Fans of Armored Core 6 have taken it upon themselves to give characters like Handler Walter and Ayre a face, since the games themselves won’t.
Since the launch of the game, there’s been a surprising amount of love for the game’s cast- surprising only because the game presents them as disembodied voices.
That hasn’t stopped many fans though, who’ve all come up with their own interpretations of Handler Walter. Interestingly enough he’s actually the character we know the most about- the game’s Story Trailer shows a man with a cane’s shadow, something many artists incorporate into their designs, like Kuba:
"Handler" Walter#ARMOREDCORE #ARMOREDCOREVI #ArmoredCore6 #アーマードコア pic.twitter.com/ioqlnH9TE6
— Kuba (@Kubaushi) September 4, 2023
That being said, no rules are set in stone, though the fanartist community seems dead set on poor Walter not having more than one functional eye at any point in time, as is the case with fanartist Kyou:
It’s not just Handler Walter getting a face reveal, though- many artists have taken it upon themselves to give one to Ayre, your female voice companion, too.
Given the overall color themes and usage of the color red in Armored Core 6, it looks like they’ve decided the only rule for Ayre is that she has to look good next to a Coral explosion- and that means constantly being dressed in white.
一周目结局……
Ayre#ARMOREDCOREVI #ArmoredCore6 #アーマードコア pic.twitter.com/PDFybZNpOn— LAS91214 (@las91214) August 28, 2023
Another illustrator, Kuba, has their own take on Ayre, which incorporates the Coral red directly into the character’s design, turning her into a futuristic Malenia of sorts.
Armored Core VI Ayre Imagined concept. Tried to take the red/coral element (looks like some version of melina/malenia too) #ARMOREDCOREVI #ArmoredCore6 #アーマードコア pic.twitter.com/KASiMktdYh
— Kuba (@Kubaushi) August 30, 2023
Of course, it’s not just these two, either. The entire Armored Core cast has been getting their own fan designs, from the weirdly affectionate V.IV Rusty to even one artists’ compilation of the entire Redguns crew, or even the many fan designs of the main character 621.
Armored core is lit af
#621 #ARMOREDCOREVI pic.twitter.com/FYNyjH4Wxk— anthoniarts (@anthoniarts) August 30, 2023
Anyone who’s followed From Software fans in the past decade would hardly be surprised by this turn of events- Souls characters have been getting fan-faces since the first title, with many even coming to consensus on details like Solaire being blonde.
For those not in the loop, Armored Core 6’s dialogue is expressed entirely via calls, and all you ever see of the characters are their emblems, or their ACs if they happen to be pilots.
It’s just another good sign of the community that exists for these games- they’re invested enough that they’re willing to make their own faces because to players, they’re more than just disembodied voices giving quests- they’re also apparently hot.