Code Vein Preview: Dungeons, blood, vampires - More than Darks Souls with vampires

After Nioh it's up to Bandai Namco to make a game in which you dispose of dungeons. Code Vein distinguishes itself with an animated style, Dark Souls-like gameplay and a unique story. Instead of a human hero, this time you are a vampire looking for blood. We took the game for this Code Vein preview.

People do not go that well with Code Vein, because the earth is as good as gone by the mysterious Thorns of Judgment. A small group has survived the collapse of society and has evolved into a vampire race that lives in enclosed areas hidden behind red mist. Because of the 'scarcity' of people and with that blood they are looking for other ways to meet their oh so important life needs. The so-called Revenants therefore go after the Blood Beasts, the underground dungeons.

Old-fashioned tricky

Just like the Dark Souls games you walk through so many dark caves and dungeons, where you put one monster after the other on your sword. Action-packed battles with weapons are central and the level is high. In that respect, Code Vein is a linear experience and if you die, you can start again from a checkpoint. It is not easy, because you have limited access to blood to heal yourself and every monster you fight can become your last.

If you find it difficult enough to get through the areas, then you are also waiting for boss fights. These monsters are extra difficult to beat, so you will have to do everything. For the Code Vein preview it appeared that the boss fights have to give a big task, but in any case the challenge is probably good!
The combat has also been considered, because as a vampire you have to suck blood. The equipment you wear, also called Blood Veils, determines how you should do that. If you have collected enough, you can use special skills called Gifts. These can greatly increase your chances of survival if you use them correctly, but that requires a lot of blood. The kind of Gift again depends on the class you choose.

Because indeed, it goes deeper. There are several classes that are called Code Vein Blood Codes. Your character can be adapted in many ways to the playing style of your preference and by leveling you can learn new, specific Gifts within a Code. The action game also has RPG elements.

Together you are strong

Fortunately, you are not alone! Vampires are perhaps not the most cozy creatures, yet they occasionally help each other. Code Vein has a buddy system, which means that you go out with others. No players, but vampires with artificial intelligence. There are several of them and they all have their own background story.

Throughout the game you will learn more about your companions. Their story is interwoven with that of the game itself. It is so nice to get to know your fellow warriors a bit better, since you put your life in their hands during difficult situations and it can actually make a difference. Fighting on the brink of death will certainly result in a strong bond!

The boss fights all require a different tactic, so you will also have to figure out what works and what does not. For the Code Vein preview we came into a long-term battle where it was mainly avoidance of attacks and strike at the right time. The choice in your Blood Veil, Gifts, Codes and other things will influence the course of the fight.

Graphic not yet great

Also nice is that you can customize your own character, both the equipment and skills as the appearance. And Code Vein is best extended with, among other things, the hair, face type, colors and clothing that you wear under the Blood Veils. All in all, you can pay enough attention to this.

Unfortunately, the version that we played did not really look spectacular. Textures were quite low and the world was a bit boring and uninspiring. In that respect, Code Vein does not yet achieve much after the quality of Nioh and Dark Souls. Somewhere next year the game has to be released, so they have a few minutes to polish everything up.

Preliminary Conclusion

Code Vein should appear somewhere 2018 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Expect many adjustment options, a layered level and combat system, lots of monsters and above all that you will often die. Despite a tough character with considerable equipment and brutal skills, it remains a tricky game and that is as it should be.
Although you let the weapons largely speak for you while you release dungeons after dungeons, this is not a copy of Dark Souls, which was also published by Bandai Namco. Code Vein has its own identity because of the animated style, the separate story and a buddy system. It remains to be seen now whether the game will eventually leave the dungeons of the developer and find the daylight well.

Thanks for reading.

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