A dense, often frustrating mech-combat game that can offer moments of pure enjoyment if you dig for them.
| Developer | FromSoftware |
| Publisher |
FromSoftware; Sony Computer Entertainment
|
| Franchise | Armored Core |
| Genre | |
| PSTV | Yes |
| PSN | NA only |
World-building & Story
In Armored Core, you play as an unnamed pilot in the near future who is a member of Raven, an elite mercenary corporation who take for-hire jobs from mega corporations. You’ll quickly discover that things are more complicated than they seem and there’s a war brewing between Chrome Inc and Murakumo Millennium, during which you’ll have to take a side on at the behest of your faceless boss known only as ‘R’.
There’s a fairly interesting world established here – a dark, mechanical future ruled by companies who commit corporate espionage and experiments on humans to forward their nefarious goals. Even though levels are simplistic you’ll really get a sense of dread from this universe which is a testament to the world-building skills of FromSoftware, that they’re able to create a great atmosphere from very little.
The problem stems from how it is delivered – raven’s nest (your home base) is just a series of menus and mission briefs are delivered via words and static images which give a very sterile, hands-off feel. Everything feels very compartmentalised and although there’s a bigger picture at play here, it’s difficult to see it from behind the text-heavy focus. This was a common feature of early, low-budget Japanese games so I can’t criticise it too much, but it was disappointing not to be given more cut-scenes to push things forward.
The actual plot here takes its time to get going, but once it hits its stride there’s enough here to keep you hooked – the fact Raven is peripheral to events gives things and interesting perspective and matters unfold in a methodical and interesting manner. Whether you’ll stay engaged is another question, as it can be dull simply reading through reels of text.
Presentation & Sound
Held back by the hardware it’s running on, Armored Core feels like it’s part of a grander vision that couldn’t be realised on the PS1. Things look okay, but blocky models and pixel-ed visual elements hold things back.
Probably the most impressive thing the game does is to give you a fully customisable mech that changes on screen based on what you have equipped – if you swap out bipedal legs for quad spider legs, your mech will be a big lumbering beast that slowly stomps around a level. Enemies don’t receive quite as much detail and while the armored cores look good, things like flying drones and mechanical creatures are more simple 3D models.
Environments on the other hand look pretty bad – they’ll either be enclosed indoor corridors which at least manage to capture the feel of a winding car park or claustrophobic laboratory, or sprawling outdoor spaces which are less impressive. Draw distances are poor, urban areas feature a drab colour palette and things like deserts are covered in pixelated sandstorms which make visibility a nightmare. It’s all basic 3D stuff that just hasn’t aged particularly well.
Menus are functional although feature a distinct lack of information on screen (more on that later) while sound fluctuates hugely – in-mission voice acting is loud and a bit irritating, which menu and battle themes run the gambit from soothing to tense.
Soundtrack highlight – Dotted line
Gameplay & Content
Featuring a complex array of systems that are frustrating to figure out, Armored Core is a classic example of an early FromSoftware title – obtuse, but rewarding if you’re willing to put the time in.
The first thing you’re going to need to get used to is controlling your mech. It’s a slow, lumbering machine with very deliberate movements – nothing like the machines in Gundam which zip around the screen. You have a boost bar which can be used to briefly hover but is more useful for side-dashing to avoid damage, alongside primary and secondary weapons as well as a melee attack.
Slightly predating the release of the dualshock controller, Armored Core uses an utterly bizarre control scheme where the shoulder buttons are included in aiming – on Vita you can slightly rebind to put these on the second analogue stick, but it’s far from ideal and difficult to get to grips with. Thankfully you’re given a targeting window which helps with locking onto enemies (similar to Resistance: Retribution), but is still tricky thanks to the speed your foes move with.
In general, you’ll start in raven’s nest and pick one of a handful of missions from the roster – thankfully there’s a good chunk of variety, from simple search and destroy to more complex recon or defence objectives, which help to keep things feeling fresh. Each mission rewards money and this forms and interesting ecosystem – you’re charged for repairs and ammo refills upon completion, meaning it’s a constant grind to keep enough currency by avoiding damage and unnecessary fire.
In what is one of the most bizarre systems I’ve come across in games, repeated failure will actually lead to increased power for your pilot. Getting to minus 50k at any point will end your game, but you’ll start over as ‘human plus’, an enhanced version of yourself with things like better movement and radar capabilities. It’s a somewhat nice incentive to return if you’re really struggling, but can just encourage early failure to make things easier later on.
Just as important as the combat (arguably more important) is the customisation of your mech. It’s built from many different parts – head, core, legs etc. and you can buy upgrades for each with the money you earn that keeps you in tip-top. There’s actually a lot of choice and it can almost completely change your playstyle – you can be a weak but quick striker, or a lumbering tank who can take a beating but can’t run away quickly, which is incredibly neat for a PS1 game and incentives experimentation.
The issue is that it’s all just so dense – there’s no explanation for anything, so it took me ages to figure out what energy and weight points were and how I should be balancing them. Items in the shop simply have a picture and don’t give you any indication of their use, meaning you’re stuck using the Internet or buying them then selling them back just to figure out what they do, which is archaic design and not something I was a fan of at all.
If you can get over this hump, there’s probably a fairly deep and rewarding structure underneath where you can tinker for hours – but I personally never reached this stage, instead preferring to dive right back into the action. And there were plenty of times it was very enjoyable – although the environments are limited they’re fun to boost around and blast enemies while the variety kept things interesting. Certain missions were an absolute blast, particularly when I was hunting down stray foes and ducking in and out of cover with pinpoint movement.
Other missions can be absolutely infuriating though – particularly when there are loads of fast-moving flying enemies who flit around and take pot shots at you which it’s nigh-on impossible to react to. A nice touch is that failing a mission isn’t a game over – you’ll simply lose money and be able to move on to the next, but too much of this can lead to an unwinnable game state and having to start over anyway (plus it’s just annoying to be keep failing due to ridiculous battle odds).
If Armored Core does get its hooks into you, expect about 8-10 hours of enjoyment and plenty of reasons to return – it’s just a bit of a tough slog to get to that stage.
Conclusion
Antiqued, obtuse and unforgiving – Armored Core is an interesting proposition in today’s gaming landscape. There’s plenty to sink your teeth into (for which you’ll probably need a wiki) and the mech combat can be a lot of fun, but there’s plenty of frustrations along the way. Definitely not for everyone.
6.0/10
kresnik258gaming 
This is sort of a game that leaves mediocre impression on many players, but if they liked it, they actually LOVE it!
Within genre (“mecha” games), Armored Core stays as one of absolute pinnacles, for many reasons. And it’s also one of “those” games which you can’t really replace with something else (though, considering there was not a new Armored Core game since 2013, people now are thirsty for “that ac feeling”, and partially thirst is quenched when playing other games e.g. wondeful Daemon X Machina – but it never fullfills ac desire, in the end; hence fanbase is in agony lately).
No surprise that same developers made Dark Souls, because relationship between game and enthusiats that i mentioned above, is similar with Souls as well (including people searching replacements and not being 100% content with that), so it’s a huge irony that obviosly it’s popularity of Soulsbourne (which are amazing games and deserve it) is the reason that Armored Core isn’t worked on again, despite all those promises each year.
Similarly, AC is same type of game as Soulsborne or shmups in terms of how it has high and almost masochistic learning curve, but also grants huge satisfaction. And of course it has huge support of community, so asking advice or reading guides is a common situation here. I would dare to say, though, that Armored Core is more complex and/or overwhelming than Soulsborne games, which also goes against chance of it being more popular. I would even add, that “average Joe” loves a certain part in the series that is simplified compared to others – i mean, of course, Armored Core 4: For Answer. Which is gorgeous and among best in series (and directed by dark souls “father”), but it streamlines many things from classic Armored Core, so it feels almost like a spin-off instead. Well, i don’t want to open this can of worms, but AC as series has “generations”, each generation has plenty of games released during it, and there are plenty of differences to gameplay and what not from gen to gen. And obviously this leads to fanbase being fragmented, as many players loved AC games from this generation and hated AC games from that. Yeah, it’s as complicated as games itself, lol.
About what makes Armored Core special. I may agree that it’s the only mecha franchise that found best balance between arcade-like “anime” mecha (e.g. most of Gundam and Macross games, Zone of Enders etc.) and realistic “simulation” mech games (e.g. MechWarrior, Steel Battalion), just like Gran Turismo takes the sweet spot between pure arcades (such as OutRun or Ridge Racer) and serious autosim games (like rFactor, Enthusia or Asseto Corsa). Armored Core gives player a great feeling of “weght” that mecha has, and simulation aspect is pretty strong (i dare to say, customization is better than in most MechWarrior releases because in AC every part you install influences so many things, like speed/power/overheating/radar etc. etc., and there are so many different things to be aware of, especially in later games of the series, perfect for those who loves spending time in garage). But also it’s great as challenging action game, following japanese game design of “git gut” (yeah, dark souls reference again, oops), including joy of replaying missions over and over to do “S Rank” masterful playthrough, while changing different “builds” and experimenting with weapons/armor/whatever equipment you have.
A thing that i don’t really agree much, is idea that AC feels “clunky”. But i understand why most people would feel that (and again, keep in mind that i started with MechWarrior series, now THAT i can call clunky, which is not bad as it’s like that there, by design). Personally, when i first played Armored Core on PS1 (before going to later entries in series), i was surprised how much control on mech movement game gives to you! You can run and dash on ground in different directions, then you can do the same in air. instead of just jumping. It becomes even more expanded in later games of series, of course, but i was already liking what they achieved on ps1. Of course, player HAS to get used to booster energy limits to be efficient, that’s like stamina in soulsborne. Also, with experience, you understand small helpful things, like e.g. when there is enemy behind you, do not slowly turn 180 degree! Instead, do a backward dash, after which it’s you who behind the enemy! Of course, radar helps with that, and map awareness. Same with things like knowing which weapon or which radar system to use in each case, which comes to you either with experience and/or with after learning from players and guides.
But even if you don’t find yourself enjoying Armored Core, i hope everyone can agree that music is absolute greatness. I really love in-house FromSoftware music team, their soundtracks always unique and great. Sadly, with Soulsborne series taking over, they instead ask guest musicians instead in most cases.
Ouch, i guess it’s obvious i’m passionate fan of series, ha-ha.
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Once again this was a really great write-up that taught me a lot about the series haha! I’ve never really thought about the comparisons to Soulsbourne but given that’s a series I’ve also never taken to, I can kinda understand why Armored Core never clicked for me either.
It’s one of those things that as I get older, I have less time for obtuse mechanics that take time and dedication to figure out and it does make me a bit of a ‘casual’ gamer in a sense, but given that I have limited gaming time I’m happy with that.
Funnily enough though, I do have a number of other Armored Core games in my backlog haha! I think I have Master of Arena (I think?) from the JP store and also Formula Front International which looks even more obtuse but I’m kinda looking forward to more. Then I have two of the games from the US store – I think Armored Core 3 and either Last Raven or the other one, all of which I intend to play some day.
Maybe I will give the first AC another go some time based on your write up and see if I can put the time in to actually enjoy it some more.
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Now, to comment on some points from your review (which i’m happy to see here even if game ended up being not your cup of tea).
///There’s a fairly interesting world established here – a dark, mechanical future ruled by companies who commit corporate espionage and experiments on humans to forward their nefarious goals. ///
I’m glad you appreciate this. Atmosphere in AC games is good and pretty dark. I should say, sometimes it almost feels “horror”. For those who enjoy settings like Deus Ex, which deal with questions of how hard it is to stay human in grim world ruled by greedy corporations. Let me quote a saying i found on reddit about AC atmosphere (i don’t recall name of author, sorry):
“Armored Core is not only a successful mech game on a platform you’d never expect (The PS1), with some surprisingly intuitive controls and incredible customisation, but it’s also a surprisingly well-done immersive Mercenary game. You aren’t here to save the world, you’re here to make money, no matter the cost. Missions range from search and destroy and rescue missions, to manhunts for members of Terrorist groups, to even morally shady sh*t like going into an urban area and causing massive amounts of mayhem. You’re basically profiteering off of the pain of opposing groups (and the misery of people caught in the crossfire), and apart from Far Cry 2 I can’t name any other game that does this so well.”
///Everything feels very compartmentalised and although there’s a bigger picture at play here, it’s difficult to see it from behind the text-heavy focus.///
To continue comparison with Soulsborne, in Souls you learn most of details from “lore” which is usually hidden in item descriptions. Personally, i like e-mail system of Armored Core just like i enjoy receiving messages in Deus Ex or System Shock games, but can understand desire for more (e.g. what Daemon X Machina did, with plenty of story cutscenes and home base with NPCs; however, some AC fans really dislike DxM for being “too anime” including big focus on story instead of more subtle narrative that AC usually has).
///Held back by the hardware it’s running on, Armored Core feels like it’s part of a grander vision that couldn’t be realised on the PS1. Things look okay, but blocky models and pixel-ed visual elements hold things back.///
Not sure if i should agree or disagree on this. But i would like to say, that at least partially i consider AC1 to be impressive. Lighting from shots and explosions seems very good for me in terms of PS1, at least for 1997. Maybe i’m wrong with this point. Overall i will agree that Armored Core series never had “cutting edge” graphics even among FromSoftware games (who were never graphics wizards like other developers, but i would say that often they did interesting things in their engines, so if we talk PS1 i found amusing how King’s Field games are seamless open world titles, and Echo Night 1-2 looks nice for 1st person view adventures), so usually they were strong with designing visuals (if you are mecha fan, you gonna enjoy all those Shoji Kawamori designs). Even though i admire details like e.g. Last Raven on PS2 having soft shadows and 60 fps framerate, or coloured reflections from boosters and shots. Yet during that generation best looking FromSoft games were Xbox releases instead, like Otogi and Metal Wolf Chaos.
As for “bland environments”, i think it’s problem for most mech/mecha games with a few exceptons. However, what i personally enjoyed in AC1, it’s that sometimes level design started feeling like a dungeon crawler (yes i like King’s Field), which is good or bad depending on taste. I would even say, that i prefer that classic Armored Core games (ps1/ps2 era) have actual level design (with complex structures, even not visually interesting ones), while later games in series (ps3 era) have mostly open battlefields instead, which is good for quick movement (aviability of which, like in older AC, depends on your build configuration) but less “interesting”. Both, however, can be enjoyed for “gloom atmosphere”.
I would definitely agree that best looking mecha game on PS1 is Omega Boost, made by Gran Turismo developers.
///Slightly predating the release of the dualshock controller, Armored Core uses an utterly bizarre control scheme where the shoulder buttons are included in aiming – on Vita you can slightly rebind to put these on the second analogue stick, but it’s far from ideal and difficult to get to grips with. ///
One of “side effects” mecha genre has. I would say that MechWarrior or GunGriffon (both series are good, though) have even more “bizarre” controls, as in those games you turn on/off your mech and control speed modes (and in case with MW, you can separately rotate legs and cabin). While AC gives you direct control. Personally i have mixed feelings about dilemma of control schemes in AC, good thing that games in series allow you to remap them. More “easy” twinstick controls only appeared in late years of PS2, with AC Nexus. So every AC before that had this AC1 controls more or less. I think, in the end, it’s a matter of getting used to, as i know enough people who are very efficient with “classic controls”. And i think that partially they are better than “modern”. As example: imho, having left/right movement assigned to R1/L1 instead of d-pad or stick allows you for more natural and quick strafe movements, especially when dashing with booster. Which also helps in PvP where you need to trick your opponen with irregular and unpredictable move behaviour. However, against enemies that fly high in air, modern twinstick controls are much better compared to having vertical camera movement on l2/r2.
///Each mission rewards money and this forms and interesting ecosystem – you’re charged for repairs and ammo refills upon completion, meaning it’s a constant grind to keep enough currency by avoiding damage and unnecessary fire.///
In some AC games, when you sell items back in store, price is decreased. But to compensate that, you can play “arena” mode to grind money and parts. On a side note, what i really enjoy, is how you can choose to align with this or that faction, especially in Last Raven that has many possible mission routes to enjoy. Just like Shinobido PS2 or Deus Ex/Fallout. Routes and endings. Cool stuff. And yeah, Human Plus is weird though kinda cool. In later games they removed it (which is ok for me).
///The issue is that it’s all just so dense – there’s no explanation for anything, so it took me ages to figure out what energy and weight points were and how I should be balancing them. Items in the shop simply have a picture and don’t give you any indication of their use, meaning you’re stuck using the Internet or buying them then selling them back just to figure out what they do, which is archaic design and not something I was a fan of at all.///
Yeah, this is common “flaw” in FromSoftware game, whether it’s AC or Souls. Though plenty of people consider it good (he-he), because in modern gamin era it became rare to see a game that “doesn’t hold your hand”. Also, ahem, in Japan, during 90s/00s, FromSoftware were always releasing printed guides for every game they created. I have a feeling, it was “a (sly) way of samurai” for developers/publishers back then, lol.
As for choosing details dilemma, this is a thing that was indeed improved in later AC games. I don’t remember starting with which, but later it became that when you shop for details, it shows your tech details changing in mech config, and also it gives you estimated rating for overall build (like “A” or “C”), similar to what sport sim games do. Which helps to decided which parts you gonna get, in grand scheme of overall configuration of your mecha.
/// obtuse and unforgiving – Armored Core is an interesting proposition in today’s gaming landscape. There’s plenty to sink your teeth into (for which you’ll probably need a wiki) and the mech combat can be a lot of fun, but there’s plenty of frustrations along the way. Definitely not for everyone.///
Well said. There is reason why game had about 20 different titles released and it was best selling (in Japan mosty, of course) FromSoftware game before Dark Souls phenomena eclipsed it with 100x times more popularity – Armored Core is a good example of “cult following” niche game, that is both “flawed” and “amazing” at same time, and up to nowodays there are enough people who love it with passion (but not enough to warrant a new title release anymore, eew).
…now i’m tired (joking).
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I love how detailed you go into these writeups on my reviews so I apologise for tiring you out, but it’s worth it. As I mentioned on the other comment, I think I’ll try AC3 next and see if it clicks with me a bit more and definitely dedicate some more time to figuring out its mechanics.
Though as you say, the “work out by doing or look at a Wiki” design, while popularly accepted these days thanks to Soulsbourne, still just isn’t my cup of tea 😛
I’m glad titles like this can find a cult following though and I hope FromSoftware revisit it someday with all the mechanics in tact to keep fans satisfied.
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Glad you enjoy reading! Your blog is my favorite place to have a good discussion on PlayStation games.
AC3 would be pretty good choice to play. AC2 and it’s add-on AC2AA were somewhat “raw” as early ps2 releases, so for AC3 they rebuilt engine. So it feels more smooth and pleasant. Portable version of AC3 has worse texture/model quality or view distance than PS2 original, but that should not pose much a problem, considering you can stomach early ps1 graphics 😀
AC3’s sequel, called Silent Line, is fan favorite for many, so may check that too if you like AC3 (also Silent Line have fun idea of training AI that mimicks your behaviour, to use as duel opponent or even partner in 2×2 pvp). Also it’s fun for those who love looking for hidden parts on levels, there are many.
While Last Raven is what i prefer myself (also in terms of world building and replayability/mission structure it’s favorite for me), however it’s indeed a very hardcore title (like Ninja Gaiden level of hardcore!). However, you can import save data from AC3p to SLp to LRp, which gives you access to mech parts at start. Nexus didn’t get ported, though, sadly. On a side note, LR is popular in pvp due to it having largest pool of details available. That also means there are more possibilities for different mech builds overall.
Formula Front is interesting spin-off, basically FIFA Manager of Armored Core. Sure, you can play it manually, but FF was made with intention of that “customize equipment and manage a team, then watch matches in the league”. Interesting, but not for everyone even among AC fandom. Looks beautiful, though.
Master of Arena is considered best among ps1 trilogy. But also very challenging. Project Phantasma is interesting, though more chilled. But they are not available in PSN?
In case you’d ever feel like digging info, besides obvious GameFAQs i can recommend ArmoredCore sub on Reddit. It’s very helpful and nice community over there.
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Silent Line! That’s the one I got the PSP version of. I think I was buying them in order and I noticed that was next after I bought AC3. I’m hoping I enjoy them as much as you did. Shame about Nexus like you say. I am slightly disappointed that we never got any AC game ported to Vita like we’d gotten on PSP, because that would have been a good jumping off point into the series.
Formula Front sounds really interesting to me, I’m quite keen to try it.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll definitely check out GameFAQs and the Reddit if I’m struggling with AC3, which I suspect I will be.
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With AC6 announcement, it’s now a great time for people to revisit older Armored Core games 🙂
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Yes, I will probably go back and try another one out (probably AC3 on PSP) to see if I enjoy it any more 😛
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AC3 is very good choice and considered to be best ps2 era AC by plenty of fans. Though it still uses “classic controls” (but i think you can remap them on vita to use both sticks?). Also I would recommend you to at least read/watch some faq/advice/video or something, idk. If you want i can tell you where to look. Because in traditions of FromSoftware, basically they never explain anything, including important game mechanics.
Sure, you should not see spoilers on missions/npc/bosses/story, but mechanics wise i think it will be more smooth if obtain knowledge instead of diving into it blindly. Also considering that later parts of series became more complex compared to “basic” ps1 ones (i forgot, do you have access to master of arena?).
On a side note, i’m getting into formula front (“international” version has more content and polished, but in-game tuts are not translated) and it’s pretty interesting experience. It’s all about toying around mecha’s AI behaviour (in addition to assembly them out of parts like in every armored core) and then see how they fair in fights on themselves (instead of controlling them manually – though you can do that in FF, but better play ac3 or whatever instead for that purpose, while FF is all about being club manager of mecha sport haha). I know that ps1/psp had another game series that was focused on similar concept, i think it was called… Carnage Heart?
Cheers
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Yeah – if you want to recommend me any resource, that would be great. It’d be nice to go into the next one and have a bit more fun with it than I did the first one.
I actually have Formula Front International on my Japanese PSN account. It’s fully in English oddly. Master of Arena is up on Japanese PSN too, which makes me wonder if that too will be in English…
And I own Carnage Heart! Well, the PSP one at least. No idea when I’ll get around to playing it but probably some time in 2023.
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Sorry for late reply, pre-xmas weeks are always a rush.
It’s hard to pinpoint ultimate resource when series has so many places on web and fanbase is fractured kinda.
I’ll mention some i find decent…
1) good old GameFAQs have several guides. You can open them and find some “general advice” and “mechanics info” in the beginning sections of guides before they start talking on mission walkthrough.
2) visit armoredcore subreddit, they have pinned a nice “newcomer faq” that has helpful info about the whole series and it includes some advice for ps2/psp era titles as well.
3) for movement specifically, there is good video tut on youtube – see “SqqF6xHpn0Q”.
i decided not to point at other videos as they might be heavy on spoilers or aimed at more experienced players.
Have fun!
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Merry Christmas mate! Don’t worry about it – it’ll be a couple of months until I dig out an Armored Core game again I think (will likely be 3 on the PSP). Will definitely look into those resources you’ve linked though.
Interestingly, I recently reviewed a Gundam game on Vita (SEED Battle Destiny) and although much faster paced and more arcadey, the movement felt slightly armored core-like to me. It was very challenging too!
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