Code Vein 2 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

If any game came up to me with time-traveling in its premise, I’d be instantly sold. There’s just so much you can do with a time-traveling narrative. And have the paradoxes you create shift into the characters’ lives, environment, and gameplay as well. Provided the devs are ambitious enough, which was my fervent hope going into Code Vein 2. 

The first rodeo was a home run for their take on anime Soulslike RPG done well. And the assumption is there’s often nowhere to go but up for sequels. No need to worry if Code Vein sounds unfamiliar to you. The series seems to be an anthology, with no connection between entries. So, you’re probably at an advantage coming in with a fresh set of eyes. 

I’ll say it goes both ways: a little bit of genuinely impressive good parts and a couple of letdowns, some neither here nor there. Let’s break it all down in our Code Vein 2 review.

Travel Back in Time

How often that we think to ourselves that if only we could travel back in time and fix our mistakes? In Code Vein 2, the story gives you the opportunity not just to rewrite history, but to actually save the present world from imminent doom. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by chaos and destruction. And the environment doesn’t hold back in showing its ruined, desolate landscapes.

So, how’d the world get so tragic, calamity so close on the horizon? It’s all broken down via rich lore and story exposition. With the way the story is told, it does intrigue your interest. I also admittedly have a soft spot for vampiric tales, and your protagonist happens to be one. Revenants, they’re called, are immortal soldiers, once dead but revived to fight monsters.

In Code Vein, these monsters were bloodthirsty, feral beings called Lost. But there’s a new threat in Code Vein 2 called Luna Rapacis, which is a massive, moonlike body that is corrupting Revenants, turning them into Horrors, who are a new kind of mindless monsters, potentially threatening the end of the world. 

If that sounds like a lot, it gets more complicated when 100 years ago, a group of heroic Revenants helped save the world. But in the present timeline, they risk turning into Horrors, which brings us to the protagonist, a Revenant Hunter, revived by a mysterious girl, Lou, with the power to turn back time. Your mission is then to track down the heroic Revenants in the past, kill them, and save the future in the present timeline.

Actions Have Consequences

You’ll jump back and forth between the past and present, which intrigued me in finding out how my actions in the past affect the present. My time-traveling craving for exploring theories on free will could be, once again, ignited if Code Vein 2 delivered on causality versus fate. Unfortunately, the story fails to be as compelling as I’d hoped. Its pacing is awkward, taking its time to pick up momentum. And when it finally does, cutscenes fail to land, despite trying too hard to capture emotion. 

It gets cumbersome to follow the events in the story, even with its sparsely compelling points of intrigue. In the end, the characters are the strongest point of interaction, thanks to meeting them in the past, befriending them, and even adding some to be your companions, all while knowing that their doomed fate is sealed. But still, you find yourself having a sliver of hope for their future, that your actions might, after all, give them new lives.

Lavinia, leader of the MagMell organization, is desperate to save humanity. And yet, she warns you and Lou that messing with time could have devastating consequences. And while I was excited to witness the impact my past actions had on the present, the payoff didn’t quite satisfy. Your actions do have implications on the story’s multiple endings, the environment, and even gameplay. Saving a character could unlock a bridge or dungeons to explore. Or certain decisions may lock you out of rewards. But the risk versus reward isn’t at all impactful. 

Elden Ring-Like

I’ll say it has a lot to do with the actual gaming experience. Code Vein 2 has moved to an open-world setting, much like Elden Ring. You’re exploring vast spaces, stumbling onto dungeons packed with enemies, loot, and rewards. It’s quite a huge world of post-apocalyptic ruins and buried industrial buildings. And while a ravaged world seldom feels dreamy or whimsical, it can still be stunning when it evokes emotion over the remains and stories it tells of its past. 

But Code Vein 2’s world is rarely compelling, hampered further by the muddy textures and frame rate drops even with less chaos on screen. You do get a motorbike to help cover more ground, but it controls pretty terribly, often ramming into invisible walls. The Soulslike gameplay elements remain, like rest checkpoints you can fast travel between. Enemies respawn as well when you rest or die. And you lose XP when you die. 

But you can always head into dungeons to find enemies, farm XP, and even stumble onto hidden secrets. After a couple of dungeons, though, the novelty wears off. You come to terms with the fact that enemies repeat designs and attack patterns. And worse, clearing your way through the fodder is too easy. In fact, enemy variety continues to stick out its sore thumb in the sequel, spilling its guts over to bosses, who also begin to repeat themselves, just with a beefier health bar.

Soulslike Entry Point

And I use “Soulslike entry point” very loosely, because I reckon there are far better Soulslike games out there that will be accessible to newcomers. I doubt all you’re looking for is an easy ride when the enemy designs and variations don’t live up to their end of the deal. The enemies in Code Vein 2 repeat themselves, making their attack patterns predictable, and the fight like going on a cruise.

It’s a shame because on the side of the character, Code Vein 2 does invest a lot in the flexibility and versatility of your build. While it can seem complex at first, it actually streamlines into a pretty reasonable way to level up. You have your usual weapons, light and heavy strikes, and managing your stamina meters. And then the Blood Codes, which are like classes you can swap on the fly. The Formae (active skills) and Boosters (buffs). 

Mixing and matching these and your primary and secondary weapons helps you curate a playstyle you love, but also one that counters specific bosses effectively. I love that your character, being a vampire, also has blood-sucking abilities, via the Ichor (mana) system. Equipping it onto corresponding Jails drains Ichor from attacks and parries that fuel your Formae and special attacks.

Hit or Miss?

It’s, indeed, a deep system that provides you with different ways to take down enemies. All while infusing positioning and studying enemy attack patterns in your strategy. But what good is a flexible and versatile character build system when you don’t face enemies challenging and unpredictable enough to be forced to switch it up and upgrade?

Verdict

And thus, Code Vein 2 feels unfinished. The foundation for a remarkable anime Soulslike is definitely here, as the first game has proven. And the potential for a riveting story can also make for an unforgettable ride. But the execution of the sum of its parts leaves a lot to be desired. All of the gameplay elements, whether story, open-world exploration, or combat, have a blemish here and there. Some are insignificant and have an easy remedy. But others might need more time in the oven. 

Whether or not you’ll enjoy Code Vein 2 depends on your passion for anime Soulslikes. Or if you’re like me, a misguided, guilty pleasure for anything to do with time travel and vampires. You’ll surely be intrigued at points in the story and gameplay, when navigating the ravaged, post-apocalyptic world that the protagonist finds themselves trying to fix. But the low quality of the visuals and environmental detail might deter you from fully appreciating your journey against the Luna Rapacis.

You should find reprieve in the character build system. It’s pretty versatile while streamlined. And most importantly, giving you flexibility in how to take down Horrors. But flexibility needs challenges that create opportunities for it. When battles are easy enough to beat without experimenting, and the enemies regurgitate posing attacks you already anticipate, combat becomes boring. The story, while compelling at points, fails to redeem Code Vein 2. Neither does exploration, which fails to hold your attention or push you to discover its secrets.