Armored Core: Verdict Day

Way before there were soulslike games, From Software, focused a lot on different types of settings and combat scenes. Mainly focused on big, military-style, robots that fought each other in amazing ways, and they were pretty much customizable like LEGOs. Armored Core: Verdict Day is an independent expansion for their fifth numbered game. This expansion comes with a handful of new features. Both games are related and if you have a game from that game you will be able to import its data into Verdict Day. But let's see what's Armored Core: Verdict Day is all about!

About the game

Since its origin in PSOne, the saga has always been characterized by its customizable robots and the realistic touch that has been wanted to give to their behavior. These heavy steel machines are slow and clumsy until we activate their reactors and begin to make use of their weaponry in the 60 missions of a single-player campaign -also available for company games- with a total of about 10 hours of gameplay in which we embody a mercenary in a world in constant war, something that makes sense in the multiplayer aspect set shortly.

But let's face it, you don't really play any of the Armored Core games for their story, as it has never been its strongest aspect. The basic gameplay mechanics are similar to those in the other games. Even though the length of the missions is shorter than usual this time around.

The mission system allows us to travel around the world attending all kinds of missions, many of them revolving around eliminating hordes of enemies. While this is certainly fun, in the long run, it ends up making the single-player campaign a bit repetitive. Not to mention that it falls second to the multiplayer mode too.

The strong point is again the high customization of our robot, with more than a dozen interchangeable parts for hundreds of parts that not only modify the appearance of the mecha, but also its qualities in combat in terms of equipment or behavior, which makes a huge amount of possible combinations.

A solid title?

When we think about FromSoftware these days we always come back to games like the entire souls series, from Demon's Souls to Elden Ring, but as you can see this was not always the case with the company. And the gameplay and settings of their games have changed a lot over the years, and something that has changed a lot is the scale and greatness of the titles they release. While most of the Armored Core games are pretty good and solid, there are some clear issues with this one that make it non-outstanding.

However, that is not to say that they weren't any good at making games before they started with the Souls games, as even though there are some negative elements here, this game is certainly pretty solid and fun to play.

Pros:

• Fun to play
• Fast-paced missions
• Lots of customization

Cons:

• Single Player falls a bit short
• Can be overwhelming

Mechs and robots have long been an integral part of the gaming industry. Sometimes they are used as a supplement to the main plot. And sometimes they become the protagonists of the whole series of games. Armored Core: Verdict Day is the second one. This is a well-designed and dynamic action that is sure to please fans of mechanized vehicles.

Creators of the Mech Universe

Armored Core: Verdict Day is the continuation of the cult franchise about anthropomorphic war machines. It is the fifteenth game in the series. It was released by the famous Japanese studio FromSoftware in September 2013. The promotion and distribution of the finished product is handled by publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Genre-wise, the game is a symbiosis of third-person action and RTS. The single-player game is based on a simple story. In multiplayer mode, the focus shifts to large-scale battles. Although some of your time will have to be spent designing, customizing and debugging your robot.

The battle continues

In the distant future, humanity has spread far beyond the solar system. However, the main cause of contention remains the resources for which the three factions have long fought amongst themselves. About a hundred years have passed since the events described in the fifth part of the game. The contagion that caused the isolation of the people is slowly weakening. This allows the warring parties to return to much of the world again. And a new war erupts between the factions.

At the center of the conflict is the mercenary pilot Armored Core. He enters the "War of Verdicts" with his comrades. They take on various missions until they run into an organization called the Reaper Squad. Now they will have to forget about factional strife for a while. Need to learn about the new enemy as much as possible. And find a way to cope with it.

Like in the previous parts of the series, the gameplay in Armored Core: Verdict Day is based around the creation of a combat robot, its upgrades and subsequent battles. After each completed mission or battle, users receive in-game currency and equipment items. In the hangar, they upgrade their robots. And then proceed to the next mission.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of the game, as well as the entire franchise, remains spectacular battles on huge humanoid robots. In addition, critics and users call the project a plus:

• Not bad visuals
• A huge number of available upgrades
• Dozens of types of weapons

Among the disadvantages most often mentioned:

• Complicated and confusing controls
• Weak plot
• Gradually aging graphics

Also, some publications write that the game will be fully immersed only to those who are familiar with the other parts of the franchise. Otherwise, you will not be able to feel the atmosphere of the series and reconstruct the chain of events.