Much has been made of what Armored Core 6 isn't – namely, a Souls game, or even a Soulslike, let alone the next Elden Ring. FromSoftware's been busy swimming against the river of its own reputation, setting expectations and entreating fans ahead of a series revival a decade in the making. We know we made Elden Ring, the studio seems to say, but we make other things too. So what is Armored Core 6? It's a third-person action game about mechs. Yeah, that works. But after seeing gameplay in a hands-off Armored Core 6 preview, I'd say FromSoftware didn't go far enough in its messaging. Nearest I can tell, not only is Armored Core 6 not like Elden Ring, it's the opposite of Elden Ring.
Armored Core 6 is linear and mission-based rather than open-ended. Combat looks much more breakneck than deliberate, but still tactical and not spammy. It prefers the industrial over the fantastical, and it seems to opt for vertical depth over a sprawling world. It proudly presents itself as a compact game rather than an unbelievably large one. There's clearly depth and challenge to be had, but there's an arcade, almost bullet hell charisma to it that actually makes it seem easy to understand – three words that wouldn't get within miles of most FromSoftware games. At the same time, just as players can use dozens of parts to make their dream mech, it's clear that bits and pieces of various Souls games were grafted on here. FromSoftware just can't help itself.
