mechs at their best

Let’s be clear from the start, Armored Core VI: Fires of the Rubicon is not Elden Ring with giant robots.

If you were already a fan of the series, which was FromSoftware’s staple before their decade of Souls games, that’s probably welcome news. If you’re newer to the developer and curious about their first major release since Elden Ring, Armored Core VI is also worth your while, but it’s best to approach it on its own terms.

If you cross that Rubicon, so to speak, you and your ever-present mech suit will crash land into a world ravaged by extraplanetary corporations vying for control of a mysterious substance called Coral (think “Spice Melange” from Dune and you’ve got the idea). You play as a voiceless mercenary; an augmented human “hound” managed via voice transmissions from a gruff “handler” named Walter who briefs you on operations for any faction willing to pay for your services (sometimes at cross-purposes).

Boost, thrust, and dodge in fully three-dimensional combat.

Bandai Namco

Those combat and reconnaissance missions, and the cutscenes and dialogue that pepper the space between them, drive the gameplay and advance the story. The plot unfolds pretty much entirely through dialogue and conversations happening around and at your speechless avatar, but the refreshingly solid writing and voice acting sell it well. It’s a lot more exposition than you’d typically get from Dark Souls or Bloodborne, and if anything it reminded me more of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear, another beloved series involving mechs.

While I’m all-in for the gothic fantasy…