Review: If players can scale difficult wall, ‘Armored Core VI’ turns into a masterpiece

As augmented human named 621, players pilot mechs called armored cores in 'Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.' — BandaiNamco/TNS

Every FromSoftware game seems manageable at first. Players figure out the gameplay and overcome a few tough encounters, but then they run into a boss that’s a brick wall. No matter how hard they try, the dangerous foe beats them down and turns joy into frustration. It becomes a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

In “Elden Ring,” that boss is Margit the Fell Omen. Going up against him a few times left plenty of players frustrated. With “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice,” that boss was Lady Butterfly, who seemingly got harder the more one fought her. In “Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon,” that boss, for me, was Balteus, an autonomous mech that has a shield, shoots out dozens of missiles and spews out fire when it’s damaged.