Code Vein is is a brand new IP; a hard-as-nails action RPG by Bandai Namco. Yes, the same Bandai Namco who published the other hard-as-nails RPG, Dark Souls. What sets it apart are the anime-like visuals and the futuristic setting.

Get ready to head to a post-apocalyptic world filled with vampires and other creatures of the night. There are plenty of dark dungeons to be explored there but should you do so or is this just another in a long line of “me too” Souls-esque pretenders which won’t measure up tot the title that inspired it? Well, let’s take a look.

Will Code Vein be a tasty title to get your teeth stuck into or will it be nothing more than a pain in the neck?

Code Vein features

• Real-time, tough-as-nails combat – a bit like Dark Souls.
• Summon players to your game for multiplayer mayhem – also a bit like Dark Souls
• Team up with an NPC partner who has useful abilities to aid you
• Animation by Ufotable, the Japanese studio who also worked on the animes “GOD EATER”, “Fate/Stay Night” and “Tales of Zestiria the X”
• Learn powerful Blood Veil abilities
• Customise your weapons, Blood Veil and Blood Code.

Story & Setting

The game is set in a dark, dystopian future. A mysterious disaster has brought an end to the world as we know it, causing the collapse of society and governments. Towering skyscrapers are now just lifeless graves of humanity’s past, pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. Operating in this devastated world is a hidden society of Revenants. They’re called Vein.

Vein’s stronghold is the last hope. It is where the few survivors gather, fighting to survive. They are blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Yet if you surrender to the bloodlust fully, you risk becoming one of the Lost – a feral ghoul, devoid of humanity. Can you survive in such a nightmarish world or will you be torn down by the Lost?

Home Base is the central hub in the vast world of Code Vein. You’re safe there, at least – for now. The old chapel acts as a stronghold. It features merchants and NPCs, such as the trader Coco who sells rare items. Davis can also be located there, who investigates the Depth area. And there’s Murasame, who sells weapons and improves equipment via transforming. By undertaking quests connected to the various NPCs, players can raise their Affinity stat. This will let them acquire more powerful items.

Gameplay

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. It’s a bit like Dark Souls. There’s also a bit of Bloodborne thrown into the mixture for good measure. For example, a Dash move which could be pulled straight out of Bloodborne. With your NPC partner (and another player, should you send out a Distress Signal), you’ll explore dark dungeons and tackle titanic, terrifying bosses. At least you don’t have to be lonely. Misery loves company, right? You’ll be able to communicate with your multiplayer ally using Emotions (aka emotes).

 You’ll need to search for life-giving Blood Tears, as they’re the fuel for your upgrades. More standard levelling up will also be done thanks to earning Haze – this game’s version of Experience Points, which are earned from defeating enemies. Increasing your level will raise your basic stats. If you’re defeated in a dungeon, you lose all of the Haze in your possession. However, if you can reach the spot where you died soon enough, you can recover your lost Haze. It’s a bit like recovering your items in Minecraft after you’ve been defeated (I was getting bored of referencing Dark Souls).

The Blood Veils seem to be largely offensive – and rather showy – powers. There looks to be quite a large variety of them too, such as the Ivy Blood Veil – a scarf of thorns that attacks an enemy from a distance and drains its health. Or the Hounds – a high-attack-power Blood Veil that can attack at a vast range ahead of you.

Blood Codes are an interesting concept. They’re special blood type possessed by Revenants and are caused by the special characteristics of the owner. The protagonist can obtain the Blood Codes of other Revenants from their crystallised memories. When you first get hold of them, the crystallised memories you obtain will be damaged. In order to obtain a Blood Code, you must first repair them. Dedicated materials and Haze are required in order to repair the crystallised memories.

Once repaired and equipped, the Blood Codes will give you a special skill. The nature of the skill will vary depending on who its previous owner was. For example, Ranger Blood Code will be useful for surviving in dungeons. Hunger Blood Code is for ranged battles and Berseker Blood Code is for close combat.

Audio & Visual

If like me you’re an anime fan then you’ll find a lot to love with Code Vein‘s aesthetics. Ufotable is an experienced animation studio who have worked on a lot of decent animes such as Fate/Stay Night and God Eater. Speaking to Famitsu, Bandai Namco said they intended to feature a unique art style that is neither anime-based nor realistic. Hiroshi Yoshimura, the game’s director, stated that one of the goals driving the art style is the desire to mix “Japanese sensibility” with more realistic visual elements so it can “also be received by a broader range of Westerners.” He also explained that settling on the visual style you see now took more than a year of trial-and-error, with input from concept artists and character modellers to determine the game’s final visuals. The game is being built on Unreal Engine 4.

The game will feature music from the Japanese rock duo who are appropriately named Vamps. This will include their most recent song “Underworld” and more from the album of the same name.

Code Vein  at this stage certainly looks the part. With varied abilities and a dark world to be explored, I’m more than a little intrigued. It still remains to be seen whether it holds up gameplay-wise. A large part of that may come down to those boss fights. So far we’ve only really seen the Queen’s Knight in action. How varied – and powerful – will the game’s other bosses be? Watch this space.

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