Fans already know to expect a big game in Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. But exactly how big is it? We’ll sort out the different accounts and see where it takes us.
According to Unbox.ph, Director Masaru Yamamura revealed in a recent interview that a full playthrough up until the ending would take roughly 20 hours.
As Yamamura puts it, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will also have multiple endings, as well as other features like arena missions. In that sense, even for those players who aren’t completists, Yamamura expects to rack up even more than 20 hours before they get to the ending.
Yamamura was also asked about the difference in playtime between newcomers and veteran players. His response was quite interesting:
“For long-time AC fans, we would actually say that, while they may be more familiar with the assembly aspects and that will come more naturally to them, a lot of the battle design and combat design and how you utilize your assembly is going to differ a bit from previous ACs.
So we feel like the complete playtime won’t change an awful lot and they’ll be at a similar starting point to players who are completely new to the series in that sense.”
Based on what Yamamura has said here, it sounds like he expects veteran players to take a significant amount of time, to acclimate to, and learn, the new game design aspects that FromSoftware has added to Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. It also sounds like FromSoftware has deliberately changed things up to make things more even between new and veteran players.
Now, we have another source here, Fextralife on YouTube. Fextralife was on hand to play a demo, likely the same demo Japanese gamers got to experience as well. The devs apparently told him that Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon would actually take 50 to 60 hours.
Fextralife believes that much of that playtime would consist of longer, possibly more complex missions, at the second half of third of the game. He also noted the significant amount of playtime he spent just getting through dialogue, and believes that may pad out the game as well. On the other hand, he believes you will be doing less customization the longer you play, presumably as your mechs get more and more powerful that it won’t be necessary.
So how long is Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon? It sounds like even if you can finish the game in or under 20 hours, you probably will lean closer to the 50 hour playtime.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will be releasing on August 25, 2023, on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows via Steam. It has yet to be Steam Deck Verified, but FromSoftware promises that it will be fully supported on Steam Deck.
