There was cause for doubt when the leak started from a single ResetEra forum user named Red Liquorice, who claimed to have got their hands on information, images and even videos from the upcoming Armored Core through the Internet. ‘a consumer study received by email. Whether or not it is a clumsiness on the part of FromSoftware, the Internet user has in any case provided solidity by publishing the screenshots, which are however very blurred so as not to be able to identify the ubiquitous digital tattoos added by the publisher.
As a result, we can see no less than 16 images of the game, but not the two gameplay sequences that Red Liquorice was not able to save. On the other hand, he transmitted the text with the appearance of an official description which accompanied these images. It reports an unknown substance called “the Mixture” and whose potential to advance human society in a spectacular way is matched only by its propensity to cause disasters, as on the planet Bashtar which has engulfed the surrounding star systems. So when the Mixture resurfaces decades later on this same planet, all kinds of factions are in turmoil, from governments and corporations to cults and mercenaries. Mercenary of which the player is a part.
Still taking the form of a TPS, this new Armored Core whose conception of the sci-fi world is attributed to the very busy Hidetaka Miyazaki would therefore take place on the planet Bashtar and would revolve around the battles for the control of this substance. The text promises a wide variety of maps, complex missions, formidable enemies and short and long range combat depending on whether you use firearms or the sword / shield tandem. The emphasis on a high degree of freedom in the mech’s mechanical setup and balance shouldn’t come as a surprise to franchise veterans, either.
Let’s add more subjectively that, according to Red Liquorice’s observations, the gameplay clips hinted at the influence of action-RPGs that have forged the studio’s fame since the release of Demon’s Souls 13 years ago. “The boss fight seemed very close to Souls in terms of speed and style“, observes the person at the origin of the leak. Let us recall that the development of a new Armored Core has been mentioned by FromSoftware since September 2016, without ever having an official announcement. Obviously, while Elden Ring monopolizes all Attention, the year 2022 could also be that of mech pilots.