The images are partially obscured - likely to remove a text watermark covering each picture designed to prevent leaks - but are now being widely shared on social media, as well as gaming forum Resetera:
ORIGINAL STORY 8/1/22: Details of a new - and hitherto unannounced - instalment of From Software’s Armored Core have reportedly popped up online.
According to ResetEra’s Red Liquorice, earlier today they received a consumer survey directly from the developer which offered plot details, eight screenshots, and even two videos about the unannounced sequel.
“I’ve just finished doing a consumer survey about a new Armoured Core game with description, screenshots and two 30 second-ish videos of gameplay - the first a boss fight and the second more in-world gameplay, a snow area,” they wrote, holding back from sharing the screenshots as they are “unique ID watermarked”.
According to the screenshots detailing the game’s key features, it’s described as “the sci-fi world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki” and a “third-person shooter mecha action title that lets you move around an overwhelmingly scaled map that represents a unique sci-fi world with dynamic mech action”.
“The boss fight looked quite Soulsy - the long-range gunfire reminded me of Virtua On, that’s my frame of reference, I’m not a mech fan and haven’t played any AC games,” Red Liquorice added in a follow-up post. “The player character in a white mech went in close to the bigger robot boss and fought with like an energy or laser sword, this looked Souls-style.
“The field gameplay, the player in the same white mech seemed to be following a couple of other players in the distance (co-op?) and they were walking (flying close to the ground maybe) through a snowy area towards either a large wall or gate, this seemed Soulsy too, the vastness of the architecture, but it wasn’t a castle more like a worn down metal/stone wall or gate. It was quite short.”
Interestingly, it seems like there’s no confirmed title just yet, as participants of the survey were invited to help choose one.
“Most of them were Armoured Core: [Something] including just ‘Armoured Core’ and both AC: 6, AC: VI, and other subtitles I can’t remember, some of the choices didn’t include AC in the name at all.”
As for FromSoft’s other highly-anticipated title? Elden Ring is currently due to release for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 25th February next year, following a recently announced one-month delay. Aoife was given a 17-minute behind-closed-doors tour of its vast, interconnected world towards the end of last year.
