the core game mechanics — several of them can also fundamentally change tactics mid-fight. The campaign also offers several different endings depending on which contracts the pilot accepts throughout the game, encouraging repeated playthroughs to uncover the whole story. On PlayStation 5 the game benefits from fast mission loading and smooth frame rates even in hectic battles with dozens of visual effects on screen at once.

Reception was very positive — critics praised how FromSoftware managed to carry over its philosophy of demanding but fair design from its renowned soulslike games into a completely different mech genre without losing the studio's recognizable signature. Armored Core VI is today seen as a successful revival of a once-niche series and an entry point for a new generation of mech action fans as well as longtime soulslike players, who appreciated the similarly honest difficulty in the game.

Why play it: For longtime soulslike players and newcomers to the mech genre alike, Armored Core VI carries FromSoftware's philosophy of demanding but fair design into a completely different setting of battle robots.