Is Armored Core 6 a Soulsborne game?

Armored Core 6 is the next game from developer FromSoftware, which has made some of the most famous games in the modern era. Not only that, but the developer has essentially created its own genre in video games, called “Soulsborne” by the community. This genre is named after the Dark Souls series and the standalone title, Bloodborne. Games that fall into this genre are known to be extremely difficult, feature massive boss fights, and deep combat systems.

Naturally, with Armored Core 6 the new title from the developer, fans are curious if it will fall into the Soulsborne genre as well.

While Armored Core as a franchise has been running for two decades at this point, the upcoming sixth entry will likely be many fans’ first foray into the series. As such, these fans aren’t sure exactly how difficult the game will be compared to FromSoft’s previous titles or how the world will be constructed.

Armored Core 6 will not be a Soulsborne title

Contrary to what some fans believe, FromSoft does not want Armored Core 6 to be seen as a Soulsborne game. When the title was first revealed earlier in 2023, many players assumed it would just be a sci-fi version of Elden Ring or Dark Souls. While there will certainly be elements of those games, like the epic boss fights, present in Armored Core 6, the developers have stressed that it does not feature many Souls-like qualities.

The game will not be open world and is mission-based, which is a huge departure from FromSoft’s previous game, Elden Ring. Armored Core 6 will also not feature any multiplayer elements within its story mode. Although, there will be a separate PvP mode where players can engage in multiplayer gameplay.

The story mode will still be fairly difficult, but vast mech customization allows players to bypass certain difficulty spikes by equipping more powerful gear specific to their current mission. Of course, this might not help too much when it comes to boss fights, which are the biggest similarity that Armored Core 6 shares with a Soulsborne game. The boss fights will be extremely challenging and feature one-on-one battles with a formidable opponent at the end of some missions.

Related: Can you change the difficulty level in Armored Core 6?

So, what players need to take from all of this is that Armored Core 6 is not aiming to be a Soulsborne title. It will share some similarities to those types of games, but it’s forging its own path when it comes to gameplay and how the story is told.