Armored Core 6 gameplay is fairly Souls-like, until the Assembly menu shows up
Let's watch this Armored Core 6 gameplay and argue how much it is/isn't learning from Soulsborne games.
.png?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp)
It's been a little quiet on the Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon front since the game's not-E3 showing. Technically, the general public did not get a new look at the game at Summer Game Fest at all, as the presentation was entirely behind closed doors.
While press and media got treated to a long hands-off demo by FromSoftware, the only footage that everyone else saw was b-roll provided by publisher Bandai Namco. The quality of that footage, however, wasn't great, and we never did get a clear look at the game beyond that.
Now, the same footage has been released in much higher quality (4K 60fps), and it offers a more detailed look at gameplay than any of the earlier official footage. The gameplay jumps between ranged combat, showcasing the soft lock-on mechanic that lets players target multiple enemies and attack them all simultaneously, as well as the more standard hard lock-on that takes control of the camera away and focuses on a single target.
There are clear Souls inspirations here, but the game is largely an Armored Core sequel, for obvious reasons. The reality check for Soulsborne fans has to be at the 2:33 mark, where we get a look at mech building and assembly in the game.
Not only can you customise each limb individually, you also get to choose which weapons go where. There are several hardpoints for you to attach launchers to, and you need to choose a generator that powers everything.
The bottom of that window has the more detailed specs for each component, their weight, power consumption, as well as other stats about their combat effectiveness. I'm sure someone is already chuckling to themselves, 'This is the real Armored Core.'"
No one outside FromSoftware has gotten their hands on the game, yet, so more detailed breakdowns of gameplay (and how much Souls-y it is/isn't) will likely follow. Until then, we have the August 25 release date to look forward to, when Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon comes out on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.