Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Review (Anonydeath)
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon Review
Armored Core VI, though being compared to the likes of Monster Hunter World for getting the bigger spotlight to an small but passionate fan base has taken FromSoft's community by storm becoming one of their top sold games and is nearing the 1 year anniversary of its release, after putting some more hours and time into the game trying out different builds, the different endings, and getting all 30 Achievements I feel confident to actually put a review for the game.
Is AC6 Worth Playing?
Yes
AC6 though far into the series can be dropped in without playing the older titles as AC's story has been always decently loose and having different timelines of effects so for those unsure to drop in on the newer title for story connections there is nothing that requires you to play the older games.
Is the game tough given the developer's History?
Yes, but no
Though FromSoft got its name on the map due to the *Insert Souls Series/-Like Games here* AC6 is more focused on how you build your AC for the mission itself and as you progress and get money you can get new equipment and parts for your AC allowing you to change your loadout per mission if things aren't working out for you, and once the part is found/purchased you have that part forever and thankfully being able to repeat missions you are able to build up some capital to try out everything if that is what you want. But the biggest thing is all units/bosses have weaknesses you can use to tip the fight in your favor if things seem to not be working don't be afraid to throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks.
Is the story good? Or worth replaying after finishing once?
Absolutely for both
Not only is the story great with characters and reveals but how the story plays out and how your choices change the flow is amazing on top of having the best New-Game + of any Fromsoft Game ever not only allowing you to bring your fully equipped AC through the game again to try out the other choices you didn't try, but also entirely new missions and paths, making it so if you want all endings you need to play the game 3 times over and every playthrough gives you new parts and weapons to toy around with.
How is the Multiplayer?
Fun but not for everyone
The Multiplayer is only arena fights meaning there is only PvP in the base game, though if you want to play Co-Op with fellow Pilots and even get invasions from hostile players trying to get a quick buck there is a mod that you can download that allows up to 5 player Co-Op and settings that you can tweak for your experience that could be making it so you have the Co-Op but not invasions, upping the amount of HP enemies have, and much more. But besides that the base game Multiplayer is engaging for those that want to rise the ranks all the way up to competing for Tournaments.
Is there any negatives that can push people away?
Yes, but very minimal
Like any game there is people that are gonna dislike it and AC6 is no exception, there is some older players of the series that don't like how some mechanics work, or how broken some weapons combos can be, or just not like the gameplay in general but thankfully for 2/3 of those problems you will figure out quick so if you don't like it you can refund, while there is a "Meta" like any game it isn't overwhelming the scene as any player can use any weapon to beat it out as long as they are confident and know what they are doing.
TLDR: Should I get this game?
Yes, even if you aren't normally a fan of Fromsoft's earlier games or not even super big on 3rd person combat in general I give it a GLOWING recommendation for story, gameplay, presentation, OST, everything in this game in my opinion is great though not everything is perfect I give this game a solid 9/10 easily, there is a few things I wish this game has more of in the sense of other Multiplayer content, but the community has plenty of stuff to help via codes you can find to give you custom Emblems, Builds, and even Decals to place on your AC and make your machine YOUR machine.
I don't make many reviews but after playing this game again with a new save and playing with friends that haven't beaten it once and helping them i felt a spark of a high respect for this game than I had before and I do hope that we see either more news about AC6 or news about the now newly invigorated community of AC fans.