FromSoftware’s Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Takes Inspiration from Souls Games

FromSoftware has been working on its latest mech game, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. According to the game’s producer, Yasunori Ogura, the company has implemented elements that fans of the Souls games will find familiar. While the developers have insisted that the game is nothing like the Souls games, there are certain similarities that cannot be ignored.

Combat Influenced by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The director of Armored Core 6, Masaru Yamamura, has said that his experience as the lead designer of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has indirectly influenced the game’s combat system. Yamamura has stated that the combat in Armored Core 6 is designed to be aggressive and visceral, with a distinct rhythm and tempo, so players can feel the highs and lows of fighting at different distances.

Story-Driven Gameplay

Yamamura has also revealed that Armored Core 6 is not a story-driven game. Instead, the narrative is driven by the mission structure, and the developers hope that players will be thinking about their place in the unfolding story as they encounter various factions and powers at play. This approach to storytelling is similar to the indirect style of storytelling that is synonymous with FromSoftware titles.

Big Boss Battles and More Forgiving Gameplay

Armored Core 6 features big boss battles that require players to learn attack patterns through repetition. However, the game is also more forgiving than the Soulsborne games. Players can retry missions repeatedly with only “subtractions and detriments to the compensation that they receive.” Additionally, Armored Core 6 is mission-based and purely single-player, unlike most Souls games, which have a multiplayer element and a largely open world.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is set for release in August. While the game has certain similarities to the Souls games, the developers have tried to incorporate these elements in a way that does not taint the original qualities of what makes Armored Core what it is. The game’s combat system is aggressive, visceral, and has a distinct rhythm and tempo, which is influenced by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The narrative is driven by the mission structure, with the hope that players will be thinking about their place in the unfolding story. Armored Core 6 features big boss battles and is more forgiving than the Soulsborne games. It is mission-based and purely single-player, with a focus on the core concept of Armored Core.