Gaming: New Code Vein 2 Review

Weak characters kill loftier ambitions, but a brisk pace keeps the combat lively.

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I've never felt more kinship with a silent protagonist than in Code Vein 2. Just like being stuck with someone rambling all about the Definitely Interesting details of their job, there my little make-a-me was in the early hours of the game, listening to a giant goth mom monologue a string of proper nouns—something like "using Forma and Revenant Jails, destroy the Metagen holding Pathos below the Luna Rapacis in order to open the Hero's Cocoon and MagMell from the Horrors."

What is it? Time traveling anime vampires hack and slash their way into a reverse apocalypseRelease date: January 29, 2026Expect to pay: $70 / £55Developer: Bandai NamcoPublisher: Bandai NamcoReviewed on: Intel Core i7-13700F, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 16 Gig RAMSteam Deck: UnknownLink: Official site

I could only pull the time-honored technique to survive any boring conversation: smile and nod. Like many of those one-sided conversations in life, though, dig past all the pretensions and Code Vein 2 is a lot simpler than it wants you to believe—for both good and bad.

A standalone adventure despite the title, Code Vein 2 sets itself in a gothic art deco-tinged post-apocalypse inhabited by the vampiric Revenants, under threat of a double apocalypse unless five legendary heroes of the past are murdered for… reasons.

Your boss Lavinia, who dredges up those same feelings Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village awoke, tries to make the mission sound awfully complex, but the basic idea is simple: travel back in time to meet a handful of anime hotties and then kill them in order to save the world. Everything else is set dressing, and boy does this game like to dress some sets.

Though Code Vein 2 carries all the hallmarks of the soulslike—limited heals, bonfire equivalents, and invincible dodges that had me somersaulting more than an Olympic gymnast—it often feels more like a pure hack-and-slash than any kind of Dark Souls imitation. Leaning heavily on number-go-up RPG leveling as well as fast, forgiving battles, it's comparatively accessible for those less skilled at timing attacks and dodges, welcoming us lowly button mashers with open arms.

Sure, there ARE heavy attacks if you want them, and specials, and

Source: PC Gamer