First time I played FromSoftware game was demon souls, soon after its premiere on PS3. I knew nothing about it when buying it, except that it has a cool art on the box (specially for what was then a high school boy).

I did not got what I expected and at times it resulted in frustration beyond comprehension but it did ended up actually changing me as a human. It has taught me so much patience and ever since then I have been drinking from the fountain of FromSoft endless, pure gamer juice.

I only learned of Armored Core series existence when I was deep into Dark Souls lore, but noticed I no longer posses any means to play those games, so I just ignored them. When AC6 was annouced I was thrilled, finally a entrypoint to the series for the likes of me.

I am apparently a huge mecha fan. (Even though my only experience with mechs so far, was Evangelion).

I honestly did not knew what to expect from this game, but I think it is an instant game of the year for me (topping BG3).

1. Art design - they obviously have huge experience with this kind of science fiction already, but the years spend by their art team on game like Dark Souls and now Elden Ring, resulted with an extreme understanding of how to present scale and spectacle. There is so many jaw-dropping moments, presented with a clear vision of how to show it to you, so you can appreciate it. It is not just about the scale of having a big thing on the screen that you can climb on. It is also about how to see it for the first time, how you come in contact with it, how the sound around it is. They just know it all and execute it to the point.
2. Story - the fact you have to pass the game few times to get all the endings and the story changes quite a bit, and gives you more and more details it s cool idea. The story is mostly sold by voice actors and some minor log entries, the rest you get during missions. It is definetly a far more accessible story than in most FS games, and in terms of acting, one of the best. Slightly different since all the conversations are though "radio" channels so they can be distorted, there is a lot of pauses etc. but it all adds to the feeling of your character being there, and you being there with him, as a recipient of the message, learning as you both go through each and every struggle. I do not want to spoil any moments of it, but it feels like an usually rather sad, FS story, with regular for them agency, but far more fleshed out characters (mostly sold by actors that only have voices to work on, no in game models).
3. Combar - fast, fun and versatile. The challenge depends on you though. There are OP builds that will get you through every boss and every enemy with relative ease, for sure. But there is a lot to choose from, and when you want to build the mech you want to operate, you might impose a challenge on yoruself when meeting certain elements. In terms of sheer difficulty it is the easiest FS game I played, but I do not think pushing a difficulty requirement on them is neccessary. Any game can be good and easy, this one is very good and not-so-easy but not as hard as DS, Bloodborne or Elden Ring
4. Other - mech customization is something I have been sucked into despite my lack of artistic sense on thing I create. It is so much fun, and robust.

I am enticed to try and emualte older games from the seires on Steam Deck after I had my share of AC6, cause they just made me a mech games fan.

From Soft does not make a bad game. i've never been a fan of mech games, mech anime, anything like that. But I knew in my soul that I would love this game regardless. and I was right.

Every last little thing about it is made with the most loving detail. In a market filled with games made just to exploit an audience, in a sea of passionless manufactured dregs that make you want to give up on the industry, there is still a savior. This game loves you, it's audience, and it does everything to make your experience perfect.

It handles like a dream. Everything is smooth and responsive. there is a wealth of options in playstyle and despite tremendous complexity, it holds your hand, shows you what each part you can add to your mech does with a video demonstration, the chance to try it out in simulation, the chance to sell it for the price you paid and buy a different part. experimentation is lovingly catered to. The difficulty is not small but it is surmountable. Every single challenge can be overcome either with ability or cunning. every enemy has a weakness. but if you want to play the way you want to, every build is viable if you're determined.

Is this a souls game? it doesn't feature swords and sorcery and cosmic horrors. the setting and story are very different. the same themes remain. the story is more direct but features the same hidden depths that require careful searching, reviewing descriptions and making inferences. Prominent boss fights are still a feature. it's very much a mech game, but as someone who doesn't care about mech games I still loved it. If you enjoy the formula of a From Soft game, you will enjoy AC6.

As ever with this studio, the game sets a standard that makes almost all other games feel poorly crafted and downright insulting to your time.

Note that I didn't play multiplayer. it looks solid enough. I just don't care about that experience. keep in mind my opinions are only on the single player experience.

Roll Credits?: Yes!

Surprised/Let Down/As Expected: As Expected

Favorite Mechanic or Narrative Moment: The game just felt good to play. Controls were tight, and actions had a satisfying weight to them. Staggering an enemy to cut them up, blasting things with huge rockets, kicking them while boosting, and many others were way more fun than they had any right to be. The rest of the game was fine (story is serviceable and it looks nice enough), but the feeling of just piloting a badass robot carries the game so hard it can't be overstated.

Least Favorite Thing: Playing on launch, I was not a fan of the balancing and difficulty of certain sections. I don't mind losing to a boss a bunch of times, but the issue really came from the fact that you had to actively avoid using certain item combinations because they would trivialize the content. The boss would be crushing you, and deep down you know you could forego it all just add a couple shotguns or miniguns to your mech to crush them instantly. There have been a bunch of updates to various underpowered weapons since I last played, so I'm looking forward to a future playthrough to try out new stuff.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubiconin julkaisun ja menestyksen seuraaminen on ollut mielenkiintoista hommaa. Jokseenkin hullua nähdä, miten From Softwaren viimeaikainen nousukiito älyttömiin sfääreihin Elden Ringin myötä saa siivitettyä jopa niinkin niche-pelin kuin Armored Coren myyntilistojen kärkeen.

Ansaitseeko Armored Core uuden suosionsa? Sinänsä kyllä, sinänsä ei, jos minulta kysytään.

Jos aloitetaan myötäargumenteista. AC6 on näyttävä peli, joka tarjoaa paljon näperreltävää ja opittavaa. Robottien osia ja aseita on paljon erilaisia, ja osia vaihtamalla voi yllättävänkin paljon muuttaa pelin tuntumaa. Toiminta on paikoin huumaavan hauskaa, ja todella tulivoimaisen robotin akrobatia vihollisten luotien keskellä on hiton viihdyttävää. Kohokohdan pelissä muodostivat ainakin itselleni kaksintaistelut muita robotteja vastaan. Pelissä on myös haarautuva tarina, joka laittaa pelaajan mukavasti puun ja kuoren väliin tekemään päätöksiä. Äänimaailma on rouhea ja musiikit peliin sopivat ja tunnelmalliset.

Ja ne vasta-argumentit? Pelissä on vaikeustason ja bossien puolesta paljon turhauttavuuksia. Bossien iskuja on välillä todella vaikea ennakoida ja täten dodgeta. Iskut tekevät myös hervottomia määriä damagea, jolloin yksi paha osuma saattaa torpeedoida koko yrityksen. Pelin ns. robotti-imuri-bossi on myös jänkkimäisyydessään suorastaan rasittavaa paskaa. Lock-on ei ole läheskään yhtä luotettava apu kuin Souls-peleissä (ainakin minun kokemukseni mukaan), joten kameraa vastaan taistelua tapahtuu bosseissa myös paljon. Robottien rajalliset panosmäärät ovat pelisuunnittelullinen valinta, mutta en tiedä oliko panosten säästelykään suoranaista peli-iloa. Lisäksi, pelin kunnianhimoinen tarina vilisee niin paljon outoja nimiä ja jargonia, että kärryillä on etenkin aluksi hankala pysyä. Moni hahmoista ovat myös kirjaimellisesti ja kuvainnollisesti melko kasvottomia. Pieni lisäkarisma olisi tehnyt terää.

Pelin aikana tuntemukseni vaihtelivat tymäkästä tyydytyksestä syvään vitutukseen. Armored Core VI tekee todella paljon oikein, mutta muutaman asian niin vastakarvaan, että en tiedä tulenko palaamaan pelin pariin paljoa. Jokseenkin tekee mieli antaa pelille vielä hieman myöhemmin mahdollisuus ja katsoa, josko minussa oli enemmän vikaa kuin ajattelin ja pelissä vähemmän.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon was my first real contact with the Armored Core series. My experience with FromSoftware only truly began with Elden Ring, and it is clear that the studio operates in its own category in terms of design philosophy and difficulty tuning.

Fires of Rubicon is impressive for what it sets out to do. If you appreciate mech combat, you are in the right place. The level design is strong, the visuals are sharp, and the customization system—combining parts, weapons, and builds—is deep and motivating. It captures that distinct FromSoftware intensity, where challenge is part of the identity.

What ultimately pushed me away was the repetition required to progress. Advancing often meant replaying missions multiple times to earn currency, upgrading the mech, and then attempting later encounters with improved equipment. I found myself repeating a single mission ten or twenty times just to afford necessary upgrades. That loop diminished my motivation.

I stopped roughly within the first third of the game. That is unfortunate, because the foundation is excellent. I would like to return to it at some point and experience it more fully. For now, I appreciate what I played, even if I did not carry it through to the end.