Will Armored Core VI be a Soulslike? Here’s what devs say

Fans are incredibly excited about From Software’s latest announcement, a return to their mech-piloting series with Armored Core VI, but will it be a Soulslike?

From Software has become synonymous with the Soulslike genre, a trial-and-error journey through incredibly difficult combat encounters with RPG elements. When From Software announced Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon at the 2022 Game Awards, many fans presumed that it would be a Souls-like experience. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to the developers.

Armored Core VI won’t be a Soulslike game

In an interview with IGN, game director Hidetake Miyazaki was quick to put rumors that this futuristic shooter would emulate the Souls games to rest. When asked about whether or not the return to From Software’s futuristic roots would emulate their wildly successful Souls game, he left no room for misinterpretation.

“No, we’ve not been making a conscious effort to try to direct it towards more Soulsborne-type gameplay. First of all, let me just make that clear,” Miyazaki said to IGN.

“The essential direction of [Armored Core 6] was to go back and take a good look at the core concept of Armored Core and what made that series special. So we wanted to take the assembly aspect, assembling and customizing your own mech – your AC – and then being able to exact a high level of control over the assembled mech. So we wanted to take those two core concepts and reexamine those in our modern environment,” he said.

Miyazaki says that his core focus for Armored Core VI is allowing fans to customize their mech, called their Armored Core, to fit their unique playstyle and preferred combat method. Armored Core VI will focus on traditional mission play, with players focusing on learning how to efficiently clear the level and fight From Software’s notorious bosses rather than exploring a consistent open world.