One of the most surprising reveals at the Game Awards was the announcement ofArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconfrom the legendary developer FromSoftware. While best known in recent years for titles such asDark Souls,Bloodborne, and most recentlyElden Ring,FromSoftwarehas a storied history developing theArmored Coreseries before shifting focus to the more popularDark Soulsseries. Leaning on its more well-known franchises, the trailer forArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconfooled many viewers into thinking it was a trailer for something related toDark SoulsorElden Ring.
It was already a huge night for FromSoftware who sawElden Ringtake home several awards, including the coveted Game of the Year. With the audience already primed for something related toElden Ringto be announced by the developer, the reveal of a new entry in theArmored Coreseries came as an unexpected yet welcome turn of events. Although there was no official confirmation ofElden RingDLC, director Hidetaka Miyazaki hinted at future content updates in his acceptance speech for the Game of the Year award.
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FromSoftware knew what they were doing when starting this cryptic trailer off with imagery that evokedElden Ringor theDark Soulsseries. The first shots show a blazing flame and the sky turning a deep red reminiscent of the burning of theErdtree, a pivotal moment inElden Ring. Fire has always played a major role thematically in theDark Soulsfranchise, as well asElden Ring, so the initial moments of the trailer highlighting crimson flames immediately sets the audience’s expectations on those games.
Following these scenes of fire consuming the world, the words “Feed the Fire” and “Let the last cinders burn” cross the screen. The word choice here has to be a deliberate allusion toDark Soulsas the entire plot of the game hinges on whether to kindle the First Flame and prolong the Age of Fire. Letting the last cinders burn could be a reference to the Lords of Cinder—the characters in theDark Soulsseries who have successfully prolonged the Age of Fire—of which thefinal boss of the firstDark Souls, Gwyn, is most notable. This word choice almost makes it sounds like there may be more Lords of Cinder, leading many viewers to believe it was a trailer forDark Souls 4.
How Armored Core 6 Could Take Inspiration from FromSoftware’s Most Recent Titles
Fans of FromSoftware’s work post-Dark Soulsmight not be familiar withArmored Core’s mech combat style of gameplay. While games likeDark SoulsandElden Ringare known for their rhythmic combat mechanics necessary for surviving a world where any enemy could spell death,Armored Corefavors a clunkier, build-oriented gameplay as players take on enemies in a massive mech. However, there is still room forArmored Coreto draw upon the past successesof FromSoftware’s catalog of Souls-like games in its approach to bombastic mech battles.
Boss battles are a huge part of what gives Souls-like games their identity and would make the most sense as a feature that could appear in anArmored Coregame. Taking on a larger-than-life boss while piloting a mech would make for an intense gameplay moment and drawing upon the excellent boss design games likeDark SoulsandElden Ringare known for would take this experience to the next level. Learning boss attack patterns and mastering the action-combat gameplay needed to defeat themseems like a natural fit forArmored Core. As more is revealed in the coming months, it’s likely to become clear just how the latest entry in theArmored Coreseries will incorporate elements of FromSoftware’s latest successes into its gameplay.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconwill be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
