Announced all the way back at The Game Awards in December 2022, FromSoftware's Armored Core VI has been awaiting some major info in regard to its overall plot, gameplay mechanics, and online multiplayer features.
Today, July 20th, fans can rest easy as Bandai Namco unveiled quite out of the blue a whole new look at what forthcoming Ravens have in store under the blood-red laden skies of Rubicon.
In its newest trailer, a purely cinematic look into the story of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, details of a battle gone awry show how players may well be dropped into this mecha-fueled environment through a potential nod to the Human PLUS program introduced in the original Armored Core. The trailer starts within a broody garage, where a decimated and dismantled Armored Core, or "AC" as they're more commonly called, sits languishing as gasses emanate from below.
The next series of scenes in the newest story trailer show a battle that includes three main ACs as they charge headlong across a barren battlefield. A large caliber plasma canon fired from off-camera discharges several times as the trio of ACs close in. This isn't a cakewalk, as the scene continues showing one of the ACs narrowly dodging one of the shots, before not too much later being obliterated by the weapon.
The battle is inter-spliced with scenes back in the garage, as an unnamed voice offscreen inquires with repetition into the events involving "617 and the others." A body on a metal slab slowly moves into frame, but it's impossible to tell who it is, though it most certainly is attached to the towering AC behind it via a multitude of cords.
A final standoff between this so-called 617 character, who seems to be a part of a so-called Squad Alpha, and the large mecha plasma canon leaves fans breathless as the AC leverages a final self-destructive explosion taking out both it and its much larger enemy. The story trailer ends with a final pan-up and zoom-in on the AC in the garage as a voice firmly states, "Let's get to work."
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It's an enticing and awe-striking look into the potential of FromSoft's next major hit following the explosive reach of Elden Ring. Originally released back in 1997 on the PlayStation and last seen with Verdict Day a decade ago come September 24th, 2023, Armored Core has remained one of FromSoft's most beloved experiences that have languished of late in the background of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and similar offerings.
But, it's making a grand comeback, one that has been rather limited due in large part to its slow and silent PR. Many fans of Armored Core have relayed annoyance in the ways Bandai Namco has approached the marketing of Fires of Rubicon, while others seem less interested in the mecha genre and far more hyped for what Elden Ring's DLC has in store for them.
The game was last seen in a video posted by Bandai showcasing footage that was already shown via Souls Lore veteran VaatiVidya, which originally debuted nearly a month prior. Before that, the publisher had used similar gameplay bits in a strange one-off video featuring content creators simply talking about their time with a hands-off demo.
Gamers can rejoice as more information is bound to drop next week as San Diego Comic-Con is in full swing. A large-scale AC makes its grand appearance at the convention and demos are set to be available at Gamescom later into August, though that's only a few days before the game's official launch.
FromSoft's newest look into the story of Armored Core might still leave fans a bit miffed, given its full CG and cinematic take, as onlookers cling to the hope of additional gameplay bits and multiplayer functionality information. It's still a waiting game, it seems. With nearly a month left to go before its release, fans wait with baited breaths for the chance to forge and pilot remarkable machines once more.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon launches on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC on August 25th.
