Code Vein Preview - It is stylish, slick and very entertaining

braini (61)in #gaming • 7 years ago (edited)

We have been aware of Code Vein for some time now, a title from developer Project Vein that throws us in a dark and bloody world full of vampires and it would be remiss not to mention that it tries to attract Dark Souls.

As fans of FromSoftware's action rpg's, Code Vein felt like attracting well-known trousers - albeit an itchy, painfully seated pair - as a lot of the content felt very familiar, apart from some subtle adjustments. Campfires are for example mistletoe (on the ground), and heavy and light attacks are now triangle and square instead of R2 and R1. These changes can certainly go against your routines, but all in all it feels very welcoming to Souls fans.

It placed us in a very dark area without any context in terms of story. Our goal was to get ahead, kill things and try again. So we got pretty little to know about the background story. The studio cleverly interweaves two different styles - fantasy and post-apocalyptic - but in such a way that it is something completely new and fresh. Neither side contrasts with the other and the fact that both are designed in such a dark and unhappy manner means that you never have the feeling to switch between a side; it always feels seamless and satisfying.

For example, we start our time in Code Vein in a grubby cave, but as we move on and beat the horrors for us, we end up in a collapsed building and eventually in the outside world - a derelict metropolis. Even with a bright sun outside, there was an unmistakable melancholy atmosphere of fear, especially since the only living things we could see were the delusions we were on the menu. Even the outfits in the game are all pitch black or blood red.

Level design is something that feels very much like Dark Souls and game takes place in different 'dungeons'. Which means that there is a linear path to follow, but with enough branching paths and secrets to discover. As you expect with a game that is as inexcusable as this, you will be mercilessly punished by different traps and creepers if you are not careful. For example, we found an interesting treasure chest, after which we turned around again and found out that slime samples had jumped off the ceiling and driven us into a corner. Just like with Souls games, you learn from your mistakes and do something better every time you discover what and who you have to avoid.

We must say, however, that we felt that the fighting was a bit heavier than in the games where Code Vein gets his inspiration today. Sometimes it felt a bit frustrating when our character sat in a role animation for too long or got up after a blow; and since the enemies are as fast as deadly, this can mean the difference between life and death - a victory or a loss. Some more refinement in this section would not be misplaced, but we must emphasize that this is only a minor consideration, even if it occurred to us several times.

As we dodge, roll and bombard our enemies, we are also assisted by a computer-controlled ally with a rifle - which proved to be quite useful. In the beginning, when they quickly died by an enemy, we quickly made hasty conclusions. However, after a while we found out that it is about how you use her. If you run away and leave her alone with a group of enemies, she quickly dies. Although it seems like a good idea to get her first blows, it's all about balance. She can play the aggressor, but she is much more effective from a distance while approaching the enemies. In addition, it can even revive you and give your own 'health' to you if you are killed. Where many games have useless or frustrating computer-controlled accomplices,

We spend most of our time alone by mastering the standard movements and light / heavy attacks. As we said in our TGS hands-on, magical skills will be important in the main game, as well as selecting the right weapons. We chose a combination of a small sword, which provided a good balance between speed and damage, and a bayonet that we had picked up to do damage from distance and pull enemies from groups. There are also huge weapons, such as giant swords and a colossal hammer - so there are options for players who prefer a firmer, slower alternative.

As you expect from such a game there are a combination of small 'grunts' that you can easily beat, as well as bosses, and at the end of the demo level we were greeted by such a boss. This humanoid being was a sort of knight with a merciless spear and we received flashbacks several times to Bloodborneduring this fight, especially because of the high speed we had to hold. Keeping his distance ensured that he could use his running / teleporter attacks with destructive power, so we had to continually avoid traffic and stay around him. Our ally occasionally caused some room to heal from a distance. In this way we struggled to defeat this opponent, but not without the necessary cursing and sweating during the process.

Once we entered the world that Project Vein had made, we were immediately reminded of our times of adversity in Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but this was mainly about the fighting and the structure. But do not be mistaken, Project Vein has a unique world of its own, filled with stuffy darkness and a smooth style combined with the raw realism of the post-apocalyptic world with an extravagant animé-like vampire fantasy. It is stylish, slick and very entertaining and we can not wait to get started.

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!

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