Will Armored Core VI Be Tougher Than Dark Souls? Impressions from Summer Game Fest

As part of Summer Game Fest, I got the chance to sit in on a gameplay presentation for FromSoftware’s upcoming mech-based action game, Armored Core VI. A group of us were only allowed to watch a gameplay presentation and that’s probably for the best, because had they put the controller in my hands, I wouldn’t have lasted too long. Armored Core VI is enough of a challenge that the player from the Armored Core presentation was defeated by the boss, which apparently wasn’t a planned part of the presentation.

Armored Core VI is slated to release August 25, 2023.

Before getting to that though, here’s what we’ve learned about the first game in the long-running Armored Core series in ten years. Like most FromSoftware titles (Dark Souls, Sekiro, Elden Ring, etc.), a core design principle of this game was to make it incredibly challenging so that players experience a profound sense of accomplishment when they succeed. This will be complimented by massive 3D level design that will allow players to travel in any direction, as well as expanding the tactics of combat through mech customization.

To go into more depth on that last principle – if players are defeated during a mission, they can reassemble their mech to better adapt to the challenge before starting again from a checkpoint. This means that players will be able to adapt on-the-fly rather than having to restart an entire mission just because they chose the wrong parts. During the presentation, there was a scripted defeat to show off this feature, but it wasn’t planned to happen twice.

Before getting to that though, there’s a huge amount of depth to the level of customization that’s possible in Armored Core VI. Virtually every detail of the mechs is changeable and will influence gameplay. Mechs also have four weapons slots, one on each arm and one on each shoulder. Melee weapons fit well on an arm, while the shoulder can be used for a shield to block incoming attacks. Taking damage in battle can also affect performance, so the wrong amount of damage can be trouble.

The massive 3D level design of Armored Core VI meant that players need to have a lot of mobility. For the first time in the series, players will have the ability to give themselves a quick directional boost. This can be useful for dodging enemy attacks as well as maneuvering in three dimensions. Launch points will also be found throughout the environment to give players more vertical movement.

Finally, the presentation came to the final boss battle. A giant mech with red hot gears on its arms faced off against the player, and while everything seemed fine at first, a quick punch ended the battle quicker than expected. The presentation finished off smoothly with a few chuckles and minced words. But all I could think was this: if the person whose literal job it was to play the game at Summer Game Fest couldn’t defeat the boss, what chance does the average player have?

Thanks to FromSoftware and Summer Game Fest for the opportunity to get an early look at the game. Armored Core VI is set to release on August 25th this year on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S and X. Good luck out there, ravens!