Armored Core

In single-player, players choose missions to engage enemies and earn credits. Within missions, the player navigates levels built on different kinds of terrain, ranging from desert bases to space stations. Levels are extremely open, forcing the player to look around for enemies that can appear from all directions. Like many shooters, the primary weapon types available for use are guns, rocket launchers, lasers, missiles, and swords which can be customized at will based on player purchases. Ammunition and repair costs are deducted from mission rewards, and mission failure still penalizes the player with these deductions. The player is responsible for purchasing their weapons and AC parts, and must use the money they earn from missions to that end.

As the player progresses through missions, the pay increases, but choosing specific missions can lock others down, creating a branching path through the story that can be noticeably different on subsequent play sessions.

The game has a two-player versus mode using a split screen or the PlayStation Link Cable.

The vast majority of Earth's population is wiped out by a cataclysmic war known as the "Great Destruction". The harsh conditions that result force the few remaining survivors to live underground for fifty years, during which time corporations come to power. The two largest corporations, Chrome and Murakumo Millennium, constantly battle each other for supremacy, causing significant strife among the populace. However, the competition provides endless opportunities for mercenaries called Ravens, who exist independently of the corporations. The player is a Raven and pilots an Armored Core (AC), powerful mecha robots that fight for the highest bidder. Ravens are provided by a neutral organization known as Ravens' Nest.

The player begins their career after taking the Raven Test at Ravens' Nest training ground. If successful, the player receives a mail from "R", the Ravens' Nest operator. The player then begins to take missions from the corporations. After every mission, the player can decide to customise their AC. As the player progresses, the missions become increasingly difficult. The player can also receive mail from Char, a Murakumo agent. Throughout the game, the two corporations continue their conflict until they both break apart and fall.

The final mission, which is requested by Ravens' Nest itself, is implied to be a trap to kill the player, (presumably because they have become "too powerful"), as the mission involves battling resistance in the Nest's base, destroying two Nine-Ball units (piloted by the top-ranking Raven Hustler-One, revealed to be an AI), and destroying the Nest system core.

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