REVIEW | CODE VEIN II

Code Vein II is what some might call a souls-like ARPG with anime elements to it. The world in which it is based is a desolate future where humanity lies in tatters and the vampire-like revenants are in the majority. Some of them want to try and coexist with humans to save the world; however, this is where we come in. We are known as ‘revenant hunters’, basically humans who share a heart with a revenant to become able to perform feats of strength and skill a normal human could only dream of. As a hunter, I join with several revenants throughout the game to stop the world from ending. A heavy task indeed, but when you find out that the reason for the end is the heroes who tried to stop it in the first place, things get a little more complicated.

In Code Vein II, you are able to travel through time with your revenant companion Lou in order to find the keys to unlock the cocoons the heroes are encased in so you can slay them, but as you do, you start to learn about each of them and find yourself in a dilemma about whether or not it would be right to slay the people you have come to care about in the process… Like I said, complicated. Anyway, without spoiling too much of the story, let’s just say your choices will not be easy to make, and you might find yourself delaying some battles because you want to find another way to win.

Now, before I write out a novel explaining what the game is about, I better get into this review properly. Code Vein II has been a rather divisive game, with a lot of fans of the original Code Vein either loving it or hating it for various reasons, but I have no attachment to the original game either way, so my review will be based solely on what I have learned by playing this one alone.

Things I liked!

• Story | There are many games out there that kind of half-ass a story to get you interested in the fighting mechanics of an ARPG, but the writers of Code Vein II actually took the time to deliver a tale that not only makes you want to play more to discover what is happening but also makes you think about the morality of your choices and how they affect the world at large even after you finish your gaming session for that day.
  
  Usually I would find epic tales like this over-convoluted and boring, but each character you meet has a tale worthy of hearing, and dialogue I might normally skip to get ahead was left as it was so I could find out more about the world. Oh, and it is worth reading the logs as well, especially when some of the changes take place due to your time-traveling antics, as not everything is as it seems.

• Soundscape | The music, effects, and voice acting in Code Vein II are fantastic, but let’s break it down into wee sections here. First off, the music is as epic as you would expect from an anime-like ARPG game, with orchestral swells at just the right moments and peaceful background music at times when you are just wandering through the landscape. The composer Go Shiina has done an incredible job making the music of Code Vein II just as vibrant as the story itself.
  
  Next up, we have the sound effects, which are just as important to me. In this case, every thud of your weapons makes them feel real, every clank of your foot on a metal floor echoes in just the right way and every droplet of water hitting the floor in the caves just adds to that overall atmosphere.
  
  Finally, the voice artists – now I played it in English, which was the default, but you can tell each of the actors put their all into their roles. Each character was believable in tone and energy, which can be hard to do, especially with the sheer amount of dialogue that Code Vein has. Even the side characters who might only have a line or two each were acted superbly. Overall I was very impressed with the soundscape of this game.
  
  
• Fighting | Now I am not exactly what you would call “good” at souls-like combat, as usually I like to rush into a fight and hack and slash my way to victory, but something about Code Vein II actually made me want to stop and take my time to learn the characters’ movements and the enemies’ weaknesses in order to progress. I found that each enemy had their own character, which came across in the way they fought you, and yes, that even includes the weird green mutated blobs of flesh who jump straight at you.
  
  The enemies dodge, duck, band together, and even help each other as they try to defeat you, leaving you to try and divide and conquer most of the time. You have some amazing weapons at your disposal, though, from swords to war hammers, and even some guns are thrown in the mix as well. I prefer the Rune Blades you get at the very start of the game, though; they just felt right for my play style.
  
  Which is another plus in the fights of this game; you don’t have to adapt to a style you don’t feel comfortable with; you can choose to play however you want to. All in all, I’d say it’s not an easy game, but if you take your time, you will be slashing through your foes in no time at all.

Mixed & disliked!

• Graphics | I honestly didn’t have a huge issue with the graphics of Code Vein II, but there were some issues that, for a game of its price range, I feel could possibly have been avoided, especially on a console. Sometimes you would see parts of the world loading in as you traversed the landscape, and I’m not talking about way off in the distance either; I mean, sometimes trees, grass, or rocks would suddenly pop into existence next to you. Mind you, once they were loaded in, they stayed where they were, so that’s something.
  
  Another thing is if you give your players customisation options, make sure that the game can handle what you do; for example, coins should not be placed into your hand and disappear underneath a glove you decided to wear because it looked cool, or hats should not float a few inches off your head because of the hairstyle you have chosen. Now I understand these might seem like petty things, but I honestly feel that if you put options into a game, then they should line up graphically.
  
  Other than those little issues I have, I actually love how the game looks, the post-apocalyptic landscape in a state of healing, and the remnants of times past, including cars and boats and buildings. Even the ruins and caves just look gorgeous. I just wish that if they had issues with optimising character graphics, they could have maybe just left a few options out.

• Performance | One of my main issues with Code Vein II is the frame rate. Even in performance mode, where everything should be smooth and easygoing for your console, there are stutters, especially during some of the larger boss battles, and this can mean the difference between a successful battle/honourable defeat and ‘Oh my gods, I can’t believe my button press didn’t work due to a tiny amount of lag.’ I often wonder why games bother to have mode switches on console these days, as I personally would like it to auto-switch between graphically intense in slower areas, where you can enjoy the scenery and performance-based during fights where you are only concentrating on winning the battle.
  
  But to have performance issues with a game that has obviously had a lot of care put into it just feels to me like a lack of quality assurance at the last point before sale. I feel like people would understand if a game needed a little more time to get that last bit of polish before release.
  
  
• Some small issues | There are some small nitpicks I would like to get out before I finish this review. Ok, so first off, Code Vein II is a single-player game with AI assistance from other characters, which is fine, but it feels like it wants to be more of a multiplayer experience, and I think that it possibly was going to be initially, as there are little things that have carried across from what would have been fine in an online multiplayer game; for example, you can’t pause the game. Yup, I know, right? A single-player game where you cannot pause, and this is especially annoying if you are in the midst of a lengthy boss battle and the phone rings or you have to answer the door… Gone are the ten minutes you spent hacking the giant behemoth’s life bar down to a quarter, and all because you can’t pause!
  
  Ok, so in the same frame I actually found some of the bosses could have been more easily defeated if the game had been multiplayer, and instead you really have to grind your way up to be able to just barely scrape by in some cases. A little leeway might have been nice, to be honest, in some cases.
  
  Finally, sometimes the camera angles can be a little constrictive when you are fighting in corridors; the game seems to want to put you inside the wall as it tries to orbit the fight slightly to keep the action in view. I personally would have preferred some tighter camera angles in these moments. These are just small issues to me and ones that might even get fixed in future patches… At least I hope so.

How long did I play the review before publishing?37 hours and still playing
How long to beat the story? 40-50 hours
How long to complete the game 100%? | 50-70 hours or more depending on how thorough you are
You’ll love this game if you like these | God Eater 3 and Lies of P

CONCLUSION

Score: 80/100

Code Vein II is a genuinely enjoyable game with a lot going for it; the story is amazing, the graphics are for the most part, awesome, and the soundscape just makes everything feel that bit more epic. With a little polish and some patches, I feel like this could be one to add to anyone’s collection. So if you enjoy a good ARPG with an intense story, this might be the one to pick up just now.