Armored Core VI Will Retain the Massive Boss Battles That Made FromSoftware Famous [IGN]

FromSoftware’s next game may not be a Soulslike, but it will still feature the massive, challenging boss fights that have made the developer one of the most famous games studios on the planet.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon revives FromSoft’s long-dormant mecha series, but director Masaru Yamamura – perhaps best known for his work as lead designer on Sekiro – has promised that a core element of Dark Souls’ DNA will be clear to see in the new game.

“Boss battles are the highlight of the game in this title,” Yamamura told IGN in a statement. “The essence of the battles, in which the player reads the enemy’s moves and then plays games with them, is of course provided, as is typical of FromSoftware. In this title, both the enemy and your own machine are aggressive and violent in their attacks. We are developing the game so that players can enjoy the dynamic and intense boss battles that only mechas can offer, along with the unique aspects of AC, such as how to assemble the right parts to take on the strongest enemies.”

Despite these massive boss battles, FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki explained in an exclusive interview with IGN that the studio has “not been making a conscious effort to try to direct [Armored Core VI] towards more Soulsborne type gameplay.” In other words: don’t expect Armored Core to just be a sci-fi Soulslike.

Instead, the emphasis still seems to be on highly-customisable mecha. Still, it’s very exciting to imagine how different robot builds can be tailored to each colossal boss encounter.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon was announced at The Game Awards 2022. For more insights, check out everything we learned from our big interview with FromSoftware, and why the studio is so interested in the apocalypse.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.