After many years of inactivity, the Armored Core franchise is returning with a new sequel in August 2023. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will be the next big title from FROM Software (I had to), which has gained world fame thanks to their Souls games. Once upon a time, this Japanese studio had many other active series, including Armored Core, which had many more sequels than you might think. Because of this, many new players wonder if the new game requires prior knowledge of the story – so, let’s find out in our investigation into the Armored Core lore!
The Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon Story So Far
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is the 13th mainline game in a series that has over 20 titles, among which there are many spin-offs and remasters spanning several generations of gaming systems and four different time continuities.
Related: Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon Release Date and Platforms
There have already been several complete reboots of the story, and Fires of Rubicon will present the next one – meaning that this edition, even though it bears the number six in the title, will actually be a completely new beginning of yet another Armored Core timeline. Because of that, you won’t need any prior knowledge of any previous Armored Core narratives and universes. But what do we know about the Fires of Rubicon story? Well, after the recent presentations and the new story trailer – quite a lot!
So, let’s have a quick rundown of the currently known story in Fires of Rubicon. The narrative of the new Armored Core game takes place on the planet Rubicon 3. On this planet, a new source of energy named “Coral” was discovered which manages to help make significant big leaps in technology – possibly allowing the creation of more complex Armored Core mechs. Humans have rediscovered the remarkable source of energy after it caused a small apocalypse half a century ago. This energy previously led to the burning down of the entire planet and neighboring star systems in flames.
Have people already forgotten this event known as “The Fires of Ibis” or is it just good old corporate greed – I’m not sure, but in the world of the new Armored Core there are many mega-corporations involved and other groups that are also seeking the power of “Coral”.
In the game, players will take the role of “Raven”, an augmented human Armored Core mecha-pilot with the codename of “C4-621”, who is a sort of independent mercenary under some kind of influence or control of a “handler” known only as “Walter”. Our hero (I guess), will still take jobs from the highest bidder, be it some mega-corporations or their enemy resistance groups that are in war over the “Coral”.
After everything that has happened and with the ongoing wars present, Rubicon 3 does not seem like a very pleasant place to live. The remaining population most likely lives underground, which makes the surface a burnt and desolate setting ideal for Armored Core battles. From everything I’ve seen in Armored Core games so far, this setting seems to be the darkest of them all, with a very grim atmosphere.
So there you have it, not quite the Souls with robots you were expecting, but a very promising new take on an old Armored Core formula by the “new” FROM Sofware. Unlike their popular Souls games, where the narrative is in second place and often hidden, Fires of Rubicon will have a clearly told story with plenty of mission briefings and dialogues where you will even have the power to choose answers. This combination sounds very promising to me, but we’ll find out how Fires of Rubicon will turn out on August 25, 2023, when this title will be released for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
For more Armored Core here on Prima Games check out the list of all Armored Core games ever, there are many more of them than you think!
