In recent years, FromSoftware has become known for its epic dark fantasy works, taking players through deadly kingdoms and nations beset by horrible beasts. ThroughDemon’s Souls,theDark Soulstrilogy, and other titles likeElden Ring, the Japanese developer has made a name for itself. This stretches all the way back to its roots, as the first games FromSoftware released were the dungeon-crawlingKing’s Fieldgames that eventually spawned the modernSoulsformula. Looking over FromSoftware’s history reveals a line of fantasy action titles that evolved over time, but always kept some ties to the games before them.
However, in addition to an assortment of fantasy and miscellaneous projects, there is one other genre that FromSoftware specialized in. Shortly after its start as a game developer, FromSoftware started work onArmored Core, a mecha action series that consistently released games from 1997 to 2013, only skipping 1998 and 2011. Without a doubt, these mech-piloting simulators are a core part of the developer that only fell by the wayside afterDark Soulsproved more popular. Understanding the newly announcedArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, and why its announcement is such a big deal, involves knowing some of the earliest history of FromSoftware itself.
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The Blueprint for Armored Core
First founded in 1986, FromSoftware was originally a business software developer that didn’t develop video games. However, a number of employees worked on PC games between larger projects and had a passion for various topics like Western fantasy and giant robots. When the larger company decided to branch into video game development, its small development team tried to make a PC game featuring 3D robots navigating an underground labyrinth. This was halted by technical issues, but both its ideas and its failure paved the way for FromSoftware’s biggest games. With the reveal of the Sony PlayStation,the firstKing’s Fieldwas quickly prepared for the PlayStation’s 1994 launch window, and it spawned two sequels over the following two years.
However, something else was building momentum in the background. Renowned mecha designer Shoji Kawamori was approached before the PlayStation’s launch to work on a game with FromSoftware. The initial pitch involved player-designed modular mecha, with Kawamori focusing that idea intomachines built around armored cores. The idea of mecha navigating underground labyrinths was revisited, with the explanation being that humanity had retreated underground after a calamity. Dystopian megacorporations employing mercenaries called Ravens had risen to power, and the player would slowly learn about this through mission briefings as they continued their piloting career. One thing led to another, and the firstArmored Corewas released in Japan for PS1 on July 10th, 1997.
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Armored Core Quickly Took Flight
FromSoftware quickly understood that it had a hit on its hands, with the firstArmored Corebeing considered the point where the company solidified around game development. A prequel titledArmored Core: Project Phantasmawas released a few months later and began the trend ofArmored Coregames being released in setswith save data carried between them.Armored Coredeveloped a passionate following in Japan, with the strong emphasis on customizing a mech to take on the varied challenges of provided missions becoming a huge draw. The separate Arena modes and competitive multiplayer were favorite features, and the surprisingly deep and political stories gave narrative fans something to chew on.
While the series was more obscure in North America, it also developed a cult following. Modern FromSoftware players familiar withDemon’s SoulsandBloodbornemay be surprised to learn that there had long been some relations between FromSoftware and Sony, who published the worldwide release of the originalArmored Core. While this was a temporary arrangement, the combined success ofArmored Core’s initial outings combined with internal interest led to it becoming a huge franchise that still has more entries than any other FromSoftware IP. The developer used its expertise to make a number of other mecha action games likeMetal Wolf ChaosandMobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, building a legacy that seemed even stronger than its fantasy efforts.
The Death and Rebirth of Armored Core
Armored Coretrundled along comfortably for many years. It clung to the formula of two or three titles forming a numbered generation, with several spin-offs released along the way. The narrative continuity was soft-rebooted a few times, but weapons, parts, and certain other aspects like the enemy mech Nine-Ball and some form of FromSoftware’s signature Moonlight weapon continued to appear.Armored Core 4shook the series upin 2006 by changing to a much faster style of play on PS3 and Xbox 360. This also happened to beSoulscreator Hidetaka Miyazaki’s directorial debut. It andArmored Core: For Answerhave their fans nowadays, but the change was highly divisive at the time.
Unfortunately, it was merely a prelude to 2012’sArmored Core 5and the following year’sArmored Core: Verdict Day.AC5attempted to strike a balance between classic slow gameplay and modern fast gameplay, but ended up pushing its old fan base away with an abnormally poor single-player campaign and awkward multiplayer changes.Verdict Dayfixed some things, but it proved to be the end of the series untilArmored Core 6was announced almost a decade later.It seemed likeDaemon X Machina, conceived by several formerACdevelopers, would beArmored Core’s only legacy for many years. It’s good to see FromSoftware step back from Souls games to revisit the other franchise that put it on the map, and hopefully,Armored Core 6will be a grand return to form.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconwill be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
