The first Armored Core is a classic mecha game that like most From Software games at the time, sort of went under the radar but was revolutionary in many different aspects. Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame conceptualized the game's customization system and mech designs but it's definitely much more gritty than in his other works. Especially considering if you are a mecha fan at all you'll noticed the immense amount of influence Ryosuke Takahashi (Dagram and Votoms) has in the story and world for the franchise as a whole. Even if you don't know any of the names I'm spitting out this game can basically be considered one of the more important pieces of media that push the "realistic robot" genre in cool ways.
This game has a badass, late 90s house and techno soundtrack as to be expected from most banger games in this era. A stark contrast to the rest of Fromsoft's catalogue at the time but something to note as even though this game has a dark, omnipotent vibe to it, it makes the game feel more fun and hype than one might expect at first glance. Something that you do have to understand though is that this game is definitely a product of its era and as such it can be a tough game with controls that require some getting used to. This sentiment can be applied for all three versions of Armored Core on the PlayStation 1 and about half of the games that would release on the PS2.
However that does not detract from the fact that if you can get used to it, this game is actually quite fun despite its clunk. Something that pretty much every Armored Core game offers is replayability and this one is no exception. There are two branching routes which will give you different missions and flavor text for missions. Of course being the first game in the franchise the mission and story variance isn't amazing by today's standards but quite honestly it still suffices well enough to be engaging.
Just like all Fromsoft games there's a hidden kind of narrative this game shares to its players. It's definitely not something super in-depth in this entry unlike more modern titles but especially in regards to this game's ending (which is probably one of my favorites in this series) it definitely adds a lot of nuance to this game that's easily recognizable from the offset. This game has a neat little personality and it's really memorable because of it. Even though this game is much simpler than later games, it still carries a lot of the depth of the franchise's well-known core features and more. It's just in a different sense than you maybe expecting. Whether or not you're into mechs I still consider this something you should at least give a shot, it definitely stuck with me for a long time even as a little simple game.
All in all, if you like to blow shit up and feel like a tactical genius who pilots an awesome looking brick you'll love this game. Have fun!
This game has a badass, late 90s house and techno soundtrack as to be expected from most banger games in this era. A stark contrast to the rest of Fromsoft's catalogue at the time but something to note as even though this game has a dark, omnipotent vibe to it, it makes the game feel more fun and hype than one might expect at first glance. Something that you do have to understand though is that this game is definitely a product of its era and as such it can be a tough game with controls that require some getting used to. This sentiment can be applied for all three versions of Armored Core on the PlayStation 1 and about half of the games that would release on the PS2.
However that does not detract from the fact that if you can get used to it, this game is actually quite fun despite its clunk. Something that pretty much every Armored Core game offers is replayability and this one is no exception. There are two branching routes which will give you different missions and flavor text for missions. Of course being the first game in the franchise the mission and story variance isn't amazing by today's standards but quite honestly it still suffices well enough to be engaging.
Just like all Fromsoft games there's a hidden kind of narrative this game shares to its players. It's definitely not something super in-depth in this entry unlike more modern titles but especially in regards to this game's ending (which is probably one of my favorites in this series) it definitely adds a lot of nuance to this game that's easily recognizable from the offset. This game has a neat little personality and it's really memorable because of it. Even though this game is much simpler than later games, it still carries a lot of the depth of the franchise's well-known core features and more. It's just in a different sense than you maybe expecting. Whether or not you're into mechs I still consider this something you should at least give a shot, it definitely stuck with me for a long time even as a little simple game.
All in all, if you like to blow shit up and feel like a tactical genius who pilots an awesome looking brick you'll love this game. Have fun!