Code Vein

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 642 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 451 out of 642
  2. Mixed: 103 out of 642
  3. Negative: 88 out of 642
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  1. Kostas_Spirou
    Aug 10, 2023
    6
    A mediocre attempt to recreate a soulslike experience.
    Don't get me wrong, this game is solid, it's quite easy and relaxing, but it feels like it doesn't really know what makes the souls games so special, the amount of cutscenes and the emphasis on the story doesn't really fit for this genre, in a way, its a flawed soulslike game, but on its own, it's actually surprisingly enjoyable for    A mediocre attempt to recreate a soulslike experience.
    Don't get me wrong, this game is solid, it's quite easy and relaxing, but it feels like it doesn't really know what makes the souls games so special, the amount of cutscenes and the emphasis on the story doesn't really fit for this genre, in a way, its a flawed soulslike game, but on its own, it's actually surprisingly enjoyable for the most part.

    The gameplay is good and the exploration is pretty fun, the world looks very beautiful, I like the art-style, the characters look cool and the graphics are pretty nice, most areas look great, the destroyed city with the spikes coming out of the earth, the crystalline cathedral of the sacred blood, the corrupted dark caves, and many more.

    The character customization is fantastic, there are many options to choose from, even though there's a lack of clothing options, since your character is going to wear an armor and a mask most of the time, I do appreciate the amount of different customization options, I just really like creating my own character, and the game did satisfy me on that part.

    As for the progression system, oh well it's honestly so damn confusing, I still don't understand how it works, it doesn't make any sense and most abilities are useless, I ended up leveling up all the time and using a strenght build with a greatsword, didn't really bother with the Blood Codes, and I still decimated everything, even in the endgame areas. The boss fights are actually very simple, no challenge whatsoever, I do like the fact that you can have a sidekick but it makes the game significantly easier, which isn't really a complaint but I wish the boss fights had more variety and a bigger moveset, to balance it out, but unfortunately that's not the case at all.

    Also, it's worth to mention that the hitboxes are terrible, enemies attack in front of them and if you are behind them, chances are you still get hit, even if you are about to attack, because the frames are broken, it's very inconsistent and random.

    Lastly, the level design is very boring, most areas are okay, but some of them suffer from terrible level design, obnoxious platforming and monotonous layout, they're not connected well, and they feel copy-pasted.

    I know, I complained a lot, but at the end of the day, this is still an enjoyable game even with all its flaws. It's worth trying out but don't expect anything more than just a silly unmemorable little adventure, some people might enjoy it even more than I did but it's just nothing to write home about.

    Final Rating: "Above Average" ~ 5.5/10.    … Expand
  2. Killerpummkin
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    Code Vein is not really my thing. I've played through it, but I don't need to play it again.
  3. JrDouble
    Jul 17, 2023
    3
    Code Vein is one of the most boring, bland, and uninteresting games I have ever played. The gameplay feels disconnected and the combat is simple and lifeless. The enemies and boss battles are dull and have poor telegraphing. Mechanically and story-wise this game is mediocre and underwhelming.
  4. zencube
    Jul 17, 2023
    6
    Unfortunately another Dark Souls Clone without having any spirit of the original Game. And it doesn't matter if you like Anime or not. We've got 1:1 all the mechanics of the DS Series, like Bonfires, Leveling-System, Weapon-Upgrades, etc. which is not a bad thing at all. Actually everything that was copied from the Master works good and without flaws...

    BUT the levels itself are truly    Unfortunately another Dark Souls Clone without having any spirit of the original Game. And it doesn't matter if you like Anime or not. We've got 1:1 all the mechanics of the DS Series, like Bonfires, Leveling-System, Weapon-Upgrades, etc. which is not a bad thing at all. Actually everything that was copied from the Master works good and without flaws...

    BUT the levels itself are truly AWFUL to look at AND to play. It's always an extremely narrow lane, tiny areas, Graphics from PS3-Area and the way they are build are just nonsense! It all fells like a big surreal picture without any references to how a world actually would exist. Beside those non-existing worlds, we've got stupid cities, deserts and a government building that's just so artificial nonsense, it reminds me of the games in the 90s, where Level-Design just had nothing to do with any sort of real worlds. How would anybody design and build a building like this?!

    Anyway, the mechanics and combat is okay, nothing special though and it saves the Game from beeing a total disaster. But still, it's so average in every way that I was just relieved when the final Boss hit the ground. And don't bother with buying the Add-On! It's basically recycled Bosses, tiny areas and a complete waste of time.    … Expand
  5. JoseManuel10_
    Jul 5, 2023
    6
    Code Vein is an action role-playing game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
  6. LafaDrake1
    Jun 28, 2023
    10
    Para quem gosta de Animes e Souls Like, Code Vein é um casamento perfeito. Um dos melhores games que ja joguei na minha vida!
  7. GioLaBot
    May 29, 2023
    9
    yes it is a souls like or bloodborne like anime but I found myself really comfortable with the feels of my character, such as movement, combat etc.
  8. Anthor
    May 4, 2023
    8
    Muy buen Souls-like infravalorado con un diseño artístico único y exótico de corte anime. Jugablemente muy satisfactorio con los distintos códigos de sangre y sus respectivas habilidades configurables ofreciendo distintos estilos de lucha. A destacar también su ambientación desolada y muy cercana a la solitariedad de por ejemplo un Metroid, un diseño de GPS de los más útiles del género yMuy buen Souls-like infravalorado con un diseño artístico único y exótico de corte anime. Jugablemente muy satisfactorio con los distintos códigos de sangre y sus respectivas habilidades configurables ofreciendo distintos estilos de lucha. A destacar también su ambientación desolada y muy cercana a la solitariedad de por ejemplo un Metroid, un diseño de GPS de los más útiles del género y que invita a seguir explorando todos los escenarios, así como unos bastante buenos jefes y una trama "vampiresca" interesante. Como único punto débil, su rendimiento regular en consolas que bien podría haber estado mejor optimizado y estable a 30fps por lo menos. Por lo demás es un gran juego. Ni caso a la prensa que lo ha destrozado. Code Vein tiene estilo propio.… Expand
  9. OdinX1985
    May 2, 2023
    8
    Code Vein is an action jrpg Souls like anime style. Code Vein is a great action jrpg and for what it is this has probably the best character customization in a game that I've ever seen. You can create male or female and style them how you want. The story is not something that will wow you however in the middle of the game there is a surprising connection to another game wondering if bothCode Vein is an action jrpg Souls like anime style. Code Vein is a great action jrpg and for what it is this has probably the best character customization in a game that I've ever seen. You can create male or female and style them how you want. The story is not something that will wow you however in the middle of the game there is a surprising connection to another game wondering if both games are connected in the same universe. Boss battles are not like Souls or Bloodborne by any stretch but still they can be challenging in their own right. You can have an NPC follow you on journey and switch them out for a strategic approach in areas. Music is your typical jrpg with a few kick butt boss themes. Weaponry plays a big role along with armor that certain types does have great benefits and Blood Memories these are most important to the style your playing. These can be upgraded by finding them and by using your soul points I highly recommend doing these cause once you have them complete you can use them as passive abilities forever. The game is fully voiced acted in English and Japanese.. the length is well over 40 hours and the game does have optional bosses and a 3 dlcs sold separately. My score is an 8 for how deep the character customization was and how fun it can be. However the game does suffer bad enemy aggressive behavior that seems unfair. Enemies can clip through the walls FPS drops is rare but it can be noticeable when close buildings. It's a great game but a few hiccups.… Expand
  10. YFA
    Apr 27, 2023
    5
    At first it's fun to play but then it's average. expected more to be honest.
  11. Generalement
    Apr 3, 2023
    10
    Un titre qui se réfère par bouche à oreille.

    CodeVein est un puissant titre dans la tranche de Elden Ring. Sinon, le titre à s'y plonger après avoir fait Elden Ring. Une mécanique nécessitant une apprentissage et une adaptation concernant les possibilités de Builds. Un peu un clin d'oeil de Nier Automata mélanger avec un Elden Ring, puis parfois l'impression du level design d'un Nioh.    Un titre qui se réfère par bouche à oreille.

    CodeVein est un puissant titre dans la tranche de Elden Ring. Sinon, le titre à s'y plonger après avoir fait Elden Ring.

    Une mécanique nécessitant une apprentissage et une adaptation concernant les possibilités de Builds. Un peu un clin d'oeil de Nier Automata mélanger avec un Elden Ring, puis parfois l'impression du level design d'un Nioh. Tout mélanger ensemble vous donne une savoureuse expérience au coeur d'un univers qui vous marquera comme Elden Ring à marqué.

    Une généreuse histoire avec des cinématiques bien placés. La qualité est bien présente. La qualité de ce titre est époustouflante. Des PNJ qui sont très attachants et avec qui l'on peux partager, discuter, et chacun à une spécialité à apporter. Bref, on ressens le sens de la formation et l'importance du rôle de notre protagoniste. Parlant de celui-ci, vous avez la possibilité de laisser place dans la creativité. La difficulté du titre est incontournable, les foes et les Boss sont redoutables. Pour ceux qui ont apprécié Elden Ring, une même stratégie d'analyse s'impose. L'aide en ligne vous pourra vous être d'un grand secours ou vous-même pourrez aider les autres.

    Récapitulatif: après Elden Ring, si vous avez aimer Nier Automata, le level design de Nioh, c'est assurément un chef d'oeuvre qui n'a pas connu le succès qu'il aurait dû.    … Expand
  12. DSouls_guy
    Mar 24, 2023
    9
    To start things up, let me say that code vein is not a souls Bourne clone! But rather a new take on a formula that the souls games have used for every game single souls game. Code vein has a story and an excellent character customization to boot! Plus the whole anime feel is just perfect. I'm really enjoying code vein and hope to see a sequel in the future.
  13. drlowdon
    Mar 19, 2023
    4
    Code Vein is an action RPG that is HEAVILY influenced by the Dark Souls games, unfortunately it is a pale imitation in virtually every way. The combat is unsatisfying, the environments are dull cut and paste labyrinths and you seem to just fight the same enemy types over and over again. A few hours was all I could take of this game.
  14. Avey123Avey
    Mar 19, 2023
    5
    An alright game with some good combat, great bosses/enemies and alright level design. The things holding it back are its garbage story, bad and overly confusing progression system, and some of it's level design is incredibly weak. It also simply doesn't have enough unique enemy types to last its overly long completion time. This game would have been twice as good if it were half as long
  15. MickeyFinn
    Jun 24, 2022
    3
    Bought it on sale and i regret not buying some new indie instead. The game has a vague Bloodborneish scent but that's about it. The usual bad soulslike, artificial difficulty without the gameplay options. Numerous issues, clumsy combat mechanics, bad leveldesign. Scammish namedropping, manga, vampires dark souls, without any relevance for the gameplay. A few more passive slots wouldve madeBought it on sale and i regret not buying some new indie instead. The game has a vague Bloodborneish scent but that's about it. The usual bad soulslike, artificial difficulty without the gameplay options. Numerous issues, clumsy combat mechanics, bad leveldesign. Scammish namedropping, manga, vampires dark souls, without any relevance for the gameplay. A few more passive slots wouldve made the game a lot more enjoyable. Back to school, boyz. To be forgotten… Expand
  16. cylentstorm
    Mar 14, 2023
    5
    Yet another Souls-like with plenty of goofy anime/JRPG cheese... A few cool mechanics do little to separate a mediocre, yet mostly solid slasher from the rest of the formulaic pack.

    Loose controls and repetitive action are melded to inconsistent performance and dull level design. The game is far less of an artificially-difficult chore than From's clunkathons, and at least the    Yet another Souls-like with plenty of goofy anime/JRPG cheese... A few cool mechanics do little to separate a mediocre, yet mostly solid slasher from the rest of the formulaic pack.

    Loose controls and repetitive action are melded to inconsistent performance and dull level design. The game is far less of an artificially-difficult chore than From's clunkathons, and at least the cringe-tastic story and characters are as comprehensible as they are annoying.

    Wait for a sale or save your cash for something more inspired and deserving of your time.    … Expand
  17. DuffySteffanni
    Feb 7, 2023
    9
    Good for - those that like a fun, challenging, action game with anime style. Possibly among the best looking anime games to date.
    Bad for- first time gamers or people who dont like anime art style and strategic games
    Similar games - dark souls, bloodborne Let me say as an individual who's played well over a thousand games. This is exactly another perfect example of how terrible "    Good for - those that like a fun, challenging, action game with anime style. Possibly among the best looking anime games to date.
    Bad for- first time gamers or people who dont like anime art style and strategic games
    Similar games - dark souls, bloodborne
    Let me say as an individual who's played well over a thousand games. This is exactly another perfect example of how terrible " professional "critics are. Games like repeated CoD trash get great rating while this magnificent game gets knocked on. Now to my review, The character building is perfect, you can choose so many cosmetics. You can choose so many different armor types that tremendously impact gameplay. You can hide your armor (which actually looks great also) if you want only cosmetics. The character creation is amazing.Every character is so well designed you actually find yourself liking all of then. There is so much to do and you get an epic soundtrack as well. The story is well narrated and really thought out. You also have a chance to dive into everyones back story if you want.    … Expand
  18. Kampfbiest0072
    Jul 4, 2022
    10
    If you like Anime and Dark Souls, this is for you. The character creator is extensive, the class system with the blood codes lets you change your playstyle all the time and the areas and bosses are varied and interesting, as are the characters in the game. Depending on your gear you can one-shot every boss in the game or take your time dodging everything like it's the usual MO forIf you like Anime and Dark Souls, this is for you. The character creator is extensive, the class system with the blood codes lets you change your playstyle all the time and the areas and bosses are varied and interesting, as are the characters in the game. Depending on your gear you can one-shot every boss in the game or take your time dodging everything like it's the usual MO for Soulslikes. The gameplay and especially the music a phenomenal. I'm hoping for a sequel in a few years.… Expand
  19. Jdotdeedot
    Jun 30, 2022
    5
    I don't know why but I really can't get into this game. It truly lives up to it's "anime dark souls" title. I just can't sense it's originality that much and the gameplay doesn't do much to motivate me to keep playing like how dark souls does. Best thing I can say about this game is how unique and in depth the character creation is. I also just like the designs of the characters in thisI don't know why but I really can't get into this game. It truly lives up to it's "anime dark souls" title. I just can't sense it's originality that much and the gameplay doesn't do much to motivate me to keep playing like how dark souls does. Best thing I can say about this game is how unique and in depth the character creation is. I also just like the designs of the characters in this game in general. Especially io (yes I am horny).… Expand
  20. Timenick
    Jun 21, 2022
    6
    Here is my theory how this game was made

    So Bandai Namco forced the devs to make a Dark Souls rip off (which is weird because its their own published series) but the devs had no idea how to make such a game. So they studied Dark Souls and they thought, yeah we can do this, but we lack the talent of the Fromsoftware team, so we have to improvise. So this is what they did: First they    Here is my theory how this game was made

    So Bandai Namco forced the devs to make a Dark Souls rip off (which is weird because its their own published series) but the devs had no idea how to make such a game. So they studied Dark Souls and they thought, yeah we can do this, but we lack the talent of the Fromsoftware team, so we have to improvise. So this is what they did:

    First they gave the game a setting of a dystopian destroyed city where rubble lies everywhere, so they would have an easier time with the level design. They studied the level design of Dark Souls quite a lot and managed to extract some sort of formula which they applied to every level in the game. So every level in the game isnt bad, its just the exact same kind of design everywhere. No variation like in Dark Souls. And they straight ripped off some enemies and areas from Dark Souls and Demon´s Souls, like Anor Londo and the Valley of Defilement, to have a least some visual diversity.

    They also gave the game actual mission objectives that tell you where to go, a mini map and completion percentage numbers for each level so players will never miss a single hidden thing. But it still feels rewarding to find everything. So exploration in this game isnt bad as well and you wont get stuck for too long trying to find the way.

    Then they made a combat system similar to Dark Souls 2, but way more clunkier to the point where its straight unplayable sometimes because the hit boxes and animations are a hot mess. So the devs had an idea: Give the player an AI companion all the time who is quite strong, draws enemy aggro away and makes the game a lot easier. That works quite well because the AI isnt dumb and does its job. But when the companion dies (which it rarely does though) you realize how terrible the combat system actually is.

    After that they just copypasted the whole stat system from Dark Souls and made a few adjustments to it. There are no builds in this game, you can level up but you cant select any specific stats to level, and everything is running via your equipped items which give you stat bonuses, weapon scaling and special abilities. Its interesting but my greatsword build is demolishing everything so the game isnt as challenging or intense as Dark Souls. Its far from it.

    The devs probably read on the internet that a big complaint many people have with Dark Souls is that Dark Souls doesnt have a story. They tried to "fix" that. So this game has a boring super generic anime story with lengthy 10 minutes cut scenes and unskippable walking simulator story sequences which arent very interesting. And you HAVE to do them to get new equipment. This is the worst part of the game.

    All Fromsoftware games have style, so this game needed style too. So they made the whole cast look like ridiculously over designed strippers so they can sell it to the basement dweller cum brain weaboos that buy games with skimpy character outfits and large anime tiddies to jack off. This also resulted in a character creator that is actually great. Probably the best character creator for accessories ever in a video game. This is seriously impressive and the best feature this game has.

    The other graphics of this game are quite bad though, areas and enemies are generic and it genrally looks like a PS3 or even a PS2 game. There are graphically similar games on the Nintendo Switch like Astral Chain that have way better graphics. At least it runs solid at 1440p 60fps on my PS5.

    In conclusion, I still have some fun with this game. What it does still works most of the time, even if its ripped off, and I love the Soulsborne series. I bought this on sale in the ps store and 16,79 is a good price for a trashy game like this. This would easily be a 2/10 if it would cost the unreduced and totally unjustified standard price of 69,99 (lol). If you like the Soulsborne Series play Salt and Sanctuary or Star Wars Fallen Order on Jedi Master difficulty, because they are way better Soulslikes than this, and then maybe buy this game on sale and give it a try.    … Expand
  21. DragunovArcanus
    May 5, 2022
    8
    Code vein, great desing of characters, funny gameplay, the only thing I can complaint about are some scenarios.
  22. knightly
    Apr 22, 2022
    10
    Great game simple it's consider to be like a souls game and i can't stand them but for whatever reason i absolutely love this game story is cool and the enemies are awesome as hell looking
  23. HakkaNoTogame
    Feb 24, 2022
    9
    This game is a fantastic souls-like. The vampire aesthetic is amazing and provides a unique take on the formula. Much more of a focus on story. I love all vampiric abilities and they are what switch up the souls formula. This maybe thought of as a generic souls-like but it is anything but. It took time but I got the platinum trophy and damn proud of it. The story is very good with multipleThis game is a fantastic souls-like. The vampire aesthetic is amazing and provides a unique take on the formula. Much more of a focus on story. I love all vampiric abilities and they are what switch up the souls formula. This maybe thought of as a generic souls-like but it is anything but. It took time but I got the platinum trophy and damn proud of it. The story is very good with multiple endings available. If you love vampires, anime, or souls games please don't pass this up.… Expand
  24. CzarSquid
    Feb 20, 2022
    0
    If you ever wanted dark souls with boobs then I have good news. There is no dark souls here
  25. 16Ragnarok15
    Feb 9, 2022
    10
    La verdad que a mi me gusto bastante además tiene muchas opciones de personalización de personaje
  26. Trv13
    Feb 2, 2022
    0
    Vuoto inutilmente complicato lentezza nei comandi raccapricciante.... Abbandonato dopo un ora
  27. BigBlackGosu
    Jan 31, 2022
    7
    Good combat, nice customisation, really annoying map design. I'm getting bored from getting stuck because I missed a little passage that I had to drop on. All aside, a pretty fun game.
  28. Jean90
    Nov 21, 2021
    4
    Not a fun game for players who don't enjoy games like Dark Souls. It's unfortunate because the character creation, story, and graphics were all enjoyable. Dying from mobs over and over again? No thanks.
  29. endothlyne
    Oct 27, 2021
    10
    I was a little late to the party with this one. Thats what happens when you are put off by bad reviews. My advice to players is listen to other players and don't always go by what the big reviewers say. The meta scores for users here proves that. I picked this up in a psn sale and what a gem it is. Had I known how much I would have liked it I would have got this sometime ago. Still, betterI was a little late to the party with this one. Thats what happens when you are put off by bad reviews. My advice to players is listen to other players and don't always go by what the big reviewers say. The meta scores for users here proves that. I picked this up in a psn sale and what a gem it is. Had I known how much I would have liked it I would have got this sometime ago. Still, better late than never. This game is a perfect blend of anime / souls like action. I love the combat, graphics music and characters all set in a post apocalyptic landscape.… Expand
  30. JPm7b5
    Oct 5, 2021
    10
    Seriously I don't understand the score by the critics. This game is so fun.
  31. jintei
    May 31, 2021
    3
    Boy I have so much to talk about this game. Too bad it's a negative review.

    Starting off, this is a Soulsborne-like game, a pretty cheap rip-off if you allow me. But this is not a problem, since BanNamco actually owns the rights for reproducing every Dark Souls title, so they're able to develop this kind of game legally. Unlike any Soulsborne, the plot isn't deep and implicit. It's    Boy I have so much to talk about this game. Too bad it's a negative review.

    Starting off, this is a Soulsborne-like game, a pretty cheap rip-off if you allow me. But this is not a problem, since BanNamco actually owns the rights for reproducing every Dark Souls title, so they're able to develop this kind of game legally.

    Unlike any Soulsborne, the plot isn't deep and implicit. It's rather shallow and generic. Most of its bits are presented to the player through fully spoken dialogue and cutscenes, something I like a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn't add much to the game's experience as this story is poorly written and features too many details and too little character development.

    Speaking of characters, most of them are pretty much forgettable. To me, Mia and Jack are the only partners you'll may have a good time playing along, since these two are the most balanced and "cool" to play with. Mia is an excellent ranged supporter while Jack slashes enemies that are giving you trouble. Jack also frequently uses an AoE dispersal gift that pushes all surrounding Lost away, granting you some space. Mia has a similar way of hitting a few enemies by making use of her barrage gift, which helps you advancing safely.

    About its gameplay, this will perhaps get you frustrated. Not only clunky as hell, the camera is too rigid and this, along with utterly slow gift triggering and item activation times, will be the reason for your demise most of the time.

    Not being enough, common enemies and bosses take advantage from three flawed mechanics in order to overwhelm you. First, most of them can (and will) stagger you a lot. Even light attacks are able to stagger the player character easily, even with high balance stat and related gifts active. Second, if dealing with multiple enemies, most of them will target you PRIMARLY, even when your partner deals the first blow. Aggro in this game makes no sense at all, enemies will literally drain your HP, aiming to force your partner into sharing a portion of his/her HP, then aggroing them for an easy, mostly granted kill that will leave you by yourself. This leads us to the third and final topic on broken enemy mechanics, that is "spamming". They'll rely on unreasonably fast sequential close range attacks, mixed with long range AoE skills, to destroy you, making this game solo unfriendly (difficult to play alone).

    Some reviews are saying this game is too easy in comparison with Soulsborne games. On your first playthrough, this is true for most Successors, but initial bosses and the later ones are simply mad, bloodthirsty demons. If you decide to torture yourself further, the game gives you the choice to raise the difficulty after finishing your run. Funny thing is it also gives you the option to lower it anytime you want, as to make up for its pathetic difficulty scaling.

    Exploring, to me, was a minor issue. Maps are uninspired and some will take a lot of time to complete. I spent 4 hours on my first run into the Cathedral of Sacred Blood, the largest map on this game. But this alone isn't much of a big deal. Enemies aren't well distributed and most of the time you'll be fighting nothing, just roaming around pulling levers and opening doors.

    But Code Vein also has some positive aspects to it. The blood code and gift system allows you to quickly change your playstyle on the fly and the softened stat scaling allows for easier adaptation from players that aren't used to this kind of game. You may set four passive gifts and up to eight active ones, giving you rather fast access to several ways of overpowering your opponents. The fewer equip options (two weapons and one blood veil, a.k.a. bloodsucking vests) also gives you more the time to prepare your strategies accordingly.

    Speaking of blood veils, these along with your weapons, drain a small portion of the enemies' blood, which are then used by you for gift activation. There are four main types of blood veils, differing on the draining mechanism and player role. Some are best for supporting while others are well-suited for tanking and a few will balance your gameplay with good overall defense and mobility.

    To summarize it, Code Vein features rather fun and useful gameplay mechanics, but its qualities are soon overshadowed by its flaws.

    Good aspects:

    - Swappable stat and skill sets (called "Blood Codes")
    - Few equip options, good equipment variety
    - Partners always available
    - Exchange system (allows you to trade in valuables to get special consumables and equipment)
    - Very good japanese voice cast

    Bad aspects:

    - Generic plot
    - Irrelevant characters
    - Clunky gameplay
    - Spamming bosses
    - Broken aggro system (enemies always focus first on you)
    - Unbalanced difficulty enhancing for new game plus
    - Repetitive, uninspired maps    … Expand
  32. tharikleo
    Apr 19, 2021
    7
    Se não fosse pela repetição incansável de inimigos, Code Vein seria uma obra prima com chefes muito originais e desafiadores.
  33. VanCan72
    Apr 4, 2021
    8
    Its Dark Souls with a God Eater coat of paint and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The character customization is the deepest Ive ever come across. The story is pretty involved to be honest, and has a LOT of detail to be sure. Boss battles in this souls-like are all fantastic and ramp up difficulty.
    But over all its a proper souls-like so it can be ball bustingly hard, levels    Its Dark Souls with a God Eater coat of paint and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The character customization is the deepest Ive ever come across. The story is pretty involved to be honest, and has a LOT of detail to be sure. Boss battles in this souls-like are all fantastic and ramp up difficulty.
    But over all its a proper souls-like so it can be ball bustingly hard, levels are vast, and you swing around a giant weapon and have build potential to go with it. lots of fun.    … Expand
  34. Red-Eyes
    Mar 22, 2021
    4
    When I learned there was a weeb souls-like I was sold. The mixed reviews threw me off a little but the combination of two of my ultimate passions should’ve been enough to keep me going.
    The anime part is alright actually. Waifus pop up left and right as NPCs, my highlight goes to Io, like… damn! The guys are awesome too with their super baddass designs.
    The customization is one of Code    When I learned there was a weeb souls-like I was sold. The mixed reviews threw me off a little but the combination of two of my ultimate passions should’ve been enough to keep me going.
    The anime part is alright actually. Waifus pop up left and right as NPCs, my highlight goes to Io, like… damn! The guys are awesome too with their super baddass designs.

    The customization is one of Code Vein’s most celebrated features and although the body types and clothes options are very lacking, one can easily waste hours on the face and the accessories. What I like the most about the customization is the possibility of being able to change your character anytime, and you can save up to 10 profiles so you can load them if you wanna go back; this is an amazing feature that should be the norm in every game.
    However the true value of a game is in its gameplay, even more so for a soulslike, and here is where Code Vein drops the ball…

    Starting up with the core of a soulslike: the combat. It sucks! Parry timing is so inconsistent that I’ve ignored it since level 3 or something and the backstab only works when it feels like it. The heavy attack is not worthy it and I only used it as a wake-up. The enemies doesn’t help either because their animation never proper convey what they are doing and every thin enemy has the cheap teleport or charge attack to cover distances in the blink of an eye; one miss judgement and they combo you to 25% hp, and since this costs more or less like 3 heals (the maximum heals you get is 10) the player has no incentive other than abuse the same strategy over and over in order to conserve health.

    As a result I exploited the **** out of the game using the most common build you can think of: the Ultra Greatsword. Pressing forward + light attack launches the lunge, the range is not great but it sends vast majority of enemies to the ground then you can charge the heavy attack as a wake up; either that or abusing the light attacks staggers. These strategies trivialize most levels and given how broken the game is I’m pretty sure there are some Caster, Hammers or whatever builds exploits too.
    Changing builds comes from the game signature mechanic: the Blood Codes. Instead of carefully leveling up the stats of your character to make your build, Code Vein has those presets classes that you can equip on the fly. Do you wanna use big weapons? Equip the Berserker code. On the mood for a Dark Magic caster build? Go with Harmonia… so on, so forth. There are like 40 different codes, so I’m pretty sure most builds are covered regardless of how creative one could be if it was a souls traditional level up system. Overall, I think the Blood Code is a neat idea however I prefer being responsible for building my character instead of “renting” ones. Also, since your equipment is heavily dependent of the code, there should be a way to save the code with the equipment attached so you can quick load them; instead everytime you have to manually select your weapons, armor, passive and active skills (Gifts).

    The enemies are overall generic one-trick ponies and 90% of them are variations of a fat strong sponge or a thin agile warrior; you see the enemy for the first time and you can pretty much describe each of its attacks beforehand. The bosses suck in the same proportion, most of them are variations of Velstadt (from Dark Souls 2): big warrior, generic armor wielding a big ass generic weapon; as a result most encounters are forgettable. When you remember them it’s due to some bull**** mechanic like Butterfly of Delirium flying away from you and applying insta-poison or unavoidable AoE magic attacks (looking at you Virgin Born), speaking of which: everytime the game tries and AoE magic it sucks, the hitbox is super random and the animation is awful and don’t convey well enough what is happening.

    But the worst thing by far about Code Vein is the level design. It is just unbelievable! It feels like it was purposely built to piss of the player. Every stage is a bunch of narrow corridors cobbled together with an abundant use of copy-paste leaving no landmarks and nothing that stands out. The awful graphics don’t help and you’re likely to be completely lost, remember the Prims Stones form Dark Souls? Well you gonna need them (Chemical Light) more than ever here. I really can’t remember a level design as awful as in Code Vein, if you think I’m exaggerating go watch some Cathedral (worst stage of all times) level gameplay.

    All in all, Code Vein is a bad game. I only finished it because the game is pretty easy (except for two or three bull**** bosses) and wanted to justify my purchase. There are so many things to improve that would be better to start the project from scratch. Which Bandai Namco surely will not do since the fan service was enough to alienate the dumb anime audience thus I’m pretty sure the sequence will be just more of the same, in other words: garbage.    … Expand
  35. Wweald
    Mar 22, 2021
    7
    Pretty good game, I really really like the boss designs aesthetically I think they were all super cool. Gameplay wise most of them were solid too but there were a few that could have been better. The games too easy if you use the coop partner youre given, and too hard if you don't. I wish it was better balanced in that aspect.
  36. Smosnej
    Feb 17, 2021
    10
    If you like sekiro or darksouls or just that type of game you will like this game without a doubth.
  37. Inhanzt
    Feb 1, 2021
    4
    Everything about this game is kinda bad, but not terrible. Bosses are spammy flailing annoyances, maps are samey and uninteresting, and difficulty is very uneven. But combat is often okay, exploration is fun enough, and having a permanent buddy helps. What really killed it for me was the story. It's uninteresting and pervasive.
  38. Taryl
    Jan 31, 2021
    10
    Great story, super combat system. Very, Very good graphics! I hope to see code vein 2 Very soon!!
  39. gq_foine
    Dec 28, 2020
    9
    Most underrated game in 2019. Frankly I would give this a 9/10 overall. I waited to have this go on sale for 20 bucks but would have gladly supported $100 if they brought the American collectors edition to the states instead of Europe.

    They take Darks Souls/Bloodborne and make it Anime story which is interesting. The game play is very interesting and would have made few changes like    Most underrated game in 2019. Frankly I would give this a 9/10 overall. I waited to have this go on sale for 20 bucks but would have gladly supported $100 if they brought the American collectors edition to the states instead of Europe.

    They take Darks Souls/Bloodborne and make it Anime story which is interesting. The game play is very interesting and would have made few changes like emphasize of the bonus stats when leveling up so you can chose which things so you can really customize your build and character. Game play 9/10

    The music is absolutely fantastic and the American dub is great!!! They did a really good job! 10/10.

    Story - 8/10. Interesting story but wished they would have made a few changes to make it connect more. It seemed a bit chaotic and not very clear as to why some of the things are what they are.

    Overall, if you enjoy Anime JRPG and love action Souls games this game is definitely shouldn’t miss. I would 100% recommend for those gamers who enjoy this stuff! I am have been playing it for 25hrs and it’s been fun! Anything less than 8 is bs. This is a great game for JRPG fans! Disregard critics and gamers love it! This was the most underrated game.    … Expand
  40. Melkiades
    Dec 21, 2020
    10
    Code Vein ha sabido empaparse de las mecánicas de combate rigurosas de un Dark Souls y ofrecer a su vez algo nuevo y distinto. Técnicamente cumple y su diseño artístico es fantástico: colorido a la par que oscuro, paisajes decadentes dentro de un mundo en ruinas. La banda sonora no se queda atrás, ofreciendo melodías de tono gótico y cambiando de registro para imprimir épica a los tensosCode Vein ha sabido empaparse de las mecánicas de combate rigurosas de un Dark Souls y ofrecer a su vez algo nuevo y distinto. Técnicamente cumple y su diseño artístico es fantástico: colorido a la par que oscuro, paisajes decadentes dentro de un mundo en ruinas. La banda sonora no se queda atrás, ofreciendo melodías de tono gótico y cambiando de registro para imprimir épica a los tensos combates contra jefes. El diseño de los escenarios es laberíntico pero no se hace pesado, recorrerlos es como ir resolviendo puzles/zonas en los que las piezas acaban encajando satisfactoriamente. Cada combate es un duelo a muerte en Code Vein y para afrontar el reto debes equiparte bien, entrenar mucho, estar atento a cada rincón del escenario, y potenciar los atributos con los Códigos de sangre. Esta es una novedad diferencial con respecto a los Souls.

    Habiendo sobrepasado las 20 horas de juego puedo decir que Code Vein me ha sorprendido en positivo. Esperaba un juego notable y es realmente sobresaliente. No es un vulgar imitador de Bloodborne con una carcasa Anime. Su lore es algo discreto; en cambio su ambientación y la atmósfera de terror vampírico que logra crear son muy notables, así como sus protagonistas carecen de carisma, pero pueden ser personalizados con mucho detalle.

    Code Vein es potencialmente adictivo si se supera la barrera de una dificultad elevada, que puede llevar a la frustración a los jugadores menos pacientes o habilidosos. Por este motivo, creo que el juego ha sido duramente castigado por parte de cierto sector de la prensa de videojuegos. Qué injusticia: Code Vein es un Action-RPG excelente que mira de tú a tú a la franquicia de Miyazaki.

    Mi valoración personal de CV:
    Gráficos: 8,5
    Sonido: 9
    Jugabilidad: 8,9
    Diversión: 9,5
    Total: 9    … Expand
  41. viroodiem
    Nov 21, 2020
    8
    Code Vein really scratched my dark souls itch. That said its more Dark souls lite than on the same level.

    Out of all of the "soulsborne" titles in the maso/core genre I think Code Vein is definitely my favorite non souls product. It definitely is no where near the same difficulty level, but its perhaps the most faithful to the feel of souls than the likes of NIOH, Surge, etc. What I    Code Vein really scratched my dark souls itch. That said its more Dark souls lite than on the same level.

    Out of all of the "soulsborne" titles in the maso/core genre I think Code Vein is definitely my favorite non souls product. It definitely is no where near the same difficulty level, but its perhaps the most faithful to the feel of souls than the likes of NIOH, Surge, etc.

    What I absolutely adore about the game mechanically is its system of creating a unique build. Granting you about 25 "base" classes but giving you the capacity to merge skills from any class into a unique build all your own. It does seem to come at the cost of having gear being pretty meaningless and without much variance but the same could be said of other games like Bloodborne that go the same route. Its a design choice and its not a wrong one, but I personally would have liked having gear have actual weight rather than it being mostly for aesthetic choices.

    What it lacks in authentically true souls mechanical experience it MORE than makes up for in narrative exposition. Now I am not much of a fan of anime (Early adopter, long since burnt out) and to be honest the story is not something groundbreaking, its a solid enough story being told and the system of info dumping is a MUCH welcome addition to the mechanics of the Souls formula. Dont get me wrong I LOVE deep lore but lore needs to be a back bone that something greater is built on, Not the entirety of its narrative.

    On the story front I will say there is a HUGE missed opportunity here. With the whole system of companions I would have liked to have seen the ability to develop your companions a bit too. Perhaps give them new weapons/armor or even full on makeovers. Chose their move set loadouts and even their tendencies/priorities. Also with all of the narrative and so many "waifu's" there was no excuse to have lack romance options in the game. It feels like they wanted it, but it ended up a cut feature in the end probably.

    Beyond that, I really like the graphic stylization and depth of "fashion code" char customization. Would have been nice to have some less anime centric options but there is definitely a look for just about anyone in there.

    The overall sound of the game can be flat at times but does an adequate enough of a job and does not end up irksome or dull. I really enjoyed the music. The orchestral arrangements were solid and almost on the level of a souls game. Really liked the early 00s post goth synth driven nü metal tracks that really flashed me back to that time period and fit with the "vampire" aesthetic they were going for. I however really wish that they would have had a wider variety of those tracks. Unpatched there is basically 3 main tracks for the jukebox and of course that gets tedious. Even with patching it mostly adds tracks from what seems to be other, smaller games that definitely do not mesh with the setting/style. Still overall the sound/track is not the games strong suit but its definitely passable.

    Now going forward It is my sincere hope that Bandai Namco take what they learned from Code Vein and apply it to building a new IP instead of trying to build a sequel of Code Vein. The story did not really lend itself to being continued. You COULD possibly eek out a prequel but it would end up encroaching on CV's story and only dilute both. The engine is what is key and that combination of the souls mechanics with multiple cut scene type systems is something that could be a big move forward for the maso/core genre if done well. It would take patience and investment but its something if done right could catapult BN to being a triple A studio instead of where it hovers just outside on its fringes. I want more of the systems. The story I could take or leave.

    All in all Code Vein was the most enjoyable soulsborne I have played since bloodborne. That technically places it as being more enjoyable than even Dark Souls 3 for me. Its the most souls like imho out of all the soulsborne games out there (and I have played nearly every one of them, even the bad ones) It gets into that sort of zen like groove you get with souls where it becomes a mechanical process that you can clear your mind and just focus on the patterns and rhythms of the game without intrusive thoughts invading. Its far from perfect though. Its definitely more rough around the edges. The story mechanics are great but the story itself is pretty bog standard anime.

    This review is a year after its release so I would say that it definitely merits its current 25-30$ price tag. I would not have rushed to pay anything above 45 for it though that is my personal financial values and not a knock on the game. I would like to see Code Vein get a Greatest Hits/Definitive edition treatment but due to it being at the end of this consoles life cycle that seems unlikely, but it definitely deserved the honor.

    8.60/10    … Expand
  42. raskin_oleg
    Oct 14, 2020
    10
    Amazing! This game is really great! Recommend to anyone of my friend. 10/10
  43. Souls-Lurk
    Sep 28, 2020
    7
    As a huge fan of Soul-likes (if you couldn't guess from the username) I was looking forward to getting may fangs into Code Vein and... it was okay. On a scale of Bloodborne to Lords of the Fallen, I'd have it somewhere below the middle of the scale. All of From Software's games and the Nioh games and The Surge 2 are definitely better. This probably around the level of the original SurgeAs a huge fan of Soul-likes (if you couldn't guess from the username) I was looking forward to getting may fangs into Code Vein and... it was okay. On a scale of Bloodborne to Lords of the Fallen, I'd have it somewhere below the middle of the scale. All of From Software's games and the Nioh games and The Surge 2 are definitely better. This probably around the level of the original Surge game, with higher production values but not quite as fun.

    As implied above the production values are surprisingly high with everything looking beautiful in a typically anime kind of way. The music is suitably gothic too but the constantly repeated phrases of the AI companions are incredibly annoying. The gameplay lets Code Vein down a bit for me though. There is just no weight to the combat... and if you like these kinds of games you'll know that the weight of a weapon should really impact the ability to swing it as well as the poise of the opponent it strikes. In Code Vein your little cartoony-looking character can swing a sword that must easily weigh upwards of 50kg (120lbs for the Americans among us) like it was made of tin foil. Not only that but these physic-s defying swings have no 'real' impact on the opponents either. Its sadly just very unsatisfying in that regard and affected my enjoyment quite a bit.

    Other aspects which I see as critical to whether a game is a 'worthy' Souls-like or not are very mixed. Level design is pretty boring for the most part. Environment-specific hazards are introduced to later levels as the game progresses but it all seems pretty by-the-numbers. That is until the final area which is now one of my favourite areas with a Souls-like. Same with the bosses, they're all really boring and don't really need any specific strategy until you get really late on. Then you get some great boss battles culminating in a fight (depending on the ending you're heading towards)that rivals the Orphan of Kos and Darkeater Midir in terms of difficulty if not in quality.

    Its still good... and if its your first Souls-like you may well really enjoy it. Nut as someone who has played almost all of them (haven't played Hellpoint, Ashen or Mortal Shell yet but will) its very average. An average Souls-like is still a good game though.    … Expand
  44. CescOneLove
    Sep 20, 2020
    10
    Me parece increíble la estética y la jugabilidad y que decir de los vestigios... 10/10.
    No me hace falta decir mucho más que va bien ahora mismo en ps4 pro... blemas!
  45. alexandrumna
    Sep 9, 2020
    8
    I was pretty surprised, but in a good way, about this game. Never had it on my lost but accidentally stumbling upon it and after reading about it I became interested. I believe the character customisation system is one of if not the most massive in any game I've played. It wasn't really love at first sight but it grew on me quite quickly. The combat system is fun, there are a lot ofI was pretty surprised, but in a good way, about this game. Never had it on my lost but accidentally stumbling upon it and after reading about it I became interested. I believe the character customisation system is one of if not the most massive in any game I've played. It wasn't really love at first sight but it grew on me quite quickly. The combat system is fun, there are a lot of different strategies you could try out and a lot of different gameplay styles from which you can choose according to your playstyle. There are some frustrating parts but nothing impossible. It definitely isn't as hard as a Souls game and I liked that because I really dislike rage-inducing games. The story is pretty good and you become really invested with all the characters, each having their own story which you unfold throughout the game. It felt awkward at times because of the silent character and the dialogue option could have been way better, and the level design seems too linear but other than that, a pretty good game.… Expand
  46. Edb25
    Aug 22, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Found the game entertaining, being able to modify the appearence of your character as many times as you want and also the different playstyles you can build in game(thing dark souls doesn't have without having to relocate your points), ost is also good and enjoyed the blade bearer and cannonneer fight.… Expand
  47. FalcoZuero
    Aug 10, 2020
    9
    I was able to make a bunch of characters with character customization. The Story is also pretty neat
  48. tomvs123
    Aug 10, 2020
    5
    An interesting Dark Souls clone that does a great job at level design and graphics, but gets everything else mostly wrong.

    The story is better (more mature) than the typical anime-style game (such as God Eater), but still has a far way to go to get to the level of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. The story is basically Dark Souls all over again, but with a lot of explanation and    An interesting Dark Souls clone that does a great job at level design and graphics, but gets everything else mostly wrong.

    The story is better (more mature) than the typical anime-style game (such as God Eater), but still has a far way to go to get to the level of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. The story is basically Dark Souls all over again, but with a lot of explanation and impact-on-daily-life stuff thrown in. This might be great for someone who thought Dark Souls was too vague or abstract to understand. But if you understood Dark Souls, then Code Vein will seem dumbed-down to you.

    A big aspect of the story is looking at peoples' memories to unlock skills. So just about nothing is left to the imagination. You know exactly how everyone feels, and unfortunately, they all feel about the same. This makes these memory sequences feel repetitive after a while. So take that, along with a bit of power-of-frienship and melodrama and you'll get an idea of what this story is like.

    The level design is actually pretty good. It does its best to emulate Dark Souls and Bloodborne and pulls it off to some extent. I don't like exploration in games, but liked this one due to how similar it was to the good soulsborne games.

    And while exploring those levels, you get some pretty good area graphics. That's important for a game like this since you'll likely be going to the same areas multiple times.

    The character models and customization options are also impressive for this style of game. While you're all basically undead, there's no shortage of pretty characters. At least they give you a good number of scars and evil-looking tattoos to choose from to at least make yourself look partially dead. Clothes options are decent, but you get only one skirt for your female characters. At least they didn't restrict the camera angels, so if interested, you'll get to see that they modeled all parts of the characters equally well.

    And then come the negatives. Combat is just not as good as Dark Souls. It's modeled after Dark Souls, but ends up feeling more hack-and-slashy. Spending too much time trying to learn enemy moves and attacking them at the right moment always ended up being worse than just running straight up to them and flailing away. This is mostly due to just about every enemy having extra-wide-swinging attacks, so you're frequently getting hit even when standing right behind them. So your best option is to hit them frequently, causing them to be staggered/stunned, and then just continue hitting until they're dead. And I rarely ran into a stamina issue. For most non-boss enemies, you'll need less than a full bar of stamina to kill them.

    The normal monsters are easy when fighting them by yourself. And they're even easier when you bring along one of your NPC companions (who you'll have for most of the game). The game seems to realize this, so it sets up about one section per level where hordes of enemies attack you at once. Those are really the only challenging parts of the game to an experienced soulsborne player.

    And then we have the bosses, all of which are worse than every soulsborne boss. I was able to take down the majority of them on the first try - which is unheard of in a soulsborne game. Just hit them from behind until you're out of stamina, run away, and repeat. Their attacks are either forward-facing or are slow and easy to see, so you can easily dodge out of the way. But then there's the traditional hack-and-slash bosses that somehow made it into the game. These bosses are constantly flailing about, making very quick attacks, hitting everything around them, and hitting you from across the room when you get too far away. These fights are all about having a high damage output weapon. You will get hit, but if you can hit faster than they do, then you'll win.

    So very disappointing boss battles from the game without the strategy or learning aspects that you get from soulsborne. But at least compared to standard hack-and-slash games, they were decent.

    I'll talk a bit about the spells and skills. They're mostly worthless and there doesn't appear to be an easy way to make a mage character, like you could in Dark Souls. Physical attacks were always more effective per my testing and it wasn't even worthwhile to use spells to augment my physical attacks, as that took away time I could have been swinging.

    So it's a great effort at making a dark souls like game, and might be just for you if you're looking for something easier and less vague, and don't mind teen-focused stories.    … Expand
  49. HRChan
    Aug 1, 2020
    9
    I might not be great at these types of games, but I was really proud of myself on where i stopped in this game I felt it was pretty far into the game! The combat in this game is nice, the different skills you unlock is great in their own way and depending on how you use it, you might end up being OP. The soundtrack in this is great that I just stop and listen to it. I'm gonna try andI might not be great at these types of games, but I was really proud of myself on where i stopped in this game I felt it was pretty far into the game! The combat in this game is nice, the different skills you unlock is great in their own way and depending on how you use it, you might end up being OP. The soundtrack in this is great that I just stop and listen to it. I'm gonna try and continue this game in the future when I feel like I could progress it… Expand
  50. TheMegaGodz
    Jul 28, 2020
    9
    An absolutely phenomenal game. I've never been that interested in Souls-style games. I've always played singleplayer games more for story rather than the challenge of the game. However, Code Vein peaked my interest, and I'm am so glad I gave it a chance. It offers challenges that are fun to complete, rather than a tiresome task to overcome. It has a fantastic cast of characters and anAn absolutely phenomenal game. I've never been that interested in Souls-style games. I've always played singleplayer games more for story rather than the challenge of the game. However, Code Vein peaked my interest, and I'm am so glad I gave it a chance. It offers challenges that are fun to complete, rather than a tiresome task to overcome. It has a fantastic cast of characters and an interesting world to explore and learn about. It's a game that I feel both hardcore Souls-borne fans can enjoy, as well as more casual players such as myself.… Expand
  51. bobbodu2873e1
    Jul 27, 2020
    3
    So far the worst "souls like" I've played. The combat is unbelievably clunky and unresponsive, even more so than the Surge or LotF. The bosses are extremely cheap, their moves and hit boxes are just all over the place. Take Guilded Hunter for example, the fight is an embodiment of playing Tekken with your 7yo relative, however much you try to actually play the game normally and do anySo far the worst "souls like" I've played. The combat is unbelievably clunky and unresponsive, even more so than the Surge or LotF. The bosses are extremely cheap, their moves and hit boxes are just all over the place. Take Guilded Hunter for example, the fight is an embodiment of playing Tekken with your 7yo relative, however much you try to actually play the game normally and do any moves and combos you will always succumb to the simple endless XXXXX button mashing. Or Uninvited Executioner or whatever her name is (I swear at least half the game's bosses are blue women in bikinis), you will definitely get hit by her "slow" debuff. You cannot avoid it because it is literally caused by all her attacks, and the debuff renders you basically immovable, well just why the hell? In every single other souls like game you can avoid debuffs with knowledge and reaction and there is not a single enemy I can recall that just mindlessly barrages you with endless spamming attacks non stop until you and your party are dead. And besides, the fact that in Code Vein your companions do half the work anyway, just drains any feeling of actual accomplishment of beating any of the bosses. The story parts and side stories are so flatly presented and edgy over the top, that I cant help but skip most of them, it really feels like an MMORPG where you just spam a button to skip all dialogue, it doesn't help that your character is fully mute again... I doubtfully waited for this to come down in price but now I'm regretting even the 20€ I finally paid for it, its just a cheaply thrown together souls clone and the "awesome" character creation is a scam as well, there is only like 7 different outfits total so like what.? I've completed all Fromsoft soulsborne games at least 3+ times each and completed every other soulslike game I've heard about thus far, and Code Vein is so far the most disapointing of them all.… Expand
  52. paokdouble
    Jul 25, 2020
    8
    Who tf are these 'critics' who give this amazing game such a low score? The game is fun it has a pretty good lore and the gameplay is not perfect but pretty good overall. I cannot say it is as good as the fromsoft games but i still enjoyed it and i think its more underrated than it should be
  53. SplitMind
    Jul 22, 2020
    7
    I've had a rocky relationship with the Soulsborne genre. I find them generally hard for the sake of being hard. Despite some rocky moments with Code Vein also, I have ended up really liking the game.

    The graphics here are mostly good, with the anime theme setting it apart from its contemporaries. This does result in a bit of blandness in some backgrounds, especially the likes of the    I've had a rocky relationship with the Soulsborne genre. I find them generally hard for the sake of being hard. Despite some rocky moments with Code Vein also, I have ended up really liking the game.

    The graphics here are mostly good, with the anime theme setting it apart from its contemporaries. This does result in a bit of blandness in some backgrounds, especially the likes of the Cathedral level, however at other times such as with flames and sand it really pulls it off quite well. The framerate I found to be inconsistent in some parts, but rarely an issue.

    The gameplay is where this gets really interesting. I absolutely loved the way you could basically mix and match your style of fighting to skills used, making it very customisable to my individual way of playing. Furthermore, there is one key difference that made me like this game over other Souls games, and that's having a partner controlled either by AI or a player. This really took the edge off the more ridiculously difficult and unbalanced parts of the game. All games should have difficulty levels as without this option of a partner I would never have gotten far into the game and not enjoyed it much at all.

    The gameplay doesn't suffer from any major issues but minor ones such as the backstab being very inconsistent to pull off; it really needs a specific button prompt. The lock-on also sent my attacks in the wrong direction a number of times, which can easily be fatal. Some of the levels, especially the aforementioned Cathedral, were much better on paper than in reality. In reality the Cathedral was an absolute painful slog that I did not enjoy. This brings me to another point - at so many junctures in the game I actually didn't know where I was meant to go next and had to resort to online guides. Again, not a major issue, but a minor nuisance in a game where progress can easily be stalled at the best of times anyway.

    The story and characters I found myself liking more and more as the game progressed, however all of the venturing into memories caused the story to be very disjointed for me as I tried to pinpoint whose memory I was looking at and why. There are quite a few minor characters who pop up and are easy to forget. While I found the scenes of people turning into stone quite heart-wrenching, I struggled to understand why this was happening. The story could have benefitted from a more coherent and concise delivery, however a game like this is not designed to be played just once like I have, so I can appreciate the wealth of lore for the hardcore players.

    Overall, Code Vein is a game I can definitely recommend and is a pleasant surprise in a sea of Souls-like games which all try to be the most unbalanced and punishing experience instead of a genuine challenge. I would put forth this game as a good first experience of the Souls genre.    … Expand
  54. tolkkipelto
    Jul 20, 2020
    8
    Llevo 12 horas pero me ha parecido un soulslike interesante. Buen diseño de jefes. Banda sonora muy buena e historia que engancha. Lo recomiendo y más en este momento que está a 29.00 en psstore
  55. kynkim
    Jul 17, 2020
    0
    After a game crash, I lost all the progress I played for the past two hours, including the walkthrough in two maps and two boss battles. I am pretty sure I activated all the mistles (checkpoints) on my way. It is puzzling to me that no data were saved.
  56. Design_xjt
    Jul 6, 2020
    8
    开发商魂like的第一次尝试 味道有了 而且人设和人物美型都超棒 点赞
  57. LiirThropp
    Jul 5, 2020
    9
    While it has a lot of Souls-like mechanics, it gives off a completely different vibe.

    Pros: Good combat system with a lot of options and an incredibly large amount of build combinations possible. The character creator also has an astounding amount of customizations available. Entertaining story and complex characters. Cons: The english voice acting is bland and emotionless most of    While it has a lot of Souls-like mechanics, it gives off a completely different vibe.

    Pros:
    Good combat system with a lot of options and an incredibly large amount of build combinations possible.
    The character creator also has an astounding amount of customizations available.
    Entertaining story and complex characters.
    Cons:
    The english voice acting is bland and emotionless most of the time.
    Lag in Multiplayer.
    Not really a con, but it is gets tiresome to see so little clothing on the femaie characters if that's not what you're attracted to, why not objectify both genders?    … Expand
  58. Danrose654
    Jul 4, 2020
    6
    Ok game but areas/ locations feel soulless
    Boss fights are weak
    The customisation in this game is insane. All games should aim to have customisation this deep
    Combat feels like dark souls lite...quite easy
    It seems like this is the sort of game that people who
    Want to get into dark souls series but want a bit of practice first should play
  59. Voat_Goat
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    Code Vein is an amazing experience. Do you like dark souls? Do you like anime? Do you like DARK SOULS ANIME EDITION? That is what this game is. Realistic body physics as a bonus, and excelling modding community on the nexus. Best game of 2019.
  60. Burattix54
    Jun 26, 2020
    7
    This game's combat is alright, but the difficulty scaling is pretty bad and the enemy and boss variety is lackluster. The build/class system is very interesting and pretty unique in the Soulslike genre.

    The story is, unfortunately, not as good. It's not terrible but it's full of edgy exposition dumps, with the words blood, vestiges ore whatever being used like 1000 times. It's not bad    This game's combat is alright, but the difficulty scaling is pretty bad and the enemy and boss variety is lackluster. The build/class system is very interesting and pretty unique in the Soulslike genre.

    The story is, unfortunately, not as good. It's not terrible but it's full of edgy exposition dumps, with the words blood, vestiges ore whatever being used like 1000 times. It's not bad because it's Animey, but it uses way too many tropes. The flashback sections are not bad, but they get boring when you have to "play" through 20 of them to upgrade your blood codes. For the true ending I had to watch around 8 of them back to back and it wasn't enjoyable at all because they weren't even the best ones in the game.    … Expand
  61. illuvatar_1st
    Jun 25, 2020
    7
    Anime dark souls and im all over it.
    the game play is that of dark souls but a bit more flashy, after all its anime, unique skills have unique choreography. Fun game with interesting characters and a decent story to go alone. Music is a 9/10 but the best part is the Custom character menu. To give you a small idea there's around 150 options just for eyebrows. think about that .
  62. manninggage
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    I don’t know why truly fantastic games like this don’t receive the recognition it deserves, yet we have metacritic giving TLOU2 a 95, like this world is a lie
  63. SlayerTeatraleC
    May 15, 2020
    2
    То,что это игра souls-like её не оправдывает.Если вы фанат и скажите,что это неsouls-like,поздравляю,вы зарыли яму больше меня
    Как я уже и написал,это souls-like с аниме и уёбищный графон(я думал миадзаки делает ебалу в этом вопросе,но нашлись его ученики,превзошедшие учителя).
    Сама игра выглядит как кусок недоработки,как-будто я зашёл на creator gm и наставляю здание и вообще архетекуру    То,что это игра souls-like её не оправдывает.Если вы фанат и скажите,что это неsouls-like,поздравляю,вы зарыли яму больше меня
    Как я уже и написал,это souls-like с аниме и уёбищный графон(я думал миадзаки делает ебалу в этом вопросе,но нашлись его ученики,превзошедшие учителя).
    Сама игра выглядит как кусок недоработки,как-будто я зашёл на creator gm и наставляю здание и вообще архетекуру просто так,шобы было.Спиженное замыливание при движение из ds2 это не спасает,а усугубляет.
    Story-line или lore-фикция,там это присуствует для пояснения ЗАЧЕМ ты пиздишься,а не РАДИ ЧЕГО,поверьте,дальше,по игре,это будет очевидно
    Интерфейс в стиле Forest или Rust-самое ебанутое что можно добавить,так они ещё и это спиздили ради улегчение(есть такое слово?не ебу)СВОЕЙ работы
    Намешивание 2 и 3д привели к тому,что контраст цветов не как не может нормально быть в балансе(постоянный пересвет,на гг цвет только один-два,не взависимости от локации,и т.д.
    Про геймплейные моменты затрагивать смысла нет,можно просто это назвать копиркой,но можно назвать её хорошой или плохой можно.Как вы поняли по оценке и посылу-я выбираю 2 вариант
    Цена-не заслуженно такая,за такого вида недоделки-шлака не превышают 2к рублей
    Плюсов я не нашёл.Либо копирка,либо плохо,либо супер-спорно(как к примеру:постоянные напарники)
    И ЭТО ОЦЕНКА,БЛЯТЬ НЕ ИЗ-ЗА ТОГО ЧТО ЭТО АНИМЭ,А ИЗ-ЗА ТОГО,ЧТО ЭТО ХУЙНЯ ВЫШЕ ЧИТАЕМ
    нахуй код вейн дум вечен ауе    … Expand
  64. VendonJura
    May 8, 2020
    10
    Code Vein is like Dark Souls but Lite and Anime Graphic style. This was one of the best games I have bought and played in 2020 and I totally loved it. It has some cool features, allot of classes to choose from, allot of unlockables where you have to find and do stuff which could go wrong and you would miss something so I would recommend everyone to check for informations about that onCode Vein is like Dark Souls but Lite and Anime Graphic style. This was one of the best games I have bought and played in 2020 and I totally loved it. It has some cool features, allot of classes to choose from, allot of unlockables where you have to find and do stuff which could go wrong and you would miss something so I would recommend everyone to check for informations about that on youtube or google so you won't do something wrong and miss allot of stuff.

    This game is also kinda complicated. Some attributes are hard to understand I also recommend to check it out. The best part of this game is that you will get a bank storage which is really amazing and not like in some laughable game companies Ahem Bugout 76, no in this game you will get enough space to store your items in and guess what? You don't need to throw more money to do that it's not Bugout76.

    There are even different endings and you can play with your friends together. It is a kinda weird party mechanic in this game but it still works. If you liked Dark Souls, you also might like Code Vein BUT be warned, people say that this game is much easier than Dark Souls well it is kinda true but as more often you clear this game and start all over, as harder this game will get. Let's say when you are on 7th playthrough, you will have your Dark Souls chalange feeling 100%.    … Expand
  65. OniII
    May 8, 2020
    7
    this game is good but it could've been so much better, i feel like a lot of concepts were rushed and weren't fully developed. i would recommend this game to anyone looking for a dark souls style game, it's definitely worth playing but it had the potential to be better than what it is
  66. DD-Trainer
    May 4, 2020
    6
    I am certainly late to the party on this one but I can really drop a decent review on this **** show and well the game is okay but that's about it... the controls are okay but a lot of the game feels lacking as its only claim to fame is well "weeb-souls" it's an anime dark souls clone that fails to understand what made dark souls great.

    This game would rather spam mobs at you throw    I am certainly late to the party on this one but I can really drop a decent review on this **** show and well the game is okay but that's about it... the controls are okay but a lot of the game feels lacking as its only claim to fame is well "weeb-souls" it's an anime dark souls clone that fails to understand what made dark souls great.

    This game would rather spam mobs at you throw bland bosses that are just the normal mobs reskinned and reused and every now and again and a lot of the area's rarely stick out and feel uninteresting and in a later stage in the game will just be a maze this game isn't bad but I wouldn't call it good I'd call it mediocre to average and another reason why I feel it's at best a 6 is also due to it's terrible story that makes you nothing more than a decently important background character to the true games MC Louise.

    This game I felt would have fill the hole that dark souls left but all it did was leave me hollow and I had hoped the DLC's would have made the game more interesting but they are out right TERRIBLE do not and I implore you not to purchase this games DLC they are nothing more but the same mobs, bosses reused and for those of the "main bosses" in that area tend to be either very spongy or just down right unfun and broken Code Vein's dlc's can't even compare to what was a dark souls DLC and I feel they were just tacked on to fill a quota.    … Expand
  67. Persona5GOAT
    May 2, 2020
    5
    clunky combat, difficulty that yo-yos from cake walk to making you want to smash your controller and back again, absolutely horrible camera that does you zero favors. some people really love the character customization but honestly i couldn't give less of a **** about that nonsense when the game is 90%+ combat, and not good combat at that. Enemy types are largely recycled with extra bellsclunky combat, difficulty that yo-yos from cake walk to making you want to smash your controller and back again, absolutely horrible camera that does you zero favors. some people really love the character customization but honestly i couldn't give less of a **** about that nonsense when the game is 90%+ combat, and not good combat at that. Enemy types are largely recycled with extra bells and whistles. Music is pretty good, characters and story are...passable. Some of the areas are ridiculous (cathedral) and go on too long or too short. Not a terrible game but not great either.… Expand
  68. nightstroller
    May 2, 2020
    9
    I don't even like games like this, where the difficulty is a bit high coupled with the dark-souls like combat and mechanics (not a big fan of DS setting, too dark and gloomy). BUT, this game had me binge-playing for over a week. Finished the story and loved it so much I picked up the dlc without a thought. The add-on content is a bit weak imo, but the core of the game is still fantastic.I don't even like games like this, where the difficulty is a bit high coupled with the dark-souls like combat and mechanics (not a big fan of DS setting, too dark and gloomy). BUT, this game had me binge-playing for over a week. Finished the story and loved it so much I picked up the dlc without a thought. The add-on content is a bit weak imo, but the core of the game is still fantastic. It has a pretty decent story, but the fun of it for me is to try out all the various builds the different kinds of equipment affords you. Also! This game lets you keep playing past the end of the storyline AND it has a new game plus mode!

    Code Vein
    Gameplay Enjoyability (0 - worst, 10 - best)

    Combat - 9
    Story - 8
    Loot/equipment finding - 8
    Character creation - 10
    Music - 9 (the menu theme song, it's so gooood, gets me every time)
    Multi-stage boss fights - 6 (without spoiling things, not all boss fights save your progress if you die having cleared a stage)    … Expand
  69. KayVen17
    Apr 30, 2020
    6
    Es ist ein solides Souls-Like, was mir persönlich mehr Spaß gemacht hat als Nioh zum Beispiel. Trotzdem ist die Story wirklich komplett langweillig. Ich musste oft kämpfen nicht zu skippen in Cutscenes. Dazu kommen leider zu viele Kopien vom Vorbild. Ich verstehe das der Bosskampf mit Ornstein und Smough in Dark Souls ikonisch ist und man etwas ähnliches machen wollte, aber einfachEs ist ein solides Souls-Like, was mir persönlich mehr Spaß gemacht hat als Nioh zum Beispiel. Trotzdem ist die Story wirklich komplett langweillig. Ich musste oft kämpfen nicht zu skippen in Cutscenes. Dazu kommen leider zu viele Kopien vom Vorbild. Ich verstehe das der Bosskampf mit Ornstein und Smough in Dark Souls ikonisch ist und man etwas ähnliches machen wollte, aber einfach ebenfalls einen dicken langsamen und eine schnelle Kleine hinzustellen ist wirklich dreiste Kopie. Ich hatte definitiv meinen Spaß, aber leider verspürte ich zu keiner Zeit einen ähnlichen Zauber wie in From Software's Meisterwerk.… Expand
  70. trevor1981
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    Finally I got what I always wanted - a Souls game that would keep the players engaged, thanks to its story, and not just rely on the unbearable difficulty alone, that most of its predecessors coming from Miyazaki did. And Code Vein brilliantly achieves that. The writing was incredibly well done. In just no time I realised I was in love with the characters.
    Bandai Namco did the right thing    Finally I got what I always wanted - a Souls game that would keep the players engaged, thanks to its story, and not just rely on the unbearable difficulty alone, that most of its predecessors coming from Miyazaki did. And Code Vein brilliantly achieves that. The writing was incredibly well done. In just no time I realised I was in love with the characters.
    Bandai Namco did the right thing by creating a game that would first and foremost entertain, which is why some people got it wrong, probably because they've got used to being tortured. But still Code Vein can be extremely hard, if you stop partnering with any of the NPC's.
    To me personally this was the best souls experience ever. Even after getting the platinum trophy, I still play it.
    The visuals are amazing, the gameplay is long enough, and although it has its challenging moments, the developers did their best to ensure you'll have a good time with it.
    Among the advantages Code Vein has compared to previous entries are -
    1. Great storytelling and characters.
    2. Phenomenal visualisation. The level design is unlike anything you've seen before. Much better than DS3 and Sekiro.
    3. Phenomenal score by Go Shiino.
    3. Great voice acting.
    4. A map that will be a lot of help making it significantly easier to not miss out any important item.
    5. The co-op with other players is greatly simplified here. You don't have to place any signs like in DS3. You can be in one area and still be teleported to the other end of the game world to aid another player.
    6. Reasonable difficulty level, unless you choose otherwise.
    7. Even when you start a NG, it doesn't have to be NG+, so if you're doing an additional run for platinum trophy, that will come in pretty handy.

    Even the soundtrack I loved much much more than in Dark Souls. There are at least 3 pieces I will forever keep in my phone now. The track called 'Requiem', playing during one of the endings, I couldn't listen to without tears. Needless to say I was overwhelmed every time I finished the game.

    Although I have favorite animes, I never considered myself being a huge fan of the genre before, but now, thanks to Code Vein, I do. I'm eager to see just any anime title there is.

    Don't listen to the reviews downgrading this game!
    It's sheer brilliance!
    I was an idiot to refrain from buying it the day it came out, but later I wanted to kill myself for that. Not as a punishment, but just to support the developers, I additionally got 2 more copies - one for my brother-in-law and another for my best friend.
    I will gladly give my money to Bandai Namco and buy just any title they make. Thank you, guys, for these wonderful emotions.    … Expand
  71. Irfzxx
    Apr 16, 2020
    10
    Game of the Year contender. Best gameplay, story, music, voice acting and rpg element
  72. Reed618
    Mar 24, 2020
    8
    This game is more like an 8.5 personally. It was a pleasant surprise for sure.
    I think the characters are very likeable and the story is overall quite good. There are some surprisingly touching moments in there.
    The combat is not as tight as dark souls but it's enjoyable and there's room for a lot of build diversity. I think one of the downsides is environmental variety. A lot of    This game is more like an 8.5 personally. It was a pleasant surprise for sure.
    I think the characters are very likeable and the story is overall quite good. There are some surprisingly touching moments in there.

    The combat is not as tight as dark souls but it's enjoyable and there's room for a lot of build diversity.

    I think one of the downsides is environmental variety. A lot of levels are ruined cityscapes but there's a strong visual design and some cool landmarks along the way. The areas were more interesting than other souls like games such as nioh or the surge in my opinion. They could use some more enemy types too but I never really got bored of fighting the enemies.

    I really like how the game allows you to grind levels very easily. They aren't stingy in awarding haze so I never felt underleveled when fighting a boss. It's also really nice having a minimap which tells you where you've been walking. And also every boss fight has a checkpoint nearby so you don't have to run long distances if you get beaten.

    I think there are some fantastic bosses here. There were a couple which took ages and when I finally beat them my heart was ready to explode which is what you want in these games.

    Also the character creator is top tier. Even at the end of the game I still felt really great about how my guy looked. There are a lot of different outfits to wear as well so there's a lot of room for customization in general. One issue though is with clipping. My character's hair was very long and often went through his clothes which isn't a huge deal but can be a little immersion breaking.

    Finally, I'm not a big fan of having a silent protagonist in general but I appreciate that your character will nod, shake hands and on a couple of occasions actually speaks. Overall the silent protagonist thing worked quite well here.    … Expand
  73. Thaksin
    Mar 12, 2020
    9
    Отличная игра, людям, которым понравился Remnant и теперь они хотят поиграть что-то похожее, но на ближний бой )
    Мне не нравится soul`s like игры, в том классическом стиле и понимании, которые они существуют, но мне вполне в десяток раз понравился этот проект.
    + я любитель аниме и визуал, вполне взыграл дополнительно к моим интересам. Спасибо кто прочел и разработчикам, за труды и    Отличная игра, людям, которым понравился Remnant и теперь они хотят поиграть что-то похожее, но на ближний бой )
    Мне не нравится soul`s like игры, в том классическом стиле и понимании, которые они существуют, но мне вполне в десяток раз понравился этот проект.
    + я любитель аниме и визуал, вполне взыграл дополнительно к моим интересам.

    Спасибо кто прочел и разработчикам, за труды и локализацию (субтитров достаточно)!
    P.S: Прошу попросить гения, кто рисовал "Собор святой крови", держать взаперти. Потрясающая локация, которая спутает не только глаза, логику и инстинкты, но и ориентацию и взгляды.    … Expand
  74. jelloskins
    Mar 9, 2020
    5
    It started off as such an amazing game but ended up simply frustrating and not fun. A game should not be frustrating. I play games for fun. After the invading executioner boss I had to quit. After many of hours on one boss, looking up strategies and continuously failing fast, I realize the game is just not fun.
  75. YouDontKnowMe22
    Mar 7, 2020
    9
    Overall i love this game as much as Bloodborne, if you have played Bloodborne that should of already grabbed your attention.

    The customisation is something everyone noticed in this game, its massive, it has so much depth which i have never really seen in a game before. The Combat feels amazing, it feels just like any dark souls and bloodborne game but like them it has it's own unique    Overall i love this game as much as Bloodborne, if you have played Bloodborne that should of already grabbed your attention.

    The customisation is something everyone noticed in this game, its massive, it has so much depth which i have never really seen in a game before.

    The Combat feels amazing, it feels just like any dark souls and bloodborne game but like them it has it's own unique thing whihc is the blood codes. I enjoy this combat so much it really made the game more enjoyable.

    The world is large, but its not all connect like a dark souls or bloodborne game and the biggest thing i hated was the world felt repetitive most of the timt, it was lacking where as if you play similar games it always feels different like with bloodborne. I love the world but it needs more in Code vein.

    Now the story and bosses, if you do everything possible to understand the story and lore you will really respect the game for what it is, the story is amazing and something i could never forget (depends on which ending) and the final boss is defiently a favourite HOWEVER the game is far to easy, bosses dont really have any challenge besides 3 or 4, and i did paly the game a second time on the hardest diificuly option and it was still the same outcome. This game never really had be stuck for to long unlike Laurence in bloodborne dlc.

    Overall this game is worth playing and i hope Code Vein 2 will exist in the near future.    … Expand
  76. Shini-sensei
    Feb 26, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazing game. Perfect, no bugs, good plot. Amazing customization, hard and satisfying.… Expand
  77. Molec_man
    Feb 24, 2020
    8
    Solid soulsbourne type game with fun bloodcodes (builds) and weapons. Good world design. Fun.
  78. Aerondight
    Feb 4, 2020
    9
    Code vein me parece un gran paso para crear un souls like con estética anime puesto que presenta una historia muy interesante y un árbol de habilidades destacado, por eso creo que criticar de manera constructiva también es necesario .puesto que , a mi parecer le falta al juego una mayor cantidad de variedad en las armas y que las misiones de los NPCs podrían ser más significativas paraCode vein me parece un gran paso para crear un souls like con estética anime puesto que presenta una historia muy interesante y un árbol de habilidades destacado, por eso creo que criticar de manera constructiva también es necesario .puesto que , a mi parecer le falta al juego una mayor cantidad de variedad en las armas y que las misiones de los NPCs podrían ser más significativas para ellos ya que creo que solo están ahí para hacer que vayas de acá para allá . Pero a pesar de todo creo que code vein es un gran primer paso y ojalá este sea el inicio de una nueva IP con mucho futuro por delante… Expand
  79. LightNova
    Feb 2, 2020
    8
    Incredible levels of customisation from visuals to class-building make your experience with Code Vein feel unique, despite the rather linear level design. The combat system has a good amount of depth and complexity to get lost in, though it may put new players off as it can seem like information overload.
  80. Unexplainable
    Jan 29, 2020
    0
    PC gaming feels like a bad port from consoles. Small rooms for boss fights. Huge hitboxes. The remaining locations are tunnel. Fighting curve. You play from cinematics to cinematics.
  81. nabeel_324
    Jan 24, 2020
    10
    it's sad to see these stupid game journalists give such a beautiful game a low score. sure it has some flaws but the enjoyability factor FAR outweighs the minor flaws.truly an amazing game
  82. Dwideshrude1
    Dec 8, 2019
    1
    This game had me playing it until the very end. Although I was hooked, could I reccomend it? Not sure. Some of the level design is very lazy, copy and paste, everything looks the same. Some boss battles are just poorly balanced for all builds, and clearly needed more time in the oven. New game plus with enhanced enemies really brings out the glaring flaws in the combat system when facingThis game had me playing it until the very end. Although I was hooked, could I reccomend it? Not sure. Some of the level design is very lazy, copy and paste, everything looks the same. Some boss battles are just poorly balanced for all builds, and clearly needed more time in the oven. New game plus with enhanced enemies really brings out the glaring flaws in the combat system when facing bosses. Sometimes, they will be way too easy, not even dealing 1 bit of damage. Other times, a big weapon swing will kill you in 1 hit outside of your hitbox, with no chance of a dodge, along with your partner, meaning no revive. After many hours, I KNOW the makers of this game could do better with some aspects of this game. Interested to see what else they can do given more resources. I'd like to see more assets, and less recycling in the level design, along with better balancing with more QA tests. Also,… Expand
  83. Prrgangsta
    Jan 8, 2020
    7
    Finally picked up a copy and all I can say is it is a good game. I love the anime style and the combat feels pretty good to me. It isn't as difficult as Dark Souls or Bloodeborne but it would be a decent start for those that want to try their hand at those style of games. Character customization is really deep and intricate, probably one of the best in gaming I have seen. My problem withFinally picked up a copy and all I can say is it is a good game. I love the anime style and the combat feels pretty good to me. It isn't as difficult as Dark Souls or Bloodeborne but it would be a decent start for those that want to try their hand at those style of games. Character customization is really deep and intricate, probably one of the best in gaming I have seen. My problem with the game though is my created character has no personality to add to this game's story. It is a personal sin to have a story driven game with character creation and then that character becomes more a background character than a main protagonist. Louis feels more like a main character. When there are conversations during cutscenes my character just stands there looking interested and nodding his head. Let me have a chance to interact during a cutscene so my character can feel like a member of the group and at least have a personality. My other issue is the story is TOO anime. What do I mean? You know those shounen anime where they say friendship is important? Well get ready to hear a lot of "my friends are important", "we're officially friends", and "I'm always there for my friends". I personally am not a fan of this even in anime. No one talks like this except in anime and maybe at parties when your friend has too much to drink.… Expand
  84. Vinig
    Oct 11, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. E adorei dinâmica a jogabilidade e trilha sonora me agradou bastante e a história me lembra bastante animes bem mais me divertir bastante jogando ele… Expand
  85. swordxsmash
    Dec 15, 2019
    4
    The game isnt bad, albit mediocre. But things go down hill after you access an area in the game (Cathedral of sacred Blood) the levels are more linear and annoying, mazes. The story just doesnt grip you at all, there is no hook that can capture a players attention. 60$ for this game is a steal, game re uses many assets, bosses arent memorable (Except the last 3). Weaponry and armorThe game isnt bad, albit mediocre. But things go down hill after you access an area in the game (Cathedral of sacred Blood) the levels are more linear and annoying, mazes. The story just doesnt grip you at all, there is no hook that can capture a players attention. 60$ for this game is a steal, game re uses many assets, bosses arent memorable (Except the last 3). Weaponry and armor (Bloodvails) arent that many and the blood vials just doesnt encourage fasion or a sense of style for the character. No, you must wear a bloodvail, most of them look edgy and gothic too. If the game was atleast 30-40$, i wouldnt be criticising the game this much. The NPCs tho, maybe thats my opinion, but most of them arent memorable. Theyre not unique or special, just your generic anime characters. Its not that hard or bad to use a different style that can have some sort of a memorable attention garbing NPC. At times, the game forces the NPC tagging along mechanic, i see it as an easy mode for those who arent familiar with the souls game, but placing millions of enemy waves in one position for you to face alone is indeed hard, but you arent forced to tag along an NPC, so ill give that a pass. Over-all, its not that much of a bad experience, but it left a sour taste in my mouth because this is not atleast a 50% souls game. Its entirly different, it has a mini-map, it has hints and a direction for you to head (quite opposite to Dark Souls).… Expand
  86. DoomItself
    Dec 9, 2019
    9
    Absolutely loved this game. Souls-like gameplay done in an anime art style. Unlike most souls games, there are characters with actual backstory and explainations of what you're trying to accomplish and why. I would give this game a 10 but there are certain scenes that cannot be skipped and while trying to plantinum trophy the game I simply don't want to sit through them over and over.
  87. Rixmerz
    Dec 9, 2019
    10
    Code Vein es un juego excelente, tiene una muy buena banda sonora la cual quizás no tenga tantas canciones, pero se siente la dedicación detrás de cada una de éstas, y esto se refleja aún más cuando se mezclan con las cinemáticas las cuales tienen un apartado gráfico destacable para lo que es el estilo.
    lo que es la historia y el rol que cumples tu en esta me simplemente me atrapó y me dan    Code Vein es un juego excelente, tiene una muy buena banda sonora la cual quizás no tenga tantas canciones, pero se siente la dedicación detrás de cada una de éstas, y esto se refleja aún más cuando se mezclan con las cinemáticas las cuales tienen un apartado gráfico destacable para lo que es el estilo.
    lo que es la historia y el rol que cumples tu en esta me simplemente me atrapó y me dan ganas de revivir la historia una vez más.
    En lo que es el diseños de niveles los encontré una bellaza y una locura en algunos otros mapas y la verdad en este punto no podría pedir más, yo diría que el tamaño es justo y necesario en cada uno de estos.
    Las voces no tengo mucho que decir están muy bien y con una actuación muy pulida (en ingles al menos)
    En definitiva Code Vein es un juego bastante infravalorado por las grandes páginas de críticas y esto mismo fue lo que me animó a escribir esta crítica (la cual es mi primera).

    Tienes que jugar este titulo antes de que acabe la década yo creo que es algo que se lo merece.

    Muchas gracias por leer.    … Expand
  88. barkingdog95
    Dec 8, 2019
    9
    dispite a few small issues great overall cannot wait for dlc good story, decent combat, just a lot of fun
  89. Jacaretinga
    Dec 7, 2019
    8
    É um jogo divertido no geral. Não espere um jogo perfeito, mas Code Vein me agradou em muitos pontos. É um Souls Like de anime, mas tem suas particularidades, os diversos Códigos de Sangue proporciona uma variedade agradável no gameplay e permite se adaptar a diferentes situações. A personalização de personagem então... É um dos pontos mais altos do game. A história, porém, infelizmenteÉ um jogo divertido no geral. Não espere um jogo perfeito, mas Code Vein me agradou em muitos pontos. É um Souls Like de anime, mas tem suas particularidades, os diversos Códigos de Sangue proporciona uma variedade agradável no gameplay e permite se adaptar a diferentes situações. A personalização de personagem então... É um dos pontos mais altos do game. A história, porém, infelizmente não chega a ser memorável. A dificuldade também não está na altura dos outros jogos do gênero, mas eu não vejo isso como defeito, pois o jogo proporciona sim certo desafio. É claro que quem é muito fã da franquia Souls vai achar o jogo fácil de mais porque está acostumado a sofrer. Para quem se intimida com a dificuldade dos jogos Souls Like, Code Vein é uma boa entrada para quem quer iniciar um jogo nesse estilo de gameplay.… Expand
  90. Teela
    Dec 2, 2019
    9
    I really like it.It's like Dark Souls/Bloodborne, but it doesn't make you wanna kill yourself with a PS4 controller. So it's not easy but LOT easier than those two. Character customization is great.
    I'm not sure about the story, but that is secondary subject in this kinda game.
  91. Crysouls
    Nov 28, 2019
    9
    I felt compelled to create a Metacritic account to support this game, the game has a very good customization system, combat has its inspirations but still managed to make its own style stand out with the use of codes and veils , besides the weapons like the bayonet that I found something very different from any other game. But besides the combat, something that stands out is its narrative,I felt compelled to create a Metacritic account to support this game, the game has a very good customization system, combat has its inspirations but still managed to make its own style stand out with the use of codes and veils , besides the weapons like the bayonet that I found something very different from any other game. But besides the combat, something that stands out is its narrative, serious as the history of this game arrested me, you need to search the memories can be massive for some but for me it was the missing pinch that made me explore the whole game in search With a better understanding of the characters and the world around them, I started this game expecting a bad story but I was completely wrong. And last and for me the most important is the soundtrack ... Ooooh boy as the soundtrack of this game is good, a certain song is repeated during the memories (which can be annoying to some) but in the narrative near the final stretch The track of this game is amazing, during boss fight moments and especially during the mid to late cutscenes. In technical matters, I did not suffer from any bugs during the game, the only thing I should point out was frame drops when there were a lot of particles on the screen and when changing to a new map but nothing that disturbed my experience, I highly recommend this game to those looking for a good narrative and inspirational combat in the Souls like genre.

    Me senti na obrigação de criar uma conta no Metacritic para dar meu apoio a este game , o jogo tem um sistema de customização muito boa, combate tem sim suas inspirações mas ainda sim conseguiu deixar seu próprio estilo em destaque com o uso dos códigos e véus , além das armas como a baioneta que achei algo muito diferente de qualquer outro jogo. Mas além do combate, algo que se destaca é sua narrativa , sério como a historia desse jogo me prendeu, você necessitar de buscar as memorias pode ser massante para alguns mas pra mim foi a pitada que faltava que me fez explorar o jogo inteiro em busca de maior entendimento sobre os personagens e o mundo a sua volta, comecei esse jogo esperando uma historia ruim mas estava completamente enganado. E por ultimo e pra mim o mais importante é a trilha sonora ... Ooooh boy como a trilha desse jogo é boa , uma certa musica se repete durante as memorias ( o que pode ser irritante para alguns ) porém na narrativa perto da reta final a trilha desse jogo fica incrivel , nos momentos de boss fight e principalmente durante as cutscenes da metade para o final. Em questões técnicas , não sofri com nenhum bug durante o game , unica coisa que devo apontar foi quedas de frames quando havia muitas partículas na tela e em momentos de mudança para um novo mapa mas nada que atrapalhou minha experiencia , recomendo e muito esse jogo para aqueles que buscam uma boa narrativa e um combate com inspirações no gênero Souls like .    … Expand
  92. Wilbe
    Nov 22, 2019
    10
    I know the grade I give for this game doesn't fit, but it's more for opinion. Well, like games that have a kinda anime footprint, they end up having scenes where hair, clothes or the like cross each other, and so on. but in other respects he looks like a dark souls but anime that caught my attention, I don't know about you.
  93. jbabkin
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    I've always been a huge fan of the Soulsborne series and that's what got me into this game. This game will definitely scratch your itch if that's what you're looking for. But aside from the Soulsborne style gameplay, I feel like the game really lacks a satisfying experience. It just doesn't feel as good to defeat bosses and the general gameplay feels like it lacks the weight that I felt inI've always been a huge fan of the Soulsborne series and that's what got me into this game. This game will definitely scratch your itch if that's what you're looking for. But aside from the Soulsborne style gameplay, I feel like the game really lacks a satisfying experience. It just doesn't feel as good to defeat bosses and the general gameplay feels like it lacks the weight that I felt in Dark Souls.… Expand
  94. yeisinho
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    un gran juego al puro estilo soul, pero con caras kawais jajaja combates entretenidos gran dinamica y se puede jugar con amigos lo q lo hace mas divertido e interesante
  95. Berstale7430
    Nov 14, 2019
    8
    I think it is a very good game for those who want to enter the souls genre cautiously, it has a good story, good characters, excellent scenarios , a good difficulty , and a good soundtrack.

    The first souls game that I could enjoy and that encourages me to play a darksouls or bloodborne
  96. Nataraja
    Nov 10, 2019
    8
    It should be noted that Bandai Namco is unabashed about using the Dark Souls formula that they published for From over the years. So much so that one optional boss fight literally uses a Souls sound effect and boss structure. However to say that Code Vein is only a Soul's clone is to sell the game very short. Bandai has made the game a wonderful mix of coop Souls and allows forIt should be noted that Bandai Namco is unabashed about using the Dark Souls formula that they published for From over the years. So much so that one optional boss fight literally uses a Souls sound effect and boss structure. However to say that Code Vein is only a Soul's clone is to sell the game very short. Bandai has made the game a wonderful mix of coop Souls and allows for masochistic solo play. It is very important to note that most of the game is tuned for coop play - either AI or human, and to go solo significantly ups difficulty. I personally found that the AI coop made it more accessible while player coop made it to easy. The story is serviceable and fun but not as deep as a Souls game. It is a shame that users cannot award half points as this is clearly an 8.5 for me.… Expand
  97. Gamer1465
    Nov 9, 2019
    8
    Code Vein is one of the most surprising games of 2019, who knew Anime Souls could be so fun

    Pros Boss Fights are Fun but tough The memories are enjoyable if you want to find out someone's backstory The Blood Codes are interesting and have a wide variety The Combat is fun Story is good Cons Some areas are way too confusing Some dialogue is cringe Potato AI (if you use them)    Code Vein is one of the most surprising games of 2019, who knew Anime Souls could be so fun

    Pros
    Boss Fights are Fun but tough
    The memories are enjoyable if you want to find out someone's backstory
    The Blood Codes are interesting and have a wide variety
    The Combat is fun
    Story is good

    Cons
    Some areas are way too confusing
    Some dialogue is cringe
    Potato AI (if you use them)

    If you are a hardcore Souls/souls-like fan I definitely recommend you check this game out as it is fun but tough at times.    … Expand
  98. PepePt1
    Nov 8, 2019
    10
    As someone who doesn't really enjoy Souls-like games (excluding Bloodborne) , this game is crazy good.

    Gameplay (10/10): The combat is tight and satisfying, the bloodcodes/gifts allow HUGE variety in the gameplay and the character costumization allows for everyone to make their perfect character. As is expected from Souls-like games, Code Vein is pretty challenging at times, but due to    As someone who doesn't really enjoy Souls-like games (excluding Bloodborne) , this game is crazy good.

    Gameplay (10/10): The combat is tight and satisfying, the bloodcodes/gifts allow HUGE variety in the gameplay and the character costumization allows for everyone to make their perfect character. As is expected from Souls-like games, Code Vein is pretty challenging at times, but due to same changes like the partner system, it's a lot more forgiving; you could die during a fight, but as long as your partner is alive and he's fast enough, he can use a chunk of his HP to revive you and vice-versa.

    Story(9/10): The story is pretty good but nothing amazing, however, the world and the characters are incredibly written and very interesting (Even the silent protagonist is made interesting thanks to how the game handles the characters backstory).

    Art/Music(10/10): The art direction in the game is fantastic, mixing the SoulsBorne style with a more edgy anime look gives you an amazing result that adds so much more to the already interesting characters and well constructed maps. Same as the art, the OST in Code Vein is simply phenomenal, this epic soundtrack composed by Go Shiina (famous for God Eater), fits every single moment in the game; every boss encounter turns into an epic fight for your and your partner's survival and every conversation turns into an emotional moment thanks to this overpowering soundtrack. I can't think of a more badass moment than your partner dying and you having to survive while listening to this OST

    Overall, Code Vein is on par with Bloodborne as my favorite Souls-like experience and deserves more attention.
    (Also to everyone reading this, saying characters are over-sexualized or that the game is too "anime" is not a valid complaint in any type of media, if you don't like it, then this is not a game for you which is totally fine but don't critize a game just because it doesn't match your tastes).    … Expand
  99. supernafamacho
    Nov 8, 2019
    10
    Una de las sorpresas del año,jugabilidad,OST y variedad de builds sobresalientes.
  100. HMourad
    Nov 6, 2019
    9
    If you’re a Souls/Borne fan and don’t mind Anime, this game will not disappoint.
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Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 69
  3. Negative: 2 out of 69
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Dec 2, 2019
    80
    Code Vein brings a few interesting additions to the recognizable souls-like formula. It's stylish, anime-like and has some cool moves & classes, and lets you bring an AI friend to keep you from feeling lonely while being really useful in combat. Well, most of the time. If you are itching for some quality souls-like experience, try this - it could be just what you were looking for.
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  2. CD-Action
    Nov 25, 2019
    65
    Code Vein has its heart in the right place but I really wouldn’t want to spend my time playing stuff that have been already done better somewhere else. If a potential sequel finds its own identity, it would be an interesting addition to the genre. [13/2019, p.58]
  3. JeuxActu
    Oct 24, 2019
    50
    CODE VEIN is a vast disappointment, miles away from any of From Software's games, and the only thing to save is the blood code system which allows lots of freedom in the character customization.
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