Summary
AnArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon"Target Assist Off" run could potentially be as challenging as a level 1 run in Souls titles, it has been revealed. Challenge Runs are arguably some of the best content to come out ofSoulslike games, and it’ll be great to see that tradition continue inArmored Core 6.
Soulslike games are known for their immense difficulty, whether that’s as early asDemon’s SoulsorDark Soulsor as recent asElden Ring. However, the community is known to make them even more difficult by placing self-imposed challenge runs on themselves. Common examples include beating the games with odd controller set-ups (like a dance pad or drum set), beating the entire game at level one, and/or beating the entire game with no hits. During a recent Game Rant interview,Armored Core 6director Masaru Yamamura commented on these challenge runs and how one could work in the upcoming title.
RELATED:FromSoftware Wanted to Avoid Elden Ring Comparisons with Armored Core 6
One thing Yamamura makes clear is that challenge runs are a “more incidental part of the game” and not something FromSoftware would ever want to impose on players. The game is just the game, and what players do within those constraints is entirely on them. That doesn’t make FromSoftware oblivious to how they could work, however, with Yamamura saying a “target assist off” run ofArmored Core 6could be compared to alevel 1 run in a Souls game. This is specifically because every mechanic becomes entirely manual:
“They have to use all four of these weapons simultaneously while boosting in every direction, while not locking on to any particular enemy and controlling everything manually. That could be a fun one.”
Managing so many elements would elevate thedifficulty ofArmored Core 6for sure, meaning someone out there might just be brave enough to tackle the challenge. Of course, it’s just as likely thatArmored Core 6players find other ways to make each run more difficult than the last. What that could be remains to be seen, but it’ll be interesting to see what comes out of the community at release.
Right now, perhapsthe ultimate challenge is a ‘SoulsBorneKiroRing’ run, which means beatingDemon’s Souls, the threeDark Soulsgames,Bloodborne, Sekiro, andElden Ringin a row without taking a single hit across all games. One simple slap on the wrist means restarting from the very beginning withDemon’s Souls. For many players, these challenge runs are too daunting to even try, but they are endlessly entertaining. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that the community will find some way to pile on the challenges.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconreleases August 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
