Looking back at what FromSoftware has contributed most seminally to gaming, it is easy to look at Dark Souls and Elden Ring as benchmarks for other action-RPGs to strive toward. These games are largely unique due to their punishing death mechanics and epic boss fights, with immersive dark fantasy world-building peppered throughout. However, FromSoftware also has a longstanding franchise in Armored Core that many modern FromSoftware fans may not know much about, and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon can lean into that mystique.
It has been repeated constantly that Armored Core 6 will have no association with FromSoftware’s Soulslike games, nor will its mechanics be similar. Some design choices are sure to permeate it, though, and the developer may have brought a few ideas from previous Soulslike titles into this new Armored Core installment. Because many fans are likely unfamiliar with Armored Core, this presents a unique opportunity for FromSoftware to once again embellish itself as an authentic and original developer while many other developers try to emulate its Soulslike formula in the meantime.
FromSoftware Can Offer Something Fresh While Other Soulslikes Run Hot
‘Soulslikes’ emerging as its own unofficial subgenre was born from how influential FromSoftware’s game design is. The subgenre was considered niche for a while before it became more prominent in FromSoftware’s titles, and Soulslike imitators gradually began crawling out from the woodwork to try and put their own stamp on it.
Soulslike games like Mortal Shell, The Surge, Nioh, Lords of the Fallen, or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, for example, all feature Soulslike traits alongside some other distinctive mechanics and characteristics. Even more Soulslikes are in development now, and each one will inevitably bear the weight of its inspirations as fans compare one to another, let alone one to a FromSoftware game itself.
Indeed, Lies of P will either thrive or succumb under the weight of its Bloodborne comparison, while Hollow Knight: Silksong is highly inspired by Soulslike mechanics but is considered more of a 2D Metroidvania, and therefore gets a bit of a pass. If there isn’t something inherently distinct about a Soulslike, then it may easily be swept under a rug. FromSoftware’s Soulslike games may always be incredibly popular, helping subsequent entries to basically market themselves in the same way that Elden Ring already looked phenomenal before release.
But because FromSoftware’s next game will not be a Soulslike, the developer perhaps chose the most opportune time to revisit an established franchise and reinvent it while a handful of other developers’ Soulslike games release. Not that it would need to compete against other developers in the subgenre that it’s arguably most famous for, but it helps to keep FromSoftware’s catalog and releases fresh, and will make fans yearn for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC even more.
The only concern here is that if FromSoftware disrupts its pattern of releasing Soulslike games only to have fans not enjoy Armored Core and its distinguished gameplay design as much, that could be an unfortunate blemish on FromSoftware’s current hot streak—though, once again, Elden Ring will be there to catch it if it falls. This puts FromSoftware in an interesting position and Elden Ring’s DLC may have well been considered as a safety net in either case since the anticipation around Shadow of the Erdtree is already insurmountable.
It is unlikely that FromSoftware would suddenly churn out a bad game with Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’s release, but it would be unsurprising to see fans comparing it arbitrarily to FromSoftware’s Soulslikes and wishing it had implemented more of that design instead. Ideally, Armored Core 6 launches to a positive reception and FromSoftware no longer needs to spread itself thin by only sticking to Soulslike action-RPGs.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon launches August 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
