Mech pilots have feelings too. Armored Core VI is a game about blowing up everything in sight with a smorgasbord of superpowered characters weapons. But it’s also a game about vain, self-righteous men who believe it’s their God-given right to take over a planet. While you only know them by codenames, characters like Snail and Handler Walter vie for power throughout the game’s story.
But in a brilliant stroke, the absolute final opponent of Armored Core VI is not one of those big personalities, but rather the pettiest weasel imaginable, someone whose existence is about malice towards the player. It’s a subversive twist that cleverly reinterprets a tried-and-true theme of the mecha genre, creating the most unforgettable video game Rogue from 2023.
Buy Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon: Amazon | Best buy | GameStop
You meet G5 Iguazu for the first time after a few missions AC6, as the player known as “621” helps the Redguns attack a dam complex. He appears strong and laments the fact that he now has to babysit as a “freelancer.” When you first play through the game, Iguazu just comes across as a grunt, a whiny character who is inevitably one of the first to bite the bullet.
While this is true on the first playthrough, things get really interesting with Iguazu on the second and third playthroughs. Here you can find out more about him – and how much he despises your existence.
More than a rival
Data logs reveal that Iguazu was once a gambler who suffered large losses and transformed into an augmented human to pay off his debts. This then led to him being recruited by the Redguns and facing 621. At first he’s just annoyed with you, but the more he becomes aware of your piloting skills, the more hatred creeps in.
As you betray and destroy the Redguns, Iguazu expresses his open displeasure at your abilities and freedom. You, the player, are everything Iguazu can never be. You are the master of your own destiny while Iguazu is stuck in a war that means little to him and is unable to break free from its bonds. With every single interaction you have with Iguazu, you can see his displeasure growing little by little.
After the Redguns are officially disbanded, he accepts a freelance contract and launches a surprise ambush against you. Ironically, he is completely unaware of the AI called All-Mind that is pulling the strings the entire time. Since his revenge plan is thwarted, he makes a “deal with the devil” in absolute desperation and allows All-Mind to turn him into the perfect killing machine. He believes in his freedom with the sole aim of annoying you as a player, your death is the only thing on his mind.
Inhuman nature
All of this culminates in the defining moment that cements Iguazu as a villain for eternity. The end of your third playthrough of AC6 reveals all of All-Mind’s machinations, and as you approach the final battle, you see that Iguazu has been distorted beyond recognition and is now piloting an experimental suit made up of all the simulation battles you have completed. This means that Iguazu’s new form is literally made up of all the people you killed and betrayed to get to this point. He is literally the avatar of everything and everyone thrown at you on Rubicon.
This collective will may seem like the final boss, but in another amazing twist, Iguazu realizes mid-fight that your partner Ayre has been influencing his mind all along. Through sheer force of will, he shuts out All-Mind and banishes Ayre from the fight. Iguauzu realizes that he has lost his freedom, but in the final act he levels the playing field and finally paves the way for the one-on-one duel he has always longed for.
Time and time again, the player overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds and evades the plans of corporations and powerful people in the name of true freedom. Iguazu is the other side of this coin. He is a man without free will who found meaning through a singular obsession with destroying you. They took different paths but arrived at the same place and with the same answer. For a game that tells its story in such a minimalist way, it’s unexpectedly introspective and philosophical.
It’s not often that a villain truly represents the worst parts of us – not just the desire for power, but also pettiness, malice, jealousy and hatred. Iguazu is the perfect reflection of the player himself and someone who suffers for all our actions. Despite all this, in the final battle he feels a moment of respect, a solidarity for the unwanted life that was forced upon you both.
When you lose the final battle against Iguazu, his last line sums it up perfectly: “Leave me a place in hell.”
Armored Core VI is available now for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
