The Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon review is finally here, and I’m happy to say that FromSoftware’s latest isn’t just one of the best mech shooters available, but also one of the most thought-provoking games I’ve ever played. It’s a beautiful and timeless journey amidst its Action-heavy gameplay.
FromSoftware’s Flagship Mech Shooter
FromSoftware’s flagship mech shooter delivers on all fronts: Fires of Rubicon represents the peak of the Armored Core series, with evolved mech gunplay and a story that goes beyond mindless action to deliver an experience that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
At its core, Fires of Rubicon is an action RPG in the vein of FromSoftware’s Souls series. While the game takes place in a more futuristic setting, the gameplay loop involves traveling to various locations to complete missions, interspersed with time spent in the garage, building mechs, buying parts, and participating in virtual arena battles to hone your skills and cash.
While Armored Core 6 isn’t as unforgiving as previous FromSoftware games, it’s still not exactly a cakewalk. There are numerous checkpoints throughout each level, and if you die, you’re transported back to the beginning of the section with all your skills intact. The challenge instead lies in learning the extensive arsenal, finding the best weapons for each scenario, and constantly tweaking your build.
The garage serves as an evolving puzzle, encouraging experimentation and discouraging sticking to one build. You’ll unlock new items and rewards as you complete missions, leading to a packed inventory and constant changes to your loadout. The constant gear churn serves as a reminder that you’re not a fixed character, but rather an ever-shifting mercenary.
The story of Armored Core 6 starts off as a fairly generic mercenary campaign, with the various agencies you work for presenting themselves as the good guys. Eventually, however, the game reveals itself to be much more than that, presenting a choice to abandon, destroy, or embrace the energy that fuels the world.
While the story itself is mostly told through cutscenes, the game takes great care to empower you to shape your reputation and sense of self. You assume the role of Raven, and the game does a good job of letting you decide who this character is. Is she a hero? A villain? Someone who enjoys their work as a mercenary? By letting you shape how she interacts with the world and the decisions she makes, the game presents a message of hope and the power of individual impact.
It’s easy (and tempting) to write off Armored Core 6 as mindless action, and certainly, there’s plenty of that to be found here. But Fires of Rubicon represents the peak of the Armored Core series, delivering a compelling story and gameplay that elevates itself beyond the usual FromSoftware themes of cycles and power. That makes this one special – and worth your time.
If you’re looking for more action-packed adventures, you can check out some of the best shooter games on PC. You can also take a look at some of the best mech games if you’ve got a hankering for some high-octane action but prefer your mecha on two legs.
