“The Entire Story of Armored Core 6” is an all-encompassing, five-and-a-half-hour video crafted by the renowned FromSoftware lore expert, VaatiVidya. Celebrated for his in-depth Dark Souls boss explorations and comprehensive Elden Ring story analyses, VaatiVidya turns his expertise to one of FromSoftware’s most storied franchises. This latest video may well be his magnum opus.
This exhaustive video ties together every piece of dialogue, part description, and combat log to cohesively narrate all three timelines of Armored Core 6. Vaati and his team also unearthed cut dialogue, animated stills from the game, and recorded new audio to give voice to previously voiceless characters. Enhanced by meticulously captured gameplay using a custom-built free-camera mod, the video seamlessly interweaves narrated lore with visually stunning combat sequences.
Even for an Armored Core 6 fanatic like myself—it’s my personal Game of the Year—the video was an eye-opener. Take Iguazu’s storyline, for instance. Initially, I saw him as the classic Gundam-style rival: perpetually irate that the protagonist is superior yet largely insignificant to the main character. Thus, when Iguazu aligned with the final boss in the NG++ ending, his grandiose vengeance speech was met with my sardonic “Igua-who?” You see, I had already bested him thrice, making his reappearance feel like an inside joke celebrating my repeated victories.
But now, I grasp the deeper layers of his character—a 4th gen augmentation and among Allmind’s selected, making him a distorted mirror of my own character. His coral ghost ally, Aer, causes him physical agony in my presence, and he’s manipulated by virtually everyone. Beneath his hyperbolic vengeance quest lies a quintessential FromSoftware tragedy. Cut dialogue and part descriptions suggest his rage and envy fuel his armored core, aligning him even more closely with a Gundam character than I had initially realized.
This video has deepened my appreciation for one of my all-time favorite games. For Armored Core 6 enthusiasts, it’s indispensable viewing. The video features chapter markers, enabling you to digest it in manageable segments despite its extended length.
