Looking back at history of FromSoftware , this troper noticed that movement changes from 4/4A to what it is in V is an attempt at Gameplay and Story Integration as V is set in dystopian future of 4/4a where technologies have regressed badly in the same manner as 'Going Hollow' mechanic in Dark Souls series (where it implies how it's like having no way to completely die) The developer tried to use game mechanics as story-telling tool, but designing movement and control mechanics in action Mecha Game is a delicate balancing act that they ended up breaking the fanbase instead of making the game more immersive.
Why are the controls in Armored Core games often so ridiculously difficult to master? Because the games are meant to be as realistic as possible, and that includes making the controls difficult to master, because if Humongous Mecha did exist in Real Life, it would be ridiculously difficult to control such a machine at first without any form of training. Furthermore, the overly simply movements made by most AC Units are also realistic, in that a Real LifeHumongous Mecha pilot wouldn't be able to pull off all kinds of fancy maneuvers in battle (nor would they be practical), like they do all the time in Mecha-Anime. So while the simplistic movements made by the AC Units may be slightly disappointing to some, they are extremely realistic in terms of how an actual soldier might fight in a mech.
This also makes the changes to Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon understandable: you're an already-augmented lump of human flesh on a medical table that's been directly linked to your AC unit, ascending beyond things like the AMS NEXT links or the Human-PLUS factors by not needing any other bodily functions but to work the systems mentally. As a result, this new-gen pilot is able to turn on a dime, have sustained lock-ons to enemy targets, and do functions the AC/NEXT pilots of prior games could only dream of, even if its full mobility still doesn't reach NEXT level.
In Armored Core 2, the mission "Eliminate Leos Klein" is styled after the final mission of Master of Arena, with long corridors strewn with floating mines and Klein sporting a red, Nineball-esque AC as the mission's boss. The brilliant part is that Leos Klein is heavily implied to be the Rogue Protagonist of Master of Arena. In addition, his AC appears on the game's boxart and in the intro, and it's blue, not red. Sure enough, the AC we encounter in this mission is an unmanned, AI-controlled decoy, while the real Klein is busy taking over the STAI battleship. Klein deliberately staged the whole thing to look like his own showdown with Nineball in his own game.
In keeping with the storyline, the LYNXes in Armored Core: For Answer were "Collared" by the corporations.
In keeping with the theme, the default name of the independent mercenary protagonist's NEXT is "Strayed," indicative of his lack of ties to any corporation.
That said, in For Answer you have a lot more freedom in picking your clients than in the previous game, where there were no story branches for, say, helping BFF or Rayleonard win the LYNX war. This is because in Armored Core 4 your proceeds went towards supporting Anatolia, forcing you to take work where you could get it, and both BFF and Rayleonard already had their own LYNX teams and weren't looking for one more. In For Answer, you're only supporting yourself, so you're free to to be more picky about whose side you want to take.
In For Answer, Thermidor's weapon loadout isn't the only clue that he and Otsdarva are the same person. Unsung uses the 03-AALIYAH framework with ALICIA legs, both from Rayleonard, the company Otsdarva used to work for before they were destroyed in 4 and the remnants were "acquired" by Omer. The LAHIRE frame used by Otsdarva's NEXT, Stasis is implied to be a Rayleonard design under the hood, making it the AALIYAH's successor in a way. In fact, it would make sense for Unsung (or something like it) to have been Otsdarva's first NEXT from when he was working for Rayleonard, picking up Stasis later once LAHIRE was developed.
