Code Vein

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 482 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 323 out of 482
  2. Mixed: 92 out of 482
  3. Negative: 67 out of 482

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  1. Sepherim
    Dec 2, 2020
    7
    Code Vein es, en buena medida, un Dark Souls con estética anime. Así que a nadie que conozca el género le va a sorprender el uso de las mismas mecánicas básicas de combate, el perder la xp si te mueres y tener que ir a recogerla, etc. Si que tiene una trama más desarrollada que los DS, con diversos PNJs que tienen sus escenas de diálogo, sus giros de guión y demás, PNJs que además nosCode Vein es, en buena medida, un Dark Souls con estética anime. Así que a nadie que conozca el género le va a sorprender el uso de las mismas mecánicas básicas de combate, el perder la xp si te mueres y tener que ir a recogerla, etc. Si que tiene una trama más desarrollada que los DS, con diversos PNJs que tienen sus escenas de diálogo, sus giros de guión y demás, PNJs que además nos acompañan durante el juego y participan a nuestro lado en combate, siendo en general bastante útiles. El sistema de personalización estética del juego está bastante trabajado, con numerosas opciones; la personalización del desarrollo de personaje también, con numerosos tipos de habilidades, clases de personajes y atributos, entre los cuales puedes ir alternando y combinando un poco según tus gustos. En este sentido, lo más flojo es el equipo ya que no hay enormes diferencias entre los distintos tipos de cada clase de arma, haciendo que (con lo caro que es además subirlas cuando empiezan a pedir recursos complicados) normalmente una vez que hayamos invertido en serio en un set de equipo dejemos de usar las otras opciones aunque bosses y cosas posteriores nos den otras armas que se supone que son mejores. Y, personalmente, a mi se me hizo un poco corto/escaso de contenidos, aunque en parte probablemente se deba a que el nivel de dificultad es menor.

    Gráficamente el juego es bastante vistoso, aunque nada tampoco revolucionario en ningún sentido. La música acompaña bien, igual que lo hacen los efectos sonoros y las voces, aunque personalmente odio jugar con un protagonista que es básicamente mudo. Y, en mi experiencia no encontré bugs serios, más allá de la tendencia de los ascensores a atascarse y hacerte perder algo de tiempo.

    Por todo ello, Code Vein no es un juego que vaya a revolucionar el género ni va a ser una experiencia en general memorable, pero sin duda es un juego entretenido con el que pasar unas horas muy agradables.    … Expand
  2. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Apr 22, 2022
    7
    I'm conflicted about this one despite being a big fan of anime and a big fan of DS games. The plot is beyond cringe and ignorable. The mechanics are nice and tight with some nice spins. The difficulty overall is way lower then ds. I'd say its a good game worth playing but dont expect the next ds contender.
  3. wokenoodle
    Nov 1, 2020
    7
    Reductive "anime souls-like" description is actually shockingly accurate.

    Strong genes from souls inspiration are: fun and inventive combat, build variety, design of levels and enemies, including at least half of the bosses. Anime vibe, on the other hand, provides pretty art-style, compelling, albeit one-dimensional, characters and story, that is, unfortunately, spoon-fed to you in a    Reductive "anime souls-like" description is actually shockingly accurate.

    Strong genes from souls inspiration are: fun and inventive combat, build variety, design of levels and enemies, including at least half of the bosses. Anime vibe, on the other hand, provides pretty art-style, compelling, albeit one-dimensional, characters and story, that is, unfortunately, spoon-fed to you in a very forced manner a la walking simulator.

    Code Vein falls short, unfortunately, with cluttered UI and special effects and utterly busted balancing: the game is supposed to be played alongside (somewhat annoying) sidekick NPC that can revive you on a cooldown, which completely breaks souls-like approach to difficulty. Playing it solo mode makes some areas frustrating and some bosses really unfair.    … Expand
  4. TCM_Crash
    Mar 2, 2022
    7
    ---{ Graphics }---
    ☐ You forget what reality is
    ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☐ Easy to    ---{ Graphics }---
    ☐ You forget what reality is
    ☐ Beautiful
    ☑ Good
    ☐ Decent
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ Don‘t look too long at it
    ☐ MS-DOS

    ---{ Gameplay }---
    ☐ Very good
    ☑ Good
    ☐ It's just gameplay
    ☐ Mehh
    ☐ Watch paint dry instead
    ☐ Just don't

    ---{ Audio }---
    ☐ Eargasm
    ☐ Very good
    ☑ Good
    ☐ Not too bad
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ I'm now deaf

    ---{ Difficulty }---
    ☐ Just press 'W'
    ☐ Easy
    ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
    ☐ Significant brain usage
    ☑ Difficult
    ☐ Dark Souls

    ---{ Story }---
    ☐ No Story
    ☐ Some lore
    ☑ Average
    ☐ Good
    ☐ Lovely
    ☐ It'll replace your life

    ---{ Game Time }---
    ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
    ☐ Short
    ☑ Average
    ☐ Long
    ☐ To infinity and beyond

    ---{ Price }---
    ☐ It's free!
    ☐ Worth the price ☐ If it's on sale ☑ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money    … Expand
  5. Laranja3321
    May 11, 2023
    7
    O Jogo é bom, tem uma história decente e tem uma gameplay divertida e uma trilha sonora fabulosa, mas, a historia do jogo é confusa e seu roteiro não ajuda muito se apoiando em uma mecânica de flashbacks que a primeira vista se demonstra linda e criativa, porém, com a repetição dessa mecânica para todos os personagens ela se torna maçante e chata. No mais o jogo poderia ter sido melhorO Jogo é bom, tem uma história decente e tem uma gameplay divertida e uma trilha sonora fabulosa, mas, a historia do jogo é confusa e seu roteiro não ajuda muito se apoiando em uma mecânica de flashbacks que a primeira vista se demonstra linda e criativa, porém, com a repetição dessa mecânica para todos os personagens ela se torna maçante e chata. No mais o jogo poderia ter sido melhor caso tivesse um cuidado maior com sua narrativa e design de mapas, que são em sua maioria sem personalidade, no fim é um potencial desperdiçado… Expand
  6. K0SMA
    Jul 5, 2023
    7
    Неплохая игра в жанре Souls like (я бы даже назвал бы Souls lite). Для новичков в данном жанре рекомендую, однако тем, кто играл в подобные игры, может и не понравится
  7. OniGioRi
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    Beautiful, unique and entertaining but really difficult. Code Vein requires a lot of patience. If you like souls-like games and anime style there is a huge chance you will enjoy this game.
  8. doodlerman
    Nov 1, 2022
    6
    It took longer for this to click than most Soulslikes. Your character's movement speed drops exponentially when blocking, which was initially annoying but I eventually came to accept it as an additional layer to the challenge. I still don't like it, but it's whatever. The thing I hate is the fact dodge rolls have a start-up animation during which you're completely vulnerable. I've readIt took longer for this to click than most Soulslikes. Your character's movement speed drops exponentially when blocking, which was initially annoying but I eventually came to accept it as an additional layer to the challenge. I still don't like it, but it's whatever. The thing I hate is the fact dodge rolls have a start-up animation during which you're completely vulnerable. I've read that it's about 4 frames long, but that's enough to be a cumbersome issue. Rather than dodge in tandem with when the enemy's attack will land, you have to anticipate the attack's start-up and time your dodges accordingly. Even when you get used to it, it's still annoying to deal with. There's also an annoyingly long animation for backstabbing, which is unskippable, but you can turn it off in the options menu— so no biggie. Level layouts aren't too complicated, but the sameyness of the copy-pasted environmental assets can make navigation confusing. Throughout the game, you're required to find things hidden in these levels in order to progress, but they're not very exciting areas to explore. Furthermore, you get an exploration percentage for each area, which you would assume tells you how much of a map you've explored, but really just indicates how much of the map you've charted via these flowery checkpoints and markers. So you can have a map that's 100% charted, but still not have found everything necessary to progress. I couldn't care less about the story. I tried— I really did— to sit down and watch the cutscenes, but they're so damn overwrought with convoluted anime-isms and simple concepts presented as profundities that I just couldn't. I skipped them and honestly didn't feel like I missed out. What's worse are the "memories," which are essentially walking simulators where you get to witness dioramas of various characters' pasts. Fortunately, these are skippable, too. Even if they had riveting stories, being forced to move at 10% of your regular movement speed never feels good. But, let's talk about the good: The game's character customization is top-notch. The sheer variety of options and styles is really cool, plus you can change your character's look whenever you want. You can even change your character's height. I don't know if that affects gameplay in any way, but the option to do it is really neat. There are lots of different combat styles, abilities, and special attacks to choose from. It's initially overwhelming, but once you play around and find which style works best for you, it's a lot of fun. You can choose from a variety of NPC companions to join you— I typically went with Mia since she has a powerful gun that can one-shot some monsters— and they make the more challenging bosses easier to deal with.… Expand
  9. JonsGone
    Oct 23, 2019
    6
    More Dark Souls but actually less.
    Its good tho.
    Gameplay is fluid and less stilted than DS1/2 and even perhaps 3. No real difficulty spike. Level design is a big plus with convoluted and labyrinthian maps. It is very hard to actually miss anything during the game. No railroading towards multiplayer and no reason to actually use it so it just stays unused. Bland but serviceable    More Dark Souls but actually less.
    Its good tho.
    Gameplay is fluid and less stilted than DS1/2 and even perhaps 3.
    No real difficulty spike.
    Level design is a big plus with convoluted and labyrinthian maps.
    It is very hard to actually miss anything during the game.
    No railroading towards multiplayer and no reason to actually use it so it just stays unused.
    Bland but serviceable story.
    Shameless anime big ****

    If you like Dark souls and want more Dark Souls this is more Dark Souls but also not enough Dark Souls.
    Dark Souls.    … Expand
  10. Shimmeywill
    Jun 29, 2021
    6
    Solid gameplay and cute anime characters. Story is weak but the worst element is the level design and enemy placement which is pure tedium.
  11. Anonjustbecause
    Dec 18, 2020
    6
    How do I rate entertainment media (books/music/cinema/video games/ animation/comics/manga):

    10. Groundbreaking. Revolutionised this art form. Should be used as a recommendation to non-consumers of this medium as it has crossover potential. This is exceedingly rare. 9. A work of art. Should be watched by everyone into this medium. 8. Magnificent. A must for every fan of this subgenre.    How do I rate entertainment media (books/music/cinema/video games/ animation/comics/manga):

    10. Groundbreaking. Revolutionised this art form. Should be used as a recommendation to non-consumers of this medium as it has crossover potential. This is exceedingly rare.
    9. A work of art. Should be watched by everyone into this medium.
    8. Magnificent. A must for every fan of this subgenre. Everyone else can still enjoy that but not a must.
    7. Really good. Misses elements of excellence. Anyone can still enjoy that.
    6 Good. Will be enjoyed on and off, but probably never return to it in the future. Anyone can still enjoy that.
    5. A solid but average delivery in all production aspects. Only fans of the subgenre may enjoy that.
    4. Below average in all production aspects, but still watchable only by fans of this subgenre.
    3. Boring material and you may not finish it due to lack of interest or quality. Even hardcore fans will not enjoy this.
    2. The producer/s of this material did not put the necessary effort in or do not have the necessary know how.
    1. To be watched only as educational material of how to not do things. Otherwise a waste of your time.

    3 hours in and highly recommend this for fans of this sub-genre. Authentic anime atmosphere, great graphics, smooth (but punishing) gameplay with responsive controls, and loads of customisation elements as a good RPG should.

    Feels like watching anime; if that's not your cup of tea you may not like its presentation. The music is fitting and wish to get a soundtrack at some stage.    … Expand
  12. SteveWillPlay
    Dec 11, 2019
    6
    This was a difficult game to review as it is very much a game that is deserving of a score above average (6) and I can see the potential for a 7-8 in due time with the upcoming expansions. However, at launch I played this day one and this was my experience during the launch of the game. To summarize I do believe there are better games in the genre and this one is a little late to theThis was a difficult game to review as it is very much a game that is deserving of a score above average (6) and I can see the potential for a 7-8 in due time with the upcoming expansions. However, at launch I played this day one and this was my experience during the launch of the game. To summarize I do believe there are better games in the genre and this one is a little late to the party. It lacks what made demon souls, dark souls, Bloodborne, and Nioh so successful and satisfying for me: combat and stat balance, leveling min-max builds, immersive environments and level design, challenging and interesting boss battles, engaging NPC quests and interactions, and mysterious and substantial lore.

    I want to start off with the positives such as the cutscenes and overall lore for the game. It reminds me of a dark souls-persona hybrid that truly has some epic scenes introducing new characters and showing off their unique fighting styles. Anime fans will love the art style and lore and without question will enjoy this more than the average player. However this does not justify a higher score do to the niche community it appeals too. A topic of controversy is definitely the customization; this game may have the best character creator and customization via the blood codes that I have seen in any of these games. It is very cool and rewarding to learn new abilities and try out new classes. To customize your character you have have a base level that you raise from gathering haze which is this games version of souls, echoes etc. Further, instead of leveling individual stats you have both blood codes and blood veils that you can customize your character with to create the build you are looking for. They come with preset stats or require preset stats from one another and also influence the weapons you are able to use effectively and movement speed. This is a very interesting idea and the best part may find is the blood code gift abilities that you may master to use when wielding any blood code.

    My biggest caveat with this system is that some are clearly better than others and you may find yourself like me playing most of the game using the same code, veil and even weapons (magic is OP) once you get the hang of it. The leveling feels superficial as you can only pool it into one base stat that boosts your overall stats adding no level of strategy or decision making into a min-max character build. I really hate to say it but the game world is bland and sultry at times; there are lots of grays, and dull colors which really made it a drag to play through. You will find yourself getting lost (and not in a fun way) countlessly followed by running into basic humanoid, beast, or bug type monsters. You will not remember most areas that you went to or bosses that you had fought as most of the game is long barren corridors with tasteless and tedious level design. The level environments feel like a house that is half finished.

    Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone who likes Anime and even Souls games however to the mass audience and even these audiences, they would be happier playing a better title such as Persona 5 or a From Soft game.    … Expand
  13. GameplayShinobi
    Dec 23, 2019
    6
    This game is as average as it can get. From graphics to combat the game doesn't excel at anything.

    Lack of armors and bland choice of weapons makes it a chore to progress through a game rather than provide a fun experience. Story is absolutely awful ( with some cutscenes unskippable ). SPOILERS AHEAD : Your hero is mute and most of the screen time is given to NPC's... as they push    This game is as average as it can get. From graphics to combat the game doesn't excel at anything.

    Lack of armors and bland choice of weapons makes it a chore to progress through a game rather than provide a fun experience.

    Story is absolutely awful ( with some cutscenes unskippable ). SPOILERS AHEAD :

    Your hero is mute and most of the screen time is given to NPC's... as they push the story. It made me feel like a bystander rather than a main character. This could have been ok IF THE NPC's were actually interesting. However writing is lacking and the whole story doesn't really show how dark or desperate the characters or the world is. END OF SPOILERS.

    Bosses range from way too easy to really annoying. However the biggest obstacle is the "NPC INVASIONS". You can get attacked by a group of enemies that spawn until a you kill certain amount of them. They do not get staggered the same as the player ( it takes 2-3 attacks to stagger them, yet the player will get his/hers skill or attack interrupted just by one hit... ) add to that corridor design of the levels and we have a recipe for disaster. Not all is bad however and the game can be enjoyable when you find the right skills and weapons to work in certain scenarios. Those moments however are rare as you will be constantly changing skills to test new ones or level up passive abilities...

    All in all it is a game that is mediocre but it could have been much more. Either they were afraid to create something darker and harder or they just wanted to appeal to a broader audience or perhaps they lacked artistic talent.... we will never know.    … Expand
  14. watchm824
    Dec 6, 2019
    6
    I like Souls-like games. But I did not really like this game. I finished it, but without much pleasure. The levels are monotonous and fairly linear. History, too, was not impressive.
  15. Paltalmen
    Jun 28, 2020
    6
    Das es zu dem relativ neuem Zweig der Souls-Like Spielen gehört, liegt der Vergleich zum Namensgeber sehr nahe...um einiges vorweg zunehmen...von einem Dark Souls ist es schon noch einiges weg.
    Leute die schon mehrerer dieser Spiele gespielt haben werden in diesem Spiel keine Herausforderung sehe.
    Die Story ist meiner Meinung nach typisch Anime style...sehr viel Freundschaft, Liebe und    Das es zu dem relativ neuem Zweig der Souls-Like Spielen gehört, liegt der Vergleich zum Namensgeber sehr nahe...um einiges vorweg zunehmen...von einem Dark Souls ist es schon noch einiges weg.
    Leute die schon mehrerer dieser Spiele gespielt haben werden in diesem Spiel keine Herausforderung sehe.
    Die Story ist meiner Meinung nach typisch Anime style...sehr viel Freundschaft, Liebe und Drama...diese Story sorgt aber auch dafür das der Mehrspielwert verloren geht, da es sogenannte Erinnerungen gibt die man gezwungen ist anzusehen bzw. zu Spielen die den Spielfluss sehr verlangsamen. Zwischensequenzen können übersprungen werden aber in den Erinnerungen muss mann im Schritttempo von A nach B gehen und sich Dialoge anhören...für mich ein Grund keinen zweiten Durchgang zu starten.    … Expand
  16. Jeabus
    Jul 22, 2020
    6
    It's honestly not a great game or even a very good game but it's probably the only "Soulslike" that plays remotely like Dark Souls, which is refreshing for a time when everyone takes the idea and warps it into something that doesn't really work. But that's where the comparison ends because that's about the only thing truly positive I can say about the game itself and it's still debatable.It's honestly not a great game or even a very good game but it's probably the only "Soulslike" that plays remotely like Dark Souls, which is refreshing for a time when everyone takes the idea and warps it into something that doesn't really work. But that's where the comparison ends because that's about the only thing truly positive I can say about the game itself and it's still debatable.

    This isn't Anime DarkSouls. Stop listening to people who say that. If anything this game is a complete mishmash of ideas from multiple Souls-Like games and ignored the context of why those things did or could work. It even takes some of the bad concepts and makes them worse.What you're left with is a very janky and strange game that has the same general control style as DarkSouls1.

    However it does show promise that there IS a developer out there that CAN actually pick up where Fromsoft left off instead of twisting the concept around until it breaks. But they need some real work done. Some REAL work...

    Also the controls for Keyboard/Mouse are horrifically over-complicated.

    In all, it feels like this game was subject to the "Destiny" treatment and subject to a sudden last-minute complete overhaul that tore the game apart and pieced together the remnants from how many things are pointlessly referenced, how absurdly exaggerated and contrasting the world apparently is, how lazy the level and enemy design is... well... when you think of how the game was delayed multiple times for over a year it makes sense.

    The DLC is a complete waste of time and money. It's actually offensive in a way because it adds extremely little while costing a fair chunk of change.    … Expand
  17. samstrummer90
    Nov 4, 2022
    6
    Code Vein es el hijo Bastardo de Dark Souls y Bloodborne pero con un toque manga e infinitas cinemáticas y zonas donde sólo debemos caminar y observar los recuerdos de ciertos personajes.

    El juego intenta innovar con algunas mecánicas como que las "builds" están prediseñadas mediante la elección de los "núcleos" y eso nos permite cambiar de build incluso en mitad del combate. Cada build    Code Vein es el hijo Bastardo de Dark Souls y Bloodborne pero con un toque manga e infinitas cinemáticas y zonas donde sólo debemos caminar y observar los recuerdos de ciertos personajes.

    El juego intenta innovar con algunas mecánicas como que las "builds" están prediseñadas mediante la elección de los "núcleos" y eso nos permite cambiar de build incluso en mitad del combate. Cada build tiene sus habilidades únicas activas y pasivas y nos ofrecen un mejor o peor "escalado" para las armas y armaduras. También disponemos de un compañero (el cual podemos elegir de entre unos varios) que nos acompaña siempre en la aventura pero cuya IA es muy poco constante y a veces hará todo el trabajo mientras que otras veces será un completo inútil.

    El sistema de mapas, checkpoints, loot y mejora de equipo es una copia del sistema empleado por fromsoftware en sus juegos pero aquí queda un poco más escueto y triste.

    El juego es bastante "injusto" con el jugador en ocasiones y la dificultad del mismo no es nada constante. En general el juego es "sencillo" pero hay momentos donde al morir te sientes completamente estafado.

    Podría haber sido mejor juego pero se queda en un premio de consolación de unas 20-25 horas de juego más NG+ (si es que te quedan ganas de re-jugarlo) para aquellos jugadores de PC que no tienen acceso a una plataforma donde jugar a bloodborne.

    Los gráficos, banda sonora y apartado técnico son bastaste decentes.    … Expand
  18. Kraiss
    Sep 5, 2021
    6
    Overall it's an okay game, some great things, and some really annoying others. It's an attempt to copy-paste Darksouls but with a fast-paced combat system and an anime style.

    Pros: music, artistic direction, a lot of content (especially if you want to get all skills masteries). Decent gameplay and character customization/development. Cinematics and memories are nicely done But they    Overall it's an okay game, some great things, and some really annoying others. It's an attempt to copy-paste Darksouls but with a fast-paced combat system and an anime style.

    Pros: music, artistic direction, a lot of content (especially if you want to get all skills masteries). Decent gameplay and character customization/development. Cinematics and memories are nicely done

    But they are hard to appreciate for me because of the annoying things in the game
    CONs:
    No real challenge except for some bosses and mini-bosses. You just crush enemies one after another, it's mostly just pushovers...
    Big maze-type levels with the same enemies over and over again... after 10h I started watching movies while playing because of boredom...
    Nice cinematics but OMG they are tons of them and they are loooong af (typical of JRPG games) and it would be nice if there wasn't that empty... Basically useless just skip them or watch a third of it you'll get all you need to know
    Hitboxes are clunky sometimes, there are foes that just jump around and you'll have a hard time hitting them. The game is fairly easy so you won't be in trouble but it adds up with the other boring and annoying things

    IMHO, the game is not worth playing (or at least not to the end). It's sad because there are really great stuff in this game but with so much boring and annoying things that I didn't really enjoy the game.    … Expand
  19. Gochujang
    Feb 10, 2023
    6
    Code Vein is an Souls-like action game that has anime styling. Code Vein feels like a unfinished book. It doesn't have a good fighting system, bossees, weapons etc. Story is not that good too. I don't want to give spoilers but overall i don't really recommend playing code vein but you can always give it a try.
  20. Kharnivore2099
    Apr 29, 2020
    5
    Though the first few hours with this game were quite positive, i fell off it incredibly quickly. From the get go, it feels like it's scratching all the right itches from a Dark Souls perspective. Lots of grinding, an array of weapons and armour to upgrade, lots of hidden areas and locations to explore etc. The cracks start to show once you've spent some time with it, and it really is aThough the first few hours with this game were quite positive, i fell off it incredibly quickly. From the get go, it feels like it's scratching all the right itches from a Dark Souls perspective. Lots of grinding, an array of weapons and armour to upgrade, lots of hidden areas and locations to explore etc. The cracks start to show once you've spent some time with it, and it really is a kick in the teeth after the initial high.

    The combat is definitely lacking. Lots of shoddy hit boxes, some bizarre enemy tracking, lots of animations that completely obscure the play area onscreen and attacks that visibly miss you by a mile still seem to connect. All resulting in an experience that doesn't have much weight or consistency, which is the core of experience in a Dark Souls style game. The areas are also incredibly linear and broken up with some rather dire cutscenes and a story that is poorly written.

    There are likeable characters despite the writing, scenic locations, it runs well and is easy enough to get into, but it just falls flat in it's core gameplay. It's a massive disappointment unfortunately and doesn't really measure up to similar titles in the genre.    … Expand
  21. smahlt
    Jul 21, 2020
    5
    This is a pretty fun game. It's Dark Souls, but with actual characters and an interesting tweak on the battle system.

    Unfortunately, the Cathedral of Sacred Blood and the final boss exist. Those plus the average level design are what make this game a 5 instead of an 8. I will not replay it.
  22. the_sarpo
    Jan 23, 2020
    5
    Well... They tried at least... But trying too hard to be like Dark Souls may make you create overwhelmingly, absurdly unnecessarily complicated maps that tire gamers real quick because there is no need to do so...
  23. BulgarianCritic
    Oct 13, 2019
    5
    At the beginning this game was pretty fun.The story kept me intrigue and the characters seemed interesting and the gameplay was hard but rewarding.But after 8 hrs in this game just became an incredibly boring and bland chore.After awhile you get used to the so called ''hard'' combat and it becomes easy as hell.Then you find out that the characters are the same cliche one liners you seeAt the beginning this game was pretty fun.The story kept me intrigue and the characters seemed interesting and the gameplay was hard but rewarding.But after 8 hrs in this game just became an incredibly boring and bland chore.After awhile you get used to the so called ''hard'' combat and it becomes easy as hell.Then you find out that the characters are the same cliche one liners you see in every game and are dull as a door knob.The MC especially is one of the most boring unsatisfying protagonist you can ever find in a game.He has zero **** emotions and is like a dog that can do 2 tricks give paw and nod.Something tragic happens??!! MC nods.something uplifting happens??!MC nods i mean this was so discouraging and in serious moments i found myself laughing on the floor at how incredibly stupid all of this looks.The story gets a little better by the end.Music and graphics were good except in cutscenes where it took some time to load all the props.The gameplay was as people say Soul's like but thats only at the beginning after that it becomes easy and repetetive since all the enemies have almost the same exact moveset.The FINAL BOSS was nothing but a joke of a final boss and you can beat him with your eyes closed.Overall an average game which is really long and tedious to beat and not worth your time.Go play Caligula Overdose if you want something more fullfiling and with interesting characters and story.… Expand
  24. TheSandMann
    Oct 28, 2019
    5
    In my opinion this is another dark souls look a like and iam actually sick of these.
    the gameplay is fine, there is a new refreshing mechanic that you can change your class on the go which is cool.
    The soundtrack is good. Few camera bugs nothing too major, the game runs smoothly. The graphics are nothing extraordinary but are not bad. All and all, its an ok game, though i dont think    In my opinion this is another dark souls look a like and iam actually sick of these.
    the gameplay is fine, there is a new refreshing mechanic that you can change your class on the go which is cool.
    The soundtrack is good.
    Few camera bugs nothing too major, the game runs smoothly.
    The graphics are nothing extraordinary but are not bad.
    All and all, its an ok game, though i dont think its worth the 60$    … Expand
  25. Exzerios
    Dec 30, 2019
    5
    Short review:
    Pros: good visual design (though not detail rich), good character creation (both character creator and class system), decent combat mechanics, great optimization.
    Cons: relatively bad story, bad boss balance, overall bad balance for solo play (game forces to play with a bot), small issues here and there. Budget ended after first 30% of the game. Overall: meh. Would be    Short review:
    Pros: good visual design (though not detail rich), good character creation (both character creator and class system), decent combat mechanics, great optimization.
    Cons: relatively bad story, bad boss balance, overall bad balance for solo play (game forces to play with a bot), small issues here and there. Budget ended after first 30% of the game.
    Overall: meh. Would be somewhat better if you will play with a bot.

    More detailed:

    Pros:

    + Good visual design.
    It seems that the budget was quite small, and environment detailing is poor. But at least the visual design is quite good.

    + Good character creation (both character creator and class system)
    But why are there only six basic clothes options and only one of them looks like actual combat gear?!

    + Decent combat mechanics.
    There are some technical problems, weird movesets (for both weapons and enemies) and strange balance decisions, but in the end it is still better than in many other games. Hopefully, will become better with patches.

    + Great optimization.
    One of few major games which runs 4K 60FPS on GTX 1080 almost perfectly.

    Cons:
    The game is designed to be played in coop (with a bot or with a friend), and if you won't play solo - this won't be so crucial. The problem of playing with somebody - the game becomes easy. Moreover, playing with a mate always ruins the atmosphere, and the bot acts like it is competing in kill count, always jumping straight into the mess. Later in the game it often results in his death. The game is balanced for duos - the amount of enemies you'll have to fight simultaneously often exceeds reasonable limits for such genre (especially during invasions), and it looks like the devs didn't bother a lot about enemy movesets in hope that problems with those will be mostly unnoticed when playing duo.

    And those are bad. There are tons of 360 spin attacks, combos with multiple 360 attacks, infinispins, etceteraspin. There are a lot of attacks with irrationally long preparation stage and almost instant execution (i.e. the attacks where you have to learn timings rather than react to the actual attack), and some of the enemies use the same opener animations for different attacks or abilities. And the main problem - this all applies to bosses. That makes aggressive and close range style extremely dangerous and dependable on RNG during bossfights, while careful approach takes way too much time and requires great patience. That all also makes block builds much more easier (sometimes literally the only option) than evasive ones. In duo, however, doubled health pool and ability to attack from behind makes aggressive approach a viable option.

    Speaking of technical issues - usual stuff: enemies attack through walls and even sometimes shoot through walls. They sometimes walk into walls. Some of them have collision model accuracy problems (and at least one boss has confirmed bug when his collision model separates from the visual model and acts independently as an invisible second boss, lol). Rolls in this game are relative to character position, not camera position. Your character will roll in wrong directions quite often.

    Story is bad. Double bad is that the beginning is actually good and quite unpredictable, the lore looks interesting and relatively fresh, and everything promises an interesting game. But after first few levels the lore is being thrown away and the story focuses on main characters and their past until the very end of the game. And god, this is the most cliched and boring japanese drama about friendship and sacrifices you can imagine.

    And the budget. It was cut. Or it was poorly calculated. I don't know what happened. First third of the game is good - all levels are different, most enemies are different, cool engine movies (and the story, could it be affected as well?..). The devs were trying to make levels feel different. Everything is good. But then it begins... Super extensive asset reuse. Same level assets, same enemies with different paintings (literally alien shooter), zero level design variability (always small and cramped corridors except for very few levels) and even whole levels reuse with different routes.

    Conclusion:
    It could be great. But someone was greedy.    … Expand
  26. bancandrei
    May 13, 2020
    5
    Could have been great, but it is not. If as much care would have went into level design and environment variety as went into the character creator this game would easily be top of the generation. The way it stands it's just a soulslike.
    The story has it's moments. It's serviceable.
  27. elpoyolocho
    Sep 26, 2019
    4
    I have requested a refund on steam after an hour. The bad controls and glitches I encountered at the start of my playthrough were more than enough for me to think that this experience was not worth a full AAA game price.
  28. ManHoof
    Aug 4, 2023
    4
    Primitive level design, same mobs with same move set (reskin only). Storyline like child cartoon. Some like Lady Bug :)
    Best parts of the game, is character creation and coop mode.
  29. ElementalSoldie
    Dec 4, 2020
    3
    Extremely overrated game! Enjoyed playing with the character customization tools more than I did actually playing this miserable game that really wants to be DMC and Souls, but just cannot find a comfortable in-between. Gets insanely boring fast. Hard pass.
  30. ME123
    Sep 26, 2019
    2
    Dropped the game after about 5 hours. Absolute GARBAGE!!!!!!!! One of the worst games I’ve played all year. Extremely disspointed.

    Do not waste your money.
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Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
91
#91 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Quarter to Three
    Jan 4, 2021
    80
    What if there were a Dark Souls for people who want something to do instead of play the same boss fight over and over until I get lucky and don't die? Well, this is! And this is it!
    Read full review
  2. Worth Playing
    Apr 3, 2020
    70
    Code Vein should be applauded for doing something different with the Dark Souls formula. It's great to be able to switch out your classes at will and combine them, and the almost-constant presence of co-op is a real selling point for those who may not want to jump into the deep end of this emerging subset of the genre. The rest of the game, from the story to the level design, feels bland, and the combat falls apart when you suddenly have no AI companion by your side. If you don't mind a heavy dose of anime in your action game, Code Vein may be worth checking out.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    60
    Code Vein is a successful nod to soulsborne games. It does not reach the highest peaks, but it deserves attention for unconventional setting, huge potential and interesting possibilities when it comes to character development and equipment. It is not perfect, but it is definitely more than just good. [Issue#299]
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