Hands-on: Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is mech-blasting fun

If you love blasting mechs while piloting your own like me, then you will love FromSoftware's upcoming Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon.

I had the opportunity to try out the first chapter of the game in an hands-on session earlier this month thanks to publisher Bandai Namco, and it was a blast (and I mean that sort of literally).

It's been almost 10 years since Armored Core V, and I must confess I've never played a game in the series. But I'm a huge fan of the MechWarrior series, which are often compared.

Unlike MechWarrior though, AC6 uses a third party perspective. I actually like this, as I can appreciate the mech I'm piloting a lot better.

That's because AC6 features an interesting game design, which lets you customise everything about the mech. You can change the parts, the weapon loadouts, the armour, and down to your power unit. And being able to see the changes as you're piloting it makes it feel even more immersive.

The game takes place in a mostly empty world, filled with mega structures and enemy mechs all out to secure an energy source called Coral. You play as a mercenary, with bits of story told to you as you do missions.

Exploring the maps you get dropped into also lets you find data logs which gives you more lore. It's not the Elden Ring style of storytelling, but the bits and pieces I got in the first chapter playthrough already intrigued me enough that I wanted to find out more.

Thing is, though, you're thrown right into the action with no idea what's going on.

And it can feel overwhelming.

Is Armored Core VI hard for beginners?

However, Fromsoft has provided plenty of training missions to help you and you should give them a playthrough, because you get extra parts to use in your mechs when you beat them.

And these tutorials are something that will help make the game approachable for both casual and skilled players. But most of all, the game is designed for both fans, and newcomers alike.

"We feel like it was important to try to cater to both audiences with Armored Core VI, of course, we wanted something new and exciting for players who have not played an Armored Core game before", said Armored Core VI director Masaru Yamamura, who was previously lead designer for Sekiro: Shadow's Die Twice.

"First of all, the story and setting is brand new, so we don't expect players to study the history of Armored Core to be able to enjoy it. They can jump right in and enjoy this brand new setting. Also, we wanted to make the battle system more intuitive, we wanted players to understand the simple pleasures of taking your customized mech out into combat and flying it around freely in three dimensions."

This aspect of being able to play and traverse in three dimensions also comes from Yamamura's experience with Sekiro, where the grappling hook mechanic enabled players to observe enemies from a vantage where they would normally not be able to get to. In Armored Core VI, this allows them to do "impossible feats" that can't be performed by humans.

This means I can put in rockets or giant cannons, or choose between a laser sword or gatling guns, or have reverse joint legs to jump better, or make a hover tank and rain death at my enemies from above.

During my playthrough, I've tried a bit of everything, but I found out I really liked to play with a laser sword and a rocket launcher, which gave me the flexibility to attack from far or close.

Now, FromSoft says the game is designed to let you experiment, and try out new things if it doesn't work for you. That means you can buy and sell parts without losing credits.

If you can't beat a mission or a boss, you can restart and switch out your loadout to try to take advantage of a weakness or a pattern you noticed in your first battle.

"Assembly plays a big role in Armored Core VI, and we hope players engage with this and try many types of mech throughout the campaign. However, we understand that once you are a certain point and have developed a certain love for a specific type of mech or the way a specific mech moves and you'll want to stick with that," said Yamamura.

"You may want to switch up your weapons a little here and there depending on the boss fight, depending on what the mission's asking of you, but yes, you can stick with a specific type of Armored Core if you're so included.

And you will need to do that. Midway through my first chapter, I encountered the first roadblock that took me four tries to beat. And it's a roadblock that will leave you frustrated until you figure it out. You can see how FromSoft's usual game design comes into play, though unlike, say Elden Ring, you can't skip it and come back later.

However, being observant and watching for patterns will let you figure out this hurdle. And as mentioned earlier, you're encouraged to go and switch loadouts to try something different to see if you can beat the boss.

And while it may take you a few tries to get there, there's an immense sense of satisfaction that comes with a dopamine rush that keeps you playing.

What platforms will Armored Core VI be on?

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is set for a 25 August release on the Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One, Series X, and Series S, as well as Microsoft Windows.

My hands-on session was four hours, and it flew by so quick I wished I was able to play more.

I loved how I could tweak my mech, how fluid combat was, and even playing it on a keyboard and mouse, it felt comfortable and natural (though FromSoft says the game controls are "more suited" for a controller).

There's a certain sense of wonder and exploration despite the empty world, that makes you want to keep playing.

While you can replay missions to farm credits to buy parts, you won't need to, since you can just sell parts you don't need and change them around. Replaying missions is more of an endgame option, for getting "S" ranking, says Fromsoft's Yamamura.

And honestly, if you already feel like you've found a comfortable build and want to stick with it, fret not, FromSoft is not gonna force you to a certain style.

That said, you may need to change a certain weapon or two depending on the boss – at least, that's what I feel based on my hands-on so far.

I can't wait to play the full game and see just how much destruction my mech will do to my enemies.

Aloysius Low is an ex-CNET editor with more than 15 years of experience. He's really into cats and is currently reviewing products at canbuyornot.com