Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (2023) [PC] first impressions

In the past few years I’ve indulged in a lot of media under the mech umbrella. The likes of Gundam and Macross and as well as Super Robot Wars 30 comes to mind. I’ve never touched the Armored Core series until picking up Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon, and needless to say this is the smoothest mech-piloting I’ve experienced in games. Anticipation for this game was high as this is the first entry in its series in over a decade.

As a new player, my first impression when I initiated the first mission was that the AC (what the mechs are referred to in-game) was fluid to control and maneuver. The boost movement feels just right and I was surprised that there are melee options, a welcome trait to have in AC builds. The mission wasn’t difficult on its own until the boss at the end, the infamous helicopter. I’ve heard about a lot of people struggling on this first boss. When it occurred to me to sword-slash a helicopter, the assault boost became an ability I prized. After that discovery, the helicopter fight wasn’t at all overwhelming anymore.

Chapter 1

I’ve had little to no issues with difficulty in the first several missions of chapter one. There are some enemy attacks that deal massive damage, but it’ll usually take some trial and error to figure out how to deal with smaller turrets and ACs. There’s a mission where the player takes down a mining ship that can put the AC in potentially dangerous situations but there was nothing that held me up until Operation Wallclimber.

I’ve gathered that a lot of people get stuck at the boss in Operation Wallclimber called the Juggernaut. When I reached the end of the mission prior to the boss fight I barely had any health left. Luckily the game gives you a kit to replenish your resources before the fight. The Juggernaut was a frustrating fight. There’s trial and error but I’d say this is the first time in the game where the AC build really makes a difference in a fight. Having a heavy AC makes it more difficult to weave behind the enemy, and the enemy will be sure to create distance to cover its blind spot. I had a relatively heavy AC with a plasma gun, it was rough without using situational advantages to win the fight. Luckily I succeeded within 30-ish minutes of my first attempt.

Conclusion

All in all, I love this game so far. Learning about each AC part and the roles that they play gets very intriguing. It can be a lot to grasp at first but it’s a very rewarding system when something great is accomplished. I love that the game is challenging without being too unfair. To be honest, the thing I’m ecstatic about the most is being able to play a robot-piloting game of this caliber. The Pixels is producing a lot of AC6 content: be sure to check out the Mage Cast X episode for deeper dives.

Hi, I’m Zerinus, my hobbies primarily consist of gaming, obsessing about music, and sometimes art and writing. You can find me at @DivineZerinus on Twitter.