Code Vein Reviews
Code Vein is a fun game that mixes anime themes with Souls-like mechanics but it needs more polishing on many aspects and absolutely demands for a protagonist voice actor, and more importantly the game deserve more love and care from Bandai Namco which sadly it didn't get.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Code Vein is much more than an anime aesthetics Dark Souls, since it contributes its grain of sand to differentiate itself in new playable mechanics and a fantastic audiovisual section.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Code Vein is missing the final touch in some areas but Anime Fans as well as Soulslike Veterans will still get an extensive and interesting title with a thrillig story.
Review in German | Read full review
Mostly, Code Vein is underwhelming. It’s highly stylish, and has some really good enemy design and gameplay options, but more could have been done with the pitch of ‘Anime Vampire Action RPG’. This effort sadly falls short of its potential and somehow makes a gore-soaked game about vampires a bit boring.
Ultimately, Code Vein is a somewhat campy, but fun, breath of fresh air in a genre that has felt a little stale outside of games like Sekiro. The companions are fun, if a little one-note at times, and the combat is brutal, but exhilarating. If you like what you’ve seen so far of Code Vein, there’s no reason not to try it out.
Flawed, but not a failure, Code Vein offers the same hardcore Soulslike action with less of a barrier of entry, making for a decent gateway into a growing genre.
Code Vein is exactly what it was promised to be, an anime flavored vampiric Soulsborne but it lacks a certain kind of magic to blow us away.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The good definitely outweighs the bad in Code Vein. The character customization, character loadout flexibility, and general visual style separate it from the bunch. It’s also easier than others in the genre. Newcomers shouldn’t feel the pressure of overcoming too immense of a gameplay hurdle to succeed. Time will tell if this is the beginning of a long running series, but it’s a promising start.
Code Vein tries hard to overcome its flaws with anime style and flamboyance—and in many areas almost succeeds. The character creation and Code-based upgrade system are intriguing, but the combat and partner AI are too inconsistent to overcome the uneven pacing and difficulty. Code Vein has its positives, but is flawed as a single-player experience.
"Code Vein" may at first glance remind you of the genre bombast Dark Souls, but thanks to original ideas the game manages to go its own way, especially when it comes to gameplay. With the blood codes, the skill system is very comprehensive and gives players the opportunity to adapt their own fighting style at any time and use it strategically. The helpful AI companions will also come in handy for players who quickly reach their frustration limit with Dark Souls and Co. The level design itself invites you to discover and puzzle, but in terms of design it still falls short of its potential. Code Vein" is an action-packed anime RPG for friends of the genre as well as newcomers, which shines above all in its battles.
Review in German | Read full review
Code Vein wears its inspiration on its sleeve, which is its biggest strength, curiously enough. The core of the gameplay is enormously enjoyable, challenging and rewarding. The game isn't without its faults, though.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I think Code Vein is a special release for anyone that appreciates the FROMSoftware formula and is a big fan of their work like myself that is really also an anime fan at heart. Bandai Namco put a lot of work into making this feel epic and grand on a scale they’ve not yet done before, and it paid off for the most part. The combat is fast and fluid while maintaining the difficulty fans want of this genre. The storytelling is top notch with characters you’ll want to bleed and die for. The small annoyances that existed throughout were a bit of a shame and definitely took us out of the experience a few times, but for the most part.. this is a game worthy of playing in a Fall lineup that is absolutely packed.
A stunning take on a tried and true formula.
Code Vein isn’t a genre-defining game by any means. What it is, however, is a blast to play. The story itself is deep, each character gets a well-rounded backstory, making their importance rather-well known compared to previous entries.
There's a lot to like about Code Vein though it's definitely not the most original game. Not everything works and what does is a lot of what we've seen before.
It's really easy to compare Code Vein to Dark Souls, since pretty much everything stays the same, and the only key differences are Anime Graphics and your partner, who always stays with you and sometimes tells you where something is hidden and when you should be alert. Story also gives you that warm feeling, that you are doing something right in a world full of corruption, where two races can't live together, since one feasts on the other, but throughout the game, you work on finding the right path, so they could all live in harmony. But as long as you get to kill tough bosses and thousands of enemies, we can't complain.
Review in Czech | Read full review
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.
Code Vein is a great game that sets itself apart from its Dark Souls inspiration with plenty of fighting customization and fast paced battles.
The combat in Code Vein is that of your typical hack and slash game with a stamina system inspired from the likes of Dark Souls, you have your heavy attacks and light attacks which you can combo together that occasionally in the right circumstances can activate a finisher with cool animations (note that these little animations can be deactivated in the system settings) the enemies vary in size and shape and hit hard...even at a higher level it is unwise to assume you can plough through enemies in the beginning areas of the game, as for the bosses they are awe inspiring, big and come with mechanics that must be mastered in order to beat them.
Code Vein takes some chances with the Soulsborne formula, and largely succeeds in making us loyal believers.