Thoughts on Armored Core 6

Ah, I really want to play a new Armored Core game.

These past ten years. It was something I would suddenly think about in certain moments.
It's not that I was dissatisfied with the older games. (By our company's standards).
If I wanted to play Armored Core, I could just pull out the old ones.
But every time a new Armored Core title created by FromSoftware was released, it provided fresh surprises. I wanted to taste that pleasure once more.

When they release a title like this, of course I'm going to react this way!!

And so, I progressed a little bit every day starting from the release date of August 25, 2023, and today, September 10, I have cleared the first playthrough.

[The following contains spoilers, so please be aware.]

It's not even a matter of whether it's interesting or not.
Just as you don't need to be consciously aware of breathing oxygen, operating and building the mechs feels completely natural. There's no sense of discomfort at all. It has this feeling of familiarity, as if it had been with me all along.
And yet, the story is filled with pleasant surprises, like the sudden scent of curry or dashi drifting from somewhere in an apartment complex.

Armored Core tastes better when you let it age for 10 years.
No, perhaps I should say the aging period (Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, SEKIRO, Elden Ring) was good.
Or perhaps I should see it as the reaction to FromSoftware making too much fantasy.

It doesn't matter. In any case, Armored Core 6 is the best.

Let's calm down a bit.

I think players who played this for the first time were quite bewildered.

First, the movement controls have their quirks.
Since the mech has inertia, you can't move it as you want until you get used to it.

Next is the stagger system.
There is a mechanic where all enemies can be staggered, and the basic strategy of this game is to unleash as much damage as possible while they are staggered. You are forced to get used to that in the tutorial stage. That armed heavy helicopter... that's not the strength of a tutorial boss, is it...?

And then the combo system.
It's a technique for pouring in maximum firepower during a stagger, but I still don't understand it. How do you link them? What links to what?
It seems like there's still plenty to enjoy.

A word on the characters as well.
I don't know their faces. I don't know them at all. I don't know what kind of faces they have. I don't know what expressions they are making right now. I'm sure it looks strange to modern kids. Even though it's a series tradition, I think it was quite a decision not to change this. I was happy about it, though.

Story

I chose the Ayre route for my first playthrough.
The reason?

Because I didn't want to leave the choice of killing Carla and Chatty for later.
I'm sorry, both of you... Next time, let's fight together...

So, my thoughts.

The true nature, danger, and potential of Coral.
Coral and humans.
And friends.

The fact that Raven brought corporations to this planet.
The intentions of the Planetary Closure Administration.
The hacktivists.
Although I vaguely understood Rusty's true identity and purpose, it was an ending that left many mysteries.

I'm sure Ayre will manage to persuade the Coral, but I don't know what will happen from here on out.

More details in the next installment. Armored Core 6: Jupiter Kings.

A story where "Raven" is the protagonist would be fine too, FromSoftware!!