Code Vein II PS5 Review. Anime, vampires and Soulslikes-these are the three hallmarks that make up Code Vein, a franchise that first arrived on the scene in 2019 to popular fanfare due to its unique fusion of gameplay elements and its vampiric backbone. Now, almost seven years later, a sequel has emerged, bringing back its absorbing bloodthirsty post-apocalyptic world and a tasty Dark Souls-riffing carapace. Does Code Vein II continue the revenant feast in style, or does it just suck?
Code Vein 2 isn’t directly related to its predecessor, so the story, characters and setting are fresh and the co-operative gameplay emphasis of the original game has been dialed back significantly for an enriched single-player and story-focused experience.
Code Vein II Review (PS5)- A Soul-Sucking Soulslike
The story in Code Vein II follows along familiar themes within the RPG genre, let alone the video game industry. You need to save the world from a catastrophic event, yet in order to save it, you’re tasked with traveling back to the past in order to preserve the future. Furthermore, the peace that has been forged between human and revenant (vampires essentially) is becoming severed once more thanks to an event called “The Resurgence,” which of course threatens peace and harmony and needs to be pacified by yourself and your allies.
When it comes to the generic set-ups of RPGs, it is unfair to simply look at all the well-worn elements you’ve seen a thousand times before and judge that game solely because of how unoriginal they appear to be. Looking deeper into Code Vein II, there is an artistry and uniqueness within itself in spite of cliches, and this carries you through the grandeur of the experience.
A Vampiric Customization Suite
As a character avatar-led action RPG, Code Vein II predictably starts you out by allowing you to customize your character and modify his/her/their specific traits. Character editing options run the gamete from giving you the freedom to adjust facial size, voice grunt sounds, the choice for your protagonist to wear scars. If you don’t want to bother with altering the finer details, you can opt from a range of presets, which will help you decide the best look you want for your hero/heroine.
Customization options are pleasingly abundant and varied, which will necessitate tweaking of specifics for a while if you’re a perfectionist, however you are free to get on with proceedings if you don’t want to dally around in the creation suite.
What is an eye-rolling disappointment is that whoever you create will be silent throughout much of the game besides the grunts and groans they make during battle. Of course this a well-worn genre cliche and isn’t a deal-breaker, yet when you interact with characters like the celestial and seductive Lou Magmell and aren’t able to respond to her obvious attempts to curie your favour when you’ve only just woken up and met her for the first time, then you can tell that you’re more of a passenger than an active participant in how things play out during cutscenes.
A Vampire Full of Souls
Whereas the original Code Vein was co-operative focused in terms of its gameplay direction, Code Vein II prefers co-op in a different way, where an A.I counterpart accompanies you throughout the adventure to provide input and a helping hand when you need it. Don’t be mistaken though, Code Vein II is still a stiff Soulslike game with many formidable foes who should be approached with caution and precision striking and defensive tactics.
Your co-operative partner can be very beneficial in battle and can prevent you from becoming overwhelmed, which of course runs counter to traditional Soulslike titles that force you to brave huge, intimidating and hellishly tough worlds all on your lonesome. Your partner can revive you in battle if you happen to become overwhelmed, but don’t use their input as a crutch otherwise you will succumb to your injuries and lose some currency called Haze, which you can recover if you successfully retrieve it from where you fell in battle.
Much in the same vain of the Soulslike which inspired it, Code Vein takes you through dingy caves and dungeons, as well as wide-open majestic spaces for you to slay the dark forces you encounter, of which you’ll find them lurking and hanging about like nefarious loiterers who need eviscerating.
Bolstering your offensive and defensive capabilities in Code Vein II are augmentations known as Formae. These abilities provide awe-inspiring buffs and blistering finishing moves that’ll bamboozle enemies and send them reeling. Igniting these specialties requires a resource called Ichor, which can be acquired by using the new jail-based weapons that can use draining powers to help you accumulate the Ichor commodity.
Some may be confused with all these fictional resources and their functions, but there’s no doubt some serious horsepower to them when they are put into action. When soulslikes tend to feel like you’re engaging in combat underwater, it is refreshing when you open up a scintillating combo fury on your adversaries, and although Code Vein II sticks to tradition in many ways, you’ll be satisfied with how the combat complements the vast sinister world of Code Vein II.
Will You Make A Covenant With The Revenant?
And in that spirit of following the herd, Code Vein II does contain various main story and side missions which will have you hunting for resources, helping citizens with their problems, and laying waste to the dreary malevolence you happen to cross. Your side and main activities are predictably marked on the map, though you can access portals known as Mistle Points, as well as a magical vehicle system. The great thing about these forms of travel is that you can access points in time and landmarks of history, which shakes up the usual formula of staying in and exploring your surroundings in the present. What this means is that due to the critical story concerns, your ability to fast travel is opened up in fascinating ways.
On a technical level, Code Vein II isn’t all that surprising. Yes it does look very lovely when you explore ruins, dungeons, riverside, and it is a marvel to explore the past as you save the future, yet if you’re familiar with similar soulslike titles, it’s par for the course. This doesn’t mean Code Vein II doesn’t have its beautiful and eloquent moments, but it does struggle to stand apart. The soundtrack is similarly pedestrian, though this might be due to how closely it toes the line with other games in the genre.
If you’re hunting for a new soulslike-style open-world experience, you can do far worse than Code Vein II. The intrigue of exploring a world through time is intriguing, the game’s core combat is satisfying, and the artstyle is pleasant. However, Code Vein II has a hard time establishing itself outside of predictable genre tropes. Your protagonist doesn’t speak, the combat whilst decent, falls too much in line with other games of its ilk, and generally it is difficult to recommend if you don’t want another me-too.
With that said Code Vein II is fine, functional and can be fun-especially if you’re able to get the A.I to do the dirty work for you. The Formae system is potent and definitely gives combat encounters a zesty sense of empowerment, and if you’re invested you’ll want to lap up Code Vein 2 with vigor-just go in expecting a largely safe soulslike and you’ll be content with this one.
Code Vein II is out now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.
The review copy was generously provided by the publisher.