We’re through the initial burst of Blood/Souls enthusiasm and into the second era, when “It’s like Bloodborne/Dark Souls, but…” is the pitch on the lips of every would-be cash-in. Code Vein is one of those. It’s like Bloodborne/Dark Souls, but made by the God Eater team, and it’s about vampires in a post-apocalyptic world that’s probably Earth. It’s extremely anime. I’m surprised Spencer let someone touch it, that’s how anime it is. Damn, that’s pretty anime.
Code Vein
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Price: $60
Platform: PC, PS4, and Xbox One
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
This carries through to character creation, which is probably the most intense character creator I’ve ever seen. There’s the usual options like gender and skin color and hair color, and then there’s things like tweaking your hairstyle and even adding additional hair to be more anime. While I didn’t find an option to create the kind of hideous ghoul I like to make in these, I’m sure it’s somewhere in there. The character creator could be a game in and of itself.
And that’s really the hook if I had to sum it up: It’s like Bloodborne/Dark Souls, but you can customize everything. Just imagine Gary Oldman yelling EVVVVVERYTHING. Want anime hair but somehow even more anime? Got it. Want to customize your weapons and skills because not only are you a post-apocalyptic vampire, you want to do things your way and not be hard-locked into a specific fighting style? Go nuts.
It’s not as hard as the Soulsborne genre, which could also be a plus if you’re trying to get someone into those. It’s like a starter-level fighting game before you move onto something more hardcore. The combat’s a little floaty and not as tight as the classics, but it’s also a little more forgiving. And there’s a lot of it and it’s extremely customizable. You get “gifts,” which are basically vampire magic powers and let you do…pretty much everything you could think of in a combat RPG. Stuck? Try a different weapon or build. The post-apocalyptic world is your oyster. Your grim, blood-filled oyster.
Oh, yeah, that’s right, you’re a vampire but you haven’t lost your soul/humanity, unlike all the vampires out there you have to kill. There’s a lot of angst involved. I told you: extremely anime. The upside is, there are a variety of companions you take into levels with you. That’s the other gimmick: sidekicks. Trying to play solo is a fool’s errand, so there are a variety of also very-anime vampires with also very-anime backstories about their life in the grim post-apocalyptic vampire world. Cue Vampires Are Alive by DJ Bobo.
Likewise, the level design isn’t quite as pristine and arranged as Bloodborne or Dark Souls, but it’s also less prone to kicking you in the crotch for a laugh. That’s good, because between the floaty combat and some janky enemy and level design, as well as the genre itself, you’re going to be dying a lot. Fortunately, there are lots of save points and spots to pick back up, dust yourself off, and maybe tweak your build.
Because the secret is: Code Vein isn’t really a Soulsborne. Looks like one, feels like one, wants to be one…but it’s really a dungeon crawler where you’re exploring a dungeon for goodies rather than slowly unraveling a story in a brutal and terrifying world. As a result, it can be a little frustrating that the enemies aren’t as precisely tuned or it’s easy to cheese your way forward without getting punched in the junk once you figure out the gimmick. If you’re expecting that level of hard-but-rewarding, you’re going to be disappointed when you dodge-roll your way through what should be a tricky encounter. On the other hand, it’s a decent chance to chill and kick anime ass with your anime sidekicks.
While multiplayer is there, it’s a little on the ehhhh side. The floaty combat and weird camera angles and weird, finicky controls are much more of a hassle when lag hits or when actual people are involved. Flaws you’d write off when you’re poking around a dungeon alone are much harder to explain away when you’ve got a buddy along for the ride.
The Final Word
It’s an entry-level Bloodborne/Dark Souls with a lot of anime. Take that how you wish.
– MonsterVine Review Score: 3 out of 5 – Average
