Elden Ring makers FromSoftware have given out some new details about the next entry in their mech combat series, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. In an interview broadcast from Taipei Games Show 2023, game producer Yasunori Ogura spoke with a host about the game and spoke not only about the game but about how massive successes like the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring have affected development at the now-quite-famous FromSoftware.
Ogura emphasized the customizability that'll be in Armored Core 6 regularly, as well as assuring fans that it will be just as difficult and rewarding a game as you expect FromSoftware to make. Those were much the same talking points that CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki gave in an interview after the AC6 reveal last year.
He also went over topics like making concepts easier for series newcomers to understand, the game story, and balancing the customization with a very aggressive and dynamic combat style. Ogura also emphasized that Armored Core 6's story mode would be single-player only, but online multiplayer arena battles were planned.
The decade since the last Armored Core game has been a huge one for FromSoftware. The biggest change in the last decade? "The freedom to spend more on the game’s development and resources," said Ogura. That's right, folks: FromSoftware just straight-up has a lot more money than it once did.
Ogura also focused on ways that customization affects how mechs control, and vice versa.
"We were determined to take advantage of FromSoftware’s experience and know-how to really establish freedom for the player in terms of what can be done with game controls and the customization that lies at the series' core. That was the key point we focused on. When you play the game, you will see how changing parts affects the action elements. The action and customization elements really do work together symbiotically, and I really think this is the most important thing," he said.
Ogura later said that while the mech customization will be in-depth, it'll also be more approachable. "It is the element of the game with the most depth, and for many fans, it is the most enjoyable. Seen from the perspective of new users, though, it is a very detailed and complex system," he said. "This time, we have put a number of new measures in place to help make assembly and customization more intuitive and logical than it has been in the past."
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As for what kinds of components might be out there? Ogura pointed enthusiasts towards the trailer itself, saying you could identify many mech parts, and hints at parts, in key frames.
As for the action itself, Ogura gave as an example how dynamic movement is—a huge difference from the games FromSoftware has made since 2013. "Because of the use of mechs, both the player character and enemy characters have extremely dynamic movements. As robots, their dynamism is only matched by the aggressiveness of their movement. Attack distance, in particular, changes frequently, from close range to far, then from far back to close again," he said.
Most games in the Armored Core series are standalone stories, though particularly popular entries have received sequels and spinoffs, comparable in structure to how the Final Fantasy series operates. The last mainline entry was Armored Core 5, released in 2012, which had a sequel release in 2013.
"In terms of actual storyline, there is no direct connection betweenVand this latest title, which means there is no need to have played previous titles in the series," said Ogura.
You can watch the full interview, in Japanese with subtitled translations, on YouTube.
Jonathan Bolding
Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.
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