[h2]It’s an open book exam but all the answers must come from within.[/h2]
FromSoftware back at it again, delivering a deceivingly strategic game enshrouded in speed and fire power.
[b]Miyazaki’s Way[/b]
The Guardian published an interview of Hidetaka Miyazaki where he famously said that he [i]sucked[/i] at video games and that he uses everything at his disposal. This was his approach for Elden Ring and its debated expansion. Armored Core 6 was already a year old at the time of the interview. After having experienced the rebirth of this beloved title, I swear that he is talking about Armored Core 6 rather than Elden Ring.
Typical to any FromSoft game, I died a lot. After every failed attempt, Miyazaki would reveal his presence in the options. He would stare me right at the face in the form of a menu choice. The game would gently give me the option to change my build.
“Big deal!” some would say. It can be argued that in all souls like games, you could almost always change your build before entering a boss fight. Though that is true, the range of modification has never been as open as Armored Core 6. Yes, you can change your armor, rethink your weapons before attempting at Malenia once again. Armored Core bested this option by not only allowing you to change your weapons load out, but it also allows you to change your Core’s entire body. Speed legs on your first 5 attempts, then full on tank build once frustration sets in. Imagine Elden Ring allowing you to fully redistribute your stats prior to every attempt because that is how liberating this game is. In every crucial step of the game, it offers everything at your disposal.
[b]Facilitation Anticipation[/b]
Lets move on to my favorite design aspect of the game.
Souls like games have always accommodated the majority of builds that players may throw at its bosses: “Mage build you’ve got there? [i]Go on, you can do it! [/i]Poison dagger build? [i]Get in there, you’ll be fine...[/i] Double great sword with a loin cloth..? [i] errr... you’ll figure it out[/i]”. Most boss moves boil down to ‘can you figure out the tell and the proper response’. AC6 is both similar and different.
I have read an unhealthy amount of comments in Youtube where people complain about how a cheese build is the only means for them to move forward in AC6. This feels the same to me as the comments that came immediately after the release of Sekiro. Dodge was not as powerful, so naturally a few souls like players were displeased by the game design. Eventually the discourse died down, as it was made clear by veteran souls like players that [u]parry[/u] is the main defense mechanic through their uploaded, mind blowing game play videos.
Armored Core 6 deceives it players by appearing as though there is a meta that must be figured out to achieve success. However, I have watched speed, mids and slow builds tackle the same boss and achieve the same victory. The difference is how these builds were piloted. Far for a weakling such as myself to mock others with “Skill Issue!” as I assure you it is not. AC6 is a tactical game that can facilitate any build given that both the AC and its pilot are in harmony.
[b]In Summary[/b]
Armored Core 6 is a question of ‘what would you do?’ and ‘how would you do it?’. I can use everything and still end up with nothing. I can copy any and all builds that I can find, but still have to confront the reality that I cannot easily copy the pilot. It’s an open book exam but all the answers must come from within.
