Code Vein II Preview

When the original Code Vein launched in 2019, it was unknown how well it would perform. There are a lot of Soulslikes at this point, and being billed as a spin-off to the God Eater series, a hunting action game, meant that there were a lot of questions. As such, it was clear to see that while having its own spin on the genre, it still felt very familiar to a lot of the games that were being released at the time.

When all was said and done, however, Code Vein sold very well and garnered a faithful audience, so it’s no surprise to see a follow-up taking priority over a new God Eater title.

And so begins a new tale of the Revenants, one that will take place across many timelines.

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A colorful cast of characters awaits in Code Vein II.

A Tale as Old as Time

The first thing you should know going into Code Vein II is that it’s a completely standalone story from the first. While there are a lot of the same themes, such as the Revenants and a world on the brink of destruction, there are no ties to any of the characters from the original, nor is there a follow-up to the cliffhanger at the end of it either. Code Vein II, instead, takes place in a new world featuring similar themes, mainly, the coexistence of Revenants (vampire-like beings) and Humans, with the addition of time travel.

This was a question I put to the Producer, Keita Iizuka, about the decision to move away from the original’s story:

Despite my initial disappointment at not getting a follow-up to that cliffhanger, after spending some time with the story, all the parts that made the original story so interesting are still there, including the deep dive into the memories of the various characters you meet. As you travel back in time to meet the heroes of 100 years ago, you’ll experience their stories as they partner up with you, and you’ll learn more about the threat that plagues the present. It’s an interesting hook, and the character I got to experience, Josée, had a story that kept me engaged throughout my time with the game.

Depth to Sink Your Teeth Into

For those of you who were fans of the original’s character creation, rest assured, you can not only expect the same level of customization, but even more depth. Like before, you can go into detail with how you sculpt your character, down to every last curl of your chosen hairstyle. I spent a good amount of time with the system to nail down a look I like (and will be looking to replicate it in the full release), and fortunately, you have the ability to save your presets that you can use again later.

Perhaps something that surprised me the most, however, was just how much more involved and in-depth the character systems were in Code Vein II. As you may expect, all of your tools will scale based on your stats, but more importantly, this time around, is the Burden system. Underneath your main stat value, which is impacted by your level and equipped Blood Code (this acts like a Class), you will see your Burden score. If at any point, your Burden score is higher than your current stats, you will suffer a penalty, so although you can equip a weapon that may not suit your current build, you’ll have to deal with the penalty that comes along with it.

Each of the Blood Codes you can equip will have positive and negative effects based on these Burdens, such as Josée’s featuring traits that let you deal more damage at the cost of taking more damage. This gives Blood Codes a massive degree of flexibility on how you want to approach combat in Code Vein II, as mentioned by Keita Iizuka during our interview:

And that couldn’t be truer.

You have a selection of seven different weapon types, of which you can eventually equip two. These range from swords to hammers, and even magical Rune Blades that float by your side. There is a lot of choice, and it’s important, because your Blood Code may favor specific types, and some Formae (skills) can only be used with specific weapons. Of course, these Formae don’t have to be purely damage-based, as there are support ones to find here too.

Formae, then, play a big part in your character build in Code Vein II. Beyond the Weapon Formae mentioned above (of which you have four slots), you can equip a Defensive Formae, such as a shield, parry, and evasion dash that use your Ichor (your primary resource for skills in the game), a Bequeathed Formae, which fulfills the role of a secondary weapon (such as a bow), and four Booster slots that will let you increase your stats based on what Booster is equipped, this is helpful to get beyond certain Burdens.

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You can expect to have enemies swarm you at times.

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There are many different Jails you can equip, which are used to drain blood.

The final piece of your character’s options is their Jail, which is what you use to drain blood from the enemies that you attack. A large part of Code Vein II’s gameplay loop is making enemies bleed, draining them to refill your Ichor, and then using said Ichor to unleash your Weapon Formae. It’s a satisfying loop and means that, for the most part, you’ll always have toys to play with. There were several types available during my time with the game, such as a scythe and twin hound heads, all of which offer different playstyles you’ll need to work into how you approach enemies.

This is all without mentioning the revamped partner system, which allows you to either fight with a partner out at the same time or assimilate them to get unique passives. This is reflected in the blue part of your health bar reserved for your partner’s HP. Once depleted, you will lose the passive if assimilated. More importantly, when you initially lose all your HP, your partner will revive you with some of your HP (this decreases each time), then retreat to recover their strength. Deplete your HP again while they’re away, and you’ll die and lose your Haze (currency).

There’s a lot to take in, but what Code Vein II does is create more of an identity of its own that the first lacked and give players who love to go deep on their builds plenty of tools to play with.

A Larger, More Rewarding, World

One of the first things I noticed once I set off to explore Code Vein II’s world is just how much more open it was, especially MagMell Island, which, from what I played, almost seems like it may be a hub area of the game. With a more open world comes the use of a more useful map, which you can uncover by activating devices as you explore the island and the various dungeons you encounter in the past. Taking a look at the map, I saw dungeon and cave entrances, which goes some way to suggest that there may be a lot more to MagMell Island than meets the eye.

I was told during my interview with Keita Iizuka that due to the original being set in an enclosed area, the gameplay design led itself better to a more linear approach. With Code Vein II’s focus on a new world with time travel, they wanted the world to have a much larger say in the story and the gameplay. It’s a great change, and one that has me excited to explore it to see what I can find.

Code Vein II, then, in that sense, rewards exploration. Not only can you find new weapons while exploring, but also find new Formae, which will increasingly expand all of the options you have available to you. Item synthesis is also now in too, and as such, finding materials to help with that adds to the rewarding exploration gameplay that Code Vein II features.

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The dungeons set the atmosphere perfectly, making them a joy to explore.

Outside of MagMell Island, I got to play a part of Josee’s scenario in the past, which led me to the Sunken Pylon dungeon, where I got to see the memories of this hero. This played a lot closer to the kind of dungeons you’d expect to see in the first Code Vein. It feels like there’s a good balance between the two, and the story seems a lot more heavily involved during these dungeons.

My time with Code Vein II culminated in a boss battle at the end of this dungeon, and it felt tough, but fair. I feel that with all of the tools available to me and more time, I’d really be able to chisel out a style that fits me, but even going into it, I was able to learn the boss in around five attempts before killing it. All of the Soulslike staples are here, so how you perform in them really feels like how you get to grips with the combat systems and depth that Code Vein II has to offer.

Although I’ve only seen a small part of Code Vein II, as a fan of the original entry, the sequel looks to be a step up in every way. With an identity of its own with all the build possibilities, and a story that looks to be interesting, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the final release.