Gaming

Armored Core VI review: Tough-as-nails intro to the mecha genre

Get in the robot, Shinji

Published

September 6, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Last year, Elden Ring did wonders for FromSoftware. Formerly known as a niche developer of incredibly difficult games, the studio is now a household name for the RPG genre. Now, buoyed by the popularity of last year’s game, the studio is reaching deep into its bag of old franchises and resurrecting Armored Core, a series that hasn’t seen the light of day since the PlayStation 3. Years since touching the franchise, FromSoftware is back to form with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.

Before we touch the new mecha game, let’s go back to what made Elden Ring so popular. Unlike the punishing Dark Souls series, Elden Ring offered accessibility to players new to the studio’s difficulty spikes. The game was still hard, of course, but players, once they hit a wall, had the option of finding other things to do and levelling up. Players could have also experimented with stronger builds, rather than endlessly trying with the same kits.

More accessible than Elden Ring

Now, I’d argue that Armored Core VI is much more accessible than Elden Ring. Whereas the latter places skill and build on equal footing, Armored Core VI puts the premium on creating the perfect build. To be clear, it’s still possible to win tough fights with weaker builds through sheer skill. However, the game encourages players to experiment with different builds to appropriately tackle a specific battle. The right build can make a world of difference.

Plus, it’s risk-free. If you bought a mecha part that you don’t eventually like, the game allows you to sell it again for 100 percent of its value. Those sold items will remain in the shop forever, too. Basically, if your net worth can afford the build you’re envisioning, there’s no risk of selling off parts and losing the ability to revert back. The game even allows you to change builds whenever you die.

Unfortunately, having such a relaxed system will naturally lead to meta builds — that is, popular builds publicly considered as the “best” way to beat the game. For example, whenever I was stuck in some sections, the internet would always suggest a combination of double shotguns and double grenade cannons. While the pure damage from that build is apparent, I found myself sticking to my own preferred parts most of the time. Meta builds aren’t the only solution to game, but they are there. That said, if you’re looking for true experimentation, stay away from the internet.

Boss battle after boss battle

Another thing that makes Armored Core VI much more accessible is how linear the game is. Unlike the open-world nature of Elden Ring, Armored Core VI is brutally direct. It doesn’t even have a hub world. When you open the game, you enter a main menu stylized as a garage. Here, players can embark on missions and customize their mecha.

On the one hand, players don’t have a lot of options when they hit a wall. You’ll have no choice but to tackle the problem head-on. On the other hand, the lack of options also makes for a tighter game. It took me only around 16 hours to beat my first playthrough — a far cry from what FromSoftware is notoriously known for.

That’s not to say that the game is easy, though. While it’s a breeze compared to the developer’s harder games, some sections are downright grueling. However, what kept me playing was how fluid the combat is. Despite the emphasis on builds, there’s an innate satisfaction in figuring out the rhythm to a difficult battle: when to dodge, when to tank damage, when to unleash your biggest move. Dueling against a boss can really open opportunities for those epic moments that a mecha battle can generate.

A lot of the combat focuses on those major boss fights marking the middle or the end of a level. Unfortunately, enemy design outside of those bosses leaves something to be desired. Though the game has minor encounters outside of a boss fight, they are remarkably easy. At best, these enemies are just cannon fodder for you to test out builds. At worst, they are a health tax, chipping away at your mecha before a boss battle.

Short and sweet but not really

As I mentioned above, it only took me 16 hours to beat the first playthrough. For a full-priced game today, is a shorter playthrough time worth the money?

As with every FromSoftware game, Armored Core VI has multiple endings, necessitating multiple playthroughs to completely finish the game. The first playthrough makes this clear by offering decision missions which disappear if other missions are done. Hunting for those different endings isn’t a requirement, and a lot of players call it a day once that first playthrough ends. However, the mecha game does something that other modern FromSoftware games does not.

Instead of just giving players the opportunity to gun for other endings and decisions, Armored Core VI locks a chunk of content behind New Game Plus. The second and third playthroughs feature new missions and altered ones from the first playthrough. Players will fight harder bosses and trickier decisions.

One can certainly argue that locking content behind multiple playthroughs is a cheap way to extend the game. However, there is some satisfaction in bringing stronger mechas into fights that formerly gave us trouble. Plus, multiple playthrough is almost a requirement now for a lot of FromSoftware fans. I’d say that Armored Core’s approach just adds more incentive to something that a lot of fans are going to do anyway.

Armored Core VI is not enough to dethrone Elden Ring as a potential game of the year. However, the game’s accessibility and fluid combat are enough to introduce the mecha genre to a new batch of gamers. Outside of comparing the title to other FromSoftware games, Armored Core VI is still a great game for both new and veteran fans of the mecha genre.

Related Topics:Armored Core Armored Core VI Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Bandai Namco

Accessories

Razer Raiju V3 Pro brings tournament-level control to PS5

Pro-ready wireless controller

Published

October 25, 2025

GadgetMatch

Razer is taking PS5 competition to the next level with the Raiju V3 Pro. Razer built its latest wireless esports controller for serious players, officially licensing it for PlayStation 5 to deliver lightning-fast response, pixel-perfect precision, and full customization. And it comes in a sleek, tournament-ready form.

Built for performance

The Raiju V3 Pro introduces TMR (Tension Magnetic Resistance) thumbsticks, offering consistent tension, anti-drift performance, and pinpoint control. Whether you’re lining up headshots or pulling off combos, these symmetrical sticks translate every subtle movement into clean, accurate inputs.

Razer also added Pro HyperTriggers, letting you switch between rapid-fire clicks and full analog travel. Through Synapse 4, you can fine-tune trigger actuation points to match your playstyle. Use hair-trigger speed for shooters or full-range control for racing and adventure games.

Every press feels deliberate thanks to Mecha-Tactile PBT action buttons and an 8-way floating D-pad, built from doubleshot PBT materials that resist wear and shine even after hours of intense play.

Control, comfort, and customization

Designed with both traditional and claw grip players in mind, the Raiju V3 Pro comes with four removable mouse-click back buttons and two claw bumpers, all remappable for personalized layouts. Each button uses the same ultra-responsive switches found in Razer’s top-tier gaming mice, giving every tap that satisfying, tactile snap.

The controller connects via Razer HyperSpeed Wireless, ensuring ultra-low latency and seamless performance on PS5. Players can adjust sensitivity, remap buttons, and save up to four onboard profiles using the Razer Mobile App or Synapse 4.

For travel and tournament play, it includes a premium carry case and a detachable 2 m USB-C cable.

Price and availability

The Razer Raiju V3 Pro is available now for EUR 209.99 / PHP12,990 at Razer.com, RazerStores, and select retailers worldwide.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is coming to the Switch 2

It will be available starting December 2.

Published

October 24, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

This early into the console’s life cycle, the Switch 2 is in that stage where Nintendo wants to flaunt how powerful its new hardware is. The most popular way of doing that is showcasing which modern games can be played on the console. Today, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is joining that list.

Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is coming to the Switch 2 on December 2. The game, in its entirety, will drop on the new console. The only exception to the launch is the recent Claws of Awaji update, which added around ten hours of content to the base game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest major entry to Ubisoft’s time-hopping RPG franchise. The game took players to medieval Japan in a quest for revenge and justice. It had a vast network of conspiracy and characters to interact with.

The Claws of Awaji update added a postscript for the story. It featured a new segment of the map and a new weapon. For now, Ubisoft will not add the expansion to the Switch 2 launch. However, a drop sometime in 2026 is already in the works.

In addition to the base game, the Switch 2 version will include touchscreen support to leverage the console’s capabilities. It will also feature new content, available on all platforms starting October 28, which will improve the parkour system, a new Animus activity called Corrupted Castles, and a new mission which sees Naoe try to learn Yasuke-specific abilities (and vice versa).

Gaming

Ninja Gaiden 4 helped me get a much needed sanity break

All that hacking and slashing on a quest to free Tokyo

Published

October 22, 2025

Gab Orlina

Sometimes playing action games allow people to relieve their stress from their day-to-day. Whether it’s the type to shoot weapons or wield swords to slay enemies, it’s always good to just mindlessly press buttons to get through a game. That much is true for the games within the Ninja Gaiden series dating all the way back to 1988.

However, Team Ninja didn’t simply stick with just having gruesome hack-and-slash games and instead gave it some lore fans will adore. Throughout the first three canonical games of the remade series starting in 2004, the ninja protagonists go on missions to deal with world-ending threats to maintain order. Much would be the same for the latest installment in the franchise: Ninja Gaiden 4.

Is this game something both new and older fans of the series will enjoy? Will it just be another generic hack-and-slash title with little plot points to hold it together? Judging by my playthrough, there’s a lot to uncover that will surely make it an interesting play.

Freeing Tokyo from the rain

Ninja Gaiden 4 follows the events of the 2012 release of Ninja Gaiden 3, as Ryu Hayabusa was unable to fully rid Tokyo of the evil that surrounds it. Even with the defeat of the Dark Dragon, the city plunged into a state fit for the undead due to the husk emitting cursed rain. As the years went by, a new protagonist in Yakumo aims to rid the city of the curse while defying authorities in the process.

As Yakumo goes about his mission to rid Tokyo of the Dark Dragon’s curse, he encounters unexpected allies and enemies in bizzare twists till the end. Despite all the setbacks and even a crucial betrayal at the end (you’ll just have to play to find out), he remains steadfast in his mission for redemption of his clan and the release of Tokyo from the darkness.

At first, I felt that the story seemed a lot quicker to get through and finish without focusing on the details. Because you spend a ton of the game fighting through waves of enemies, it felt like that became the priority over revealing every little piece of lore leading up to the big fights. In my opinion, the plot felt a bit rushed in its development even though it made a lot of sense in reference to its predecessor.

Button-mashing combat at its best

For the entirety of the game, hack-and-slash combat served as both your primary offense and defense against all your enemies. Early on, the tutorial for first timers proved to be useful when balancing light and strong attacks with proper blocking, parrying and dodging. Also, you have the choice to simply auto-lock into enemies or precisely take them down on your own through a series of combos.

As you progress deeper into the game, enemies come in bigger hordes and also become a lot tougher, so levelling up your skills and weapons are essential. In between several parts of a main chapter or stage, you have chances to learn or improve on certain skills at the cost of NinjaCoins you earn through combat. These are put in place between crucial points in the level, so best to take advantage of them.

When you put these together, you end up in combat sequences that are oozing with action and blood, of course. Racking up combos and pressing specific buttons also grant access to some of the sickest dismemberment animations that rivals gruesome fighting games. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with incredible combat mechanics like that!

Open world-esque environment

What’s interesting about Ninja Gaiden games is how immensely dense the overwolds can be, that these often encourage exploration. In Ninja Gaiden 4‘s case, each stage feels larger than life with how you interact with certain elements, especially for the movement tools between stages that you can use even in combat. As you progress further, there is a greater purpose in doing so — especially as you prepare for all the challenges ahead.

Exploration feels like an integral part when you do it to retrieve valuable items for all the fighting to be done. There were a ton of item chests within each stage that would give you healing or combat-boosting items that you will need to stock up on. In some cases, you will find these chests in high-up or obscure places that your advanced movement mechanics can reach, so explore as much as you can.

Also, in some stages, you will find these temple-like entrances to a place called Purgatory. In this place, you will basically go through waves of enemies to test your combat mastery and enemy crowd control. However, these gates are often found tucked into branching pathways that, again you will need to explore in a more open-world setting.

Is Ninja Gaiden 4 your GameMatch?

As far as standalone hack-and-slash games go, Ninja Gaiden 4 truly ranks high up on the list. Its battle mechanics blended in with simple exploration keeps the action flowing as smoothly as possible. Not once did I feel the need to take a break mid-fight to look up combos when button-mashing and auto-locking helped immensely.

With regards to it being a proper sequel to Ninja Gaiden 3, it felt more like a shorter epilogue for the former protagonist in Ryu than retribution for Yakumo and his clan. Honestly, you can breeze through the whole game and its story elements quickly given the intense combat. However, your focus doesn’t drift into the plot so much, leading to think that this wasn’t as heavily prioritized.

Even with this in mind, Ninja Gaiden 4 is still a great enough of a title to sit through and enjoy for both new and old fans of the series. Overall mechanics feel satisfying to master and play through when you just need to unwind and slash your way through enemies to let the stress go!

Verdict: It’s a Swipe Right!