Before FROM Software were renowned for killing an armored knight in unrelenting punishing ways, they were renowned for destroying a mech in the same way.

We’ve been spending some time with Fires of Rubicon, the return of their mission-focused shooter and ahead of our final overview – we wanted to provide our initial impressions now the game is out.

It’s very, very good.

Right now, this feels like the work of a developer at the peak of their powers. Hot off the heels of Elden Ring, a unanimous Game of the Year winner, FROM have crafted something completely different but equally entertaining and could surprise more than a few people by featuring on even more lists in 2023.

There is a kind of Dark Souls element to this, in that levels can be super tricky, you need to get your balance right, and bosses will kick your ass. Especially the very first one – where have we seen that before?

But there’s much more to Armored Core than bonfires and little messages in the sand, because here you can fully and completely design a mech menace that is custom designed for the missions at hand. And you definitely will need to think about that as you progress.

Aside from the brutal chopper at the beginning – who will definitely catch more than a few people offguard – the initial missions are quite relaxed. Well, as relaxed as a FROM Software game gets, anyway.

You’ll go from destroying a few targets on top of buildings and lower on ground, to a full on assault on a base with team mates, and even take down a massive strider with an all-powerful eye. It’s like the death child of an AT-AT and Sauron you never wanted.

And the thing that really struck me with AC was the movement. Dark Souls and Elden Ring have a certain style, in that they flow well enough but there’s a bit of a stubbornness to it all.

Not here. In fact, your mech can whip around so fast, you’ll need to slow it down more than a few times to get to where you need to be or so you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way or flying out of cover. This can also feed into the type of mech you build, as via AC design, when assembling your mech, you’ll be able to improve things like boost speed and load, but if the weight is too big, they’ll be a lot slower getting around.

The missions themselves are also a great length for pick up and play sessions, which will sound completely alien to Souls-like fans. I mean, sure, you can play for hours at a time and not lose interest – that’s what I’ve been doing – but you could theoretically just dip in for a quick play session before bed or the start of work if you’re so inclined.

So far, the mission variety has been pretty interesting too. I mean, I’m sure there’s only a certain amount of combinations of shoot x thing, pick up y, and escape. But I haven’t got bored nor felt like I’m repeating myself too frequently, which has definitely been an issue for me with similar games.

The environments, too, really give a flavor of this world, from blinding sands to opened out utopias, layered with destruction. And floating around your mech definitely won’t help with that as you take out small buildings, barricades and even fuel tanks as you dodge and weave away from rockets and blasters.

This is all about action that’s fast-paced and fucking fun. So far, at least. And I’m sure once I get deeper into this with my overview, I’ll notice some things or pick up on others. But as of right now, half way into Chapter Two, having fought a few bosses, experimented with different decals and makeups, and even trying out some of the training, I feel I’m getting a good grasp of the game.

It’s a decent challenge, too. Not too difficult – I’ve certainly died a few times to a couple of bosses – and not too easy to float through either despite mission checkpoints. But if I’ve struggled at any point, I’ve felt comfortable and confident enough to re-assemble my mech and try to adapt to any particular pain points. I’ve immediately noticed the effects on screen and in handling, which is just masterful and really shows just how nuanced, but finely balanced this game is.

So far, so brilliant. We’re still working through the content right now but hope to have some final impressions next week. With it being launch, however, we wanted to let you know this one is sound, solid, and stable, and could very well be a sleeper hit for Game of the Year.

The floodgates for the second half of the year are wide open and the quality is already finding its way through.