Code Vein Reviews
There was a lot of potential for Code Vein to end up little more than a mediocre Dark Souls clone dressed in anime clothing, and yet, it's actually kinda, sorta, pretty good. The game mixes some long-established gameplay qualities with a totally engrossing class system and a story that's more enjoyable than it has any right to be. Code Vein won't be for everyone, even if you're a Souls fan, but if the overall idea sounds appealing, the execution might surprise you.
Code Vein takes some interesting chances with Soulslike mechanics and finds mixed results, but there's something worth sinking your teeth into here.
Code Vein is addictive, yet frustrating. It's promising, yet unpolished. There are a lot of interesting ideas here that come together to craft a unique and engaging experience. I just wish that the flaws here weren't so glaring, because they keep Code Vein from being a great game instead of just a good one.
Code Vein feels like it wants to take the idea of community and important AIs and marry it with the gameplay and ideas prevalent in Soulslikes. It is a story-heavy affair that wants you to care about its characters, while also helping you find your way in a demanding world with thoughtful combat. There are some technical hitches along the way, such as frame rate drops, but they're the sort of problems that could very well be eventually fixed with patches. For now, it's a largely successful experiment into some new ideas.
If you’ve ever wanted a Souls-like without most of the baggage that comes with playing one, Code Vein is right up your alley.
Despite a number of performance issues and combat that feels just a little too loose and mashy compared to its genre-mates, Code Vein presents a unique take on the Soulslike formula
Code Vein is a good dark anime-style action RPG. There are some flaws like the AI or various technical/graphic imperfections, but the articulated combat system, the versatile gameplay, the co-op and a plot that holds up to the end despite stereotypes and clichés manage to give to novices and experts 40+ hours of brutal souls like fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Code Vein is an anime soulslike with a huge focus on character build and an endearing story that could relate to the God Eater series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Code Vein is an exciting, rewarding, and tenebrous venture into the Souls-like space with a fantastic class system, explosive combat, and dark narrative – hindered only by its lack of visual prowess and odd UI design.
Code Vein features anime vampires and fast combat, but it's too reliant on the exact Soulslike formula to stand out on its own.
It promised more than it has finally been. Neither history nor difficulty are up to expectations and, in addition, it comes with technical problems that ruin the experience. It's sad, because we expected more from Bandai Namco's game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite all the drawbacks, Code Vein is fun to play. Nice characters, fan-service and clear presentation of the story are great. The tightened sections with the story about the past of heroes, visual secondariness of locations, simple opponents and easy bosses can spoil impression to hardcore fans of a genre, but beginners have to be satisfied.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Code Vein is an interesting mix between a soulslike and an anime, but fails to stay close to the top of the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Code Vein's lackluster combat is held up by great character customization, and its boring world is driven by a memorable story. It's clunky and uneven, but fun.
Code Vein is a Dark Souls-like game with an anime art style. There are many ways you can customize your character from looks to weapons, even up to the skills you carry in battle. You can literally customize your way of playing and it's worth every single second.
Code Vein is some fun anime nonsense is a slickly designed package with some minor failings.
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.
Code Vein is easily one of the sleeper hits of the year, and it’s an experience that’s a joy to sink your teeth into.
Code Vein is a great Souls-like experience distinguished by its unique style and interesting story.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
The only good part of Code Vein is its combat, but for me, that turns out to be enough.