As I’ve gotten better at reading Armored Core VI, I’ve been fiddling more with the loadouts of my ACs. Adding new parts and upgrading them as I unlock new things and also trying out new designs (I’ve been working on a tetrapod AC with the philosophy of too-many-bullets [and also missiles]). I haven’t really been continuing the main story so much as I’ve been rerunning old missions with new builds, seeing how they stack up against old foes.
Working on builds isn’t unique to Armored Core. I’ve got a pretty decent all-around build for my character in Destiny 2, I kitted out my character in Borderlands 3 to be a real tank, and my character in Outer Worlds was a high Charisma, low Intelligence himbo. Picking out gear and putting it to work is part of most role-playing games and games with those elements. If you’re fighting Akelous in Destiny’s Spire of The Watcher dungeon, you probably want to bring a Linear Fusion Rifle as part of your build. Your party makeup in a Final Fantasy had better include someone with cure spells (or a crapton of potions).
It feels so darn satisfying in Armored Core, and I’m 90% sure it’s because of the giant robots. Mechanically, swapping out legs and generators and arms isn’t that much different from choosing between armor sets in a typical RPG. It’s all window dressings, you’re adjusting a load out like in one of a dozen other builds. But it’s giant robots, and when I change something my robot looks different, and then when I go around fighting other giant robots and I get to feel how it handles with the changes I made.
Maybe it ignites the same part of my brain that likes building with Lego (and building giant robots at that). Maybe it speaks to how important theming is in game design in how it dresses up mechanically similar features into feeling very different. Either way, it’s something I really enjoy in this game. I don’t know if I’ll ever bother making a Super Optimized Best Build Ever, but I am going to make the most kickass array of giant robots I can. Because why not?
Essays, Not Rants! 