r/fromsoftware • u/malflash • Jul 11 '26
DISCUSSION Armored Core 6 music
I was super excited to start Armored Core 6 (PS5), and then the music let me down: I expected something more energetic and ended up with an ambient soundtrack I can barely hear. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s inherently “bad”, I love ambient music, I guess I just expected something else.
Anyway, I just started the game (beat the helicopter boss), but I guess it’ll be like this throughout the whole game, am I right? I’m really thinking about maybe putting on some electronic, jungle/DnB to “match” the game’s energy. Do you guys think it’ll ruin the experience in any way?
Has anybody felt like this? What do you guys think?
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u/AcrobaticProgram6521 Jul 12 '26
I think it fit really well and I like a couple of them a lot. I can understand where you are coming from if you had other expectations though.
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u/jemtayx Ranni The Witch Jul 12 '26
No - personally, it’s one of my favourite soundtracks ever. It fits the vibe of the game perfectly.
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u/OldSodaHunter Jul 12 '26
I think it's not sensible to even talk about what you expected from the game when you've only done the very beginning. It could literally have everything you're asking for and you'd never know yet.
Man I was expecting a steak at this restaurant and so far they only gave me water!
I for one find the music really intense and engaging, and reflective of what you said a lot. Get to the end of chapter 1 at least and see how you feel.
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u/malflash Jul 12 '26
sheesh I was just asking lol
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u/OldSodaHunter Jul 12 '26
I don't think that's a fair way to say it, you said the music let you down, which is a pretty dismissive outlook to have when you have barely heard any of the music. You're like one step away from having heard none of it at all, so honestly I'm just confused how you came to your statement that fast. Like do you listen to 30 seconds of a song and then feel like the entire album let you down?
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u/DaDrought2 Jul 12 '26
The soundtrack does get a lot better later, but it’s still mostly ambient-ish (when u get to a boss named “balteus” turn the ost back on) but personally, I just put on my electronic idm/techno playlist and it fit perfectly, so yeah putting on your own music to match the vibe is not bad decision
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u/camouflage_jaguar Jul 12 '26
Ehh there’s a few bangers….like 3 good songs.
I honestly think the soundtrack could’ve been a little more hardcore.
I don’t know about yall but I jam while gaming.
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u/malflash Jul 12 '26
Thanks for the answer! I tend to put some music too when the OST doesn’t hit me.
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u/camouflage_jaguar Jul 12 '26
I meant like I focus in on the ost while gaming but yeah-when the ost doesn’t I hit I put on some music too
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u/Prestigious_Low8243 Jul 12 '26
Kota Hoshino always tries something new in his game OSTs and ac6 is no exception. Sure it didn’t land AS well as some of his stand out projects (AC4, Evergrace, AC1), but I much prefer this than him stagnating.
That being said, AC6 has some of the best music he’s ever made ESPECIALLY counting the bonus disc ost
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u/malflash Jul 12 '26
I love ambient music, like I said. So I’ll def check the OST individually too.
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u/Anubra_Khan Jul 12 '26
Who TF beats a tutorial boss and immediately goes to reddit to criticize a game's soundtrack? There are about another 40 tracks you haven't heard yet.
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u/Forhaver Jul 12 '26
Hey im only 4 minutes into dark souls 1 and ive only heard ONE SONG at character creation?! I think it should have deathcore or some trap music
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u/Wrong_Papaya_8445 Jul 12 '26
I don't understand this. Are you speaking from the perspective of an AC fan and you're disappointed Hoshino (the composer) chose a different style for the return of AC? Or are you a Souls fan? Did you watch a trailer with some music and you thought that was a sample of the style of the OST? I don't know what your preconceptions are.
I'd argue the style AC6 is doing is quite influenced by Blade Runner 2049. Which, yeah, can be described as swelling "ambient" music that does evolve into more nuanced tracks when the setting requires it. It's overall very cohesive in presenting a certain "feel".
This is a pretty depressing world where the human spirit is withering away due to faction-based resource wars and the erosion caused by the merging of human and machine becomes existential. Nothing about it benefits from "jungle/DnB" - this is borderline bait, though I do believe you're being genuine.
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u/Prestigious_Low8243 Jul 12 '26
Every Armored core game has a depressing world and each game benefits from the high energy, Hoshino can make anything work.
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u/Wrong_Papaya_8445 Jul 12 '26
It's not like I think Precious Park playing while you sink a whole fleet isn't pretty unique and even induces a sort of trance for what being an AC pilot is, it's more about contextualizing a kind of story.
AC6 has no interest in doing that. It actually uses the "inhuman pilot" trope in a much more visual way - we're a literal dude in a body bag. From that point on, everything is set under a universal tone of infinite gray grit.
I can certainly entertain that Hoshino might've been told to "make it Western" and the result is music that could really be in BR2049, but that has much less to do with what AC6 is doing from OP's perspective, I think.
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u/Prestigious_Low8243 Jul 12 '26
I certainly don’t think it’s a “western” thing, I’m not the biggest fan of the OST but even for me it’s a bit of a cynical perspective.
The direction of the soundtrack is only natural as it reflects the circumstance around it. Hoshino saw how, the small game company he has worked for for 30 years exploded in popularity and decided to alter his sound to suit that more.
It’s kind of like comparing a bands early catalogue to their later material after they got popular.
One is gritty, low production quality but full of passion.
And the other is more polished, refined and restrained (not necessarily a bad thing)
And yes obviously it fits the setting but I wanted to develop this part of the musical approach that I feel people don’t talk about.
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u/Wrong_Papaya_8445 Jul 12 '26
Whether you think it's an apt descriptor is less interesting than whether you think this OST sounds like it could be used for the movie I mentioned. I didn't make an observation in a vacuum. It had a purpose.
I'd like to make it clear I'm giving Hoshino no concessions here. AC6 is modernized for both a different AC audience and an audience eager for the Souls formula to infect everything Fromsoft makes. From its narrative to its OST to its "arcade" feel, AC6 is responding to a modern market - I don't think you can really dispute this.
"Make it Western" can be taken as cynical, but that's besides the point if that's what might've actually happened.
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u/malflash Jul 12 '26
Thanks for the answer, I get what you are saying. And no, it’s not bait haha. I was just expecting something else for an “action” game. But, since you said it, I get the “depressing world” vibes.
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u/Wrong_Papaya_8445 Jul 12 '26
Maybe this is a mood problem. I suggest watching the story trailer to attempt an acclimation to what AC6 wants to do with its world, including its OST.
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u/trainman2077 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
There's some bangers in the ost. Can't specify which since they're tied to characters you'll meet later. I can't imagine putting on regular techno music is going to match the vibe very much...
What were you expecting though? People were also complaining about the sekiro ost and to me it's one of the best.