Armored Core 6 Has One Underrated Feature

Summary

Armored Core 6 is receiving positive reviews for its deep customization, fast-paced combat, and excellent atmosphere.
The game offers a surprising element of exploration, with hidden areas, collectibles, and valuable items that incentivize players to revisit missions.
While the game may seem linear at first, it follows FromSoftware's approach to discovery and environmental storytelling, rewarding players who take the time to explore thoroughly.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is a game that is likely to leave a strong impression on anyone who plays it. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware are already seeing success from this new Armored Core title, and it looks like it has the potential to revitalize a dormant, cult-classic franchise. Critics and audiences alike have praised the game for its deep customization, fast-paced combat, and excellent atmosphere, but there is one pleasantly surprising element of the game that hasn't been talked about as much.

Most players know FromSoftware for the Demons Souls and Dark Souls games, alongside their spin-offs Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, but the studio has an extensive catalog of interesting titles that predate these seminal releases, a catalog that includes twelve Armored Core games. Armored Core 6 takes some pointers from the more modern FromSoftware games, but it is most definitely not a Souls-like game. Armored Core 6 is all about customization and aggressive combat, and lacks some of the more thoughtful, methodical gameplay of the Dark Souls family of games. However, AC6 is more than just white-knuckle fighting and mission debriefings, even if players don't realize this at first.

Exploration in Armored Core 6 is Surprisingly Good

Flying around in Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon

FromSoftware excels at crafting unique environments dense with details and secrets. The Soulsborne games proved this, and the studio arguably perfected exploration with the release of Elden Ring. Even though Armored Core 6 is a far more linear game, following a structured mission-selection format, it still manages to capture some of that signature FromSoftware magic when it comes to environmental design and exploration.

Armored Core 6 is highly replayable thanks to its ranking system and diverse build options, but players may also want to revisit missions to check out every nook and cranny. It's easy to get distracted by the intense combat and treacherous foes of each zone, but most levels are actually packed with secret paths and collectible items, many of which are quite valuable and can't be obtained anywhere else. Many levels will have hidden areas and paths that are not clearly pointed out to the player, which creates a feeling that just about every little area has the potential to reveal some secret or Easter egg.

Exploration is incentivized primarily by Combat Logs, which are like optional mini-bosses and are one route to unlocking new parts in Armored Core 6. Some of these mini-bosses are fairly easy to find and will be in the path of the main mission, but others are tucked away in obscure parts of the map, forcing players to hunt them down and rewarding them with not just a higher Hunter Rank and new AC parts, but also with a battle in a unique area and extra narrative content. On top of these battles, there are also various chests with rare parts and weapons, and text logs that provide additional information about the lore of the game.

It's somewhat easy to miss this exploration. Amidst all the action and spectacle of the game, players may not even think to explore each area thoroughly, and the linear nature of Armored Core 6 suggests that there is only one proper path to follow. While it certainly doesn't have the seemingly endless exploration loop of a game like Elden Ring, it seems to carry FromSoftware's approach to discovery and environmental storytelling; there are no obvious waypoints or markers leading the player in a specific direction, so the discovery of a hidden area or piece of loot is that much more rewarding, as it feels like a genuine, natural discovery. While Armored Core 6 has quite a bit going for it, players could benefit from slowing down and exploring the environment - when they aren't busy getting swarmed by enemies, that is.