Code Vein II

Like the original game, it occasionally struggles with uneven pacing and technical shortcomings, but those flaws are often overshadowed by its stylish combat and the strong bond that forms between the protagonist and their companions. Code Vein 2 may not fully overcome the limitations of its ambitious design, but it still delivers a compelling anime-inspired soulslike adventure that fans of the series will find hard to resist.

Code Vein 2 isn’t a bad game — and that’s exactly its biggest problem. It’s average where it could have been good, and disappointing where it needed to surpass its predecessor. It fails to meaningfully improve its core systems, doesn’t strengthen the series’ identity, and in some areas even takes clear steps backward.

There are several high points of Code Vein II, ranging from graphics, different environments, and the character creator. The major complaints that detract from higher praise are bad pacing issues and a story that often takes a back seat. Combat is faster and more fun than the first game, and the much more open world is a needed change from the endless alleys of before. Despite a lot of positive points, though, there is a sense that the entire thing doesn't mesh together to make a better experience.

Code Vein 2 excels at being a more accessible sequel, offering a game that fans of the original will find irresistible. However, it’s technically unpolished on consoles, and it struggles to stand out in a sea of soulslikes. What Code Vein 2 does better than the others, though, is the excellent world-building and exploration and some fun, brazen characters that’ll make you love them.

Code Vein 2 expands on the ideas of the first game with more content, a stronger focus on dual combat, and a narrative built around multiple timelines. The story’s core concept is interesting, though characters and dialogue struggle to create emotional engagement. Combat remains methodical and strategic, working well in cooperative play and offering a good variety of builds, even if few boss fights stand out as truly memorable. Exploration is open and functional, but provides limited incentives beyond basic progression. Confusing interfaces, recurring technical issues, and visuals below expectations for the current generation hurt the overall experience. Overall, it is an above-average game that will please fans of the original Code Vein, but it fails to stand out in a competitive year due to its reliance on safe, unambitious formulas.

There's a lot going on in Code Vein 2, so much that it arguably loses some of the charm of its predecessor, and yet it's still quite a fun experience.

Although the first Code Vein was not a memorable title in the Soulslike landscape, it was still able to hold its own. For this reason, the disappointment is even greater to see how this sequel fails to evolve the original formula and, in some aspects, even ends up worsening it. The combat system remains solid, and the progression system, complex and deep, allows for a good amount of freedom in creating builds, even if it sometimes gets lost in excessive and unnecessary complexity. The narrative, too—less cryptic than the genre's standards and closer to Japanese animation tropes—is pleasant, without leaving a lasting impression. Where the game truly fails, however, is in its world-building and technical department. The result is a Soulslike with good foundations, but today these are no longer enough: in a now rich and competitive landscape, we would have expected a much bolder evolution from this sequel.

Code Vein II is a missed opportunity: it expands the universe and streamlines the gameplay, but sacrifices challenge on the altar of accessibility. Between a difficulty flattened by overly powerful teammates and various technical uncertainties, it remains a pleasant title but lacking the spark necessary to excel.

Code Vein II is exactly what you'd expect – yet another Soulslike derivative with a fresh(ish) coat of anime-style paint. While the combat system's flexibility and improved exploration are a huge step forward, the lack of multiplayer and derivative story beats feels like a step back. The result is just okay, though fans of the original will still appreciate it nonetheless.

For fans of the original, Code Vein II delivers more of what you enjoyed with meaningful expansions to the formula. For newcomers, the partner system creates a low barrier to entry. For those hoping Bandai Namco would finally create their own Elden Ring, temper your expectations.

I expected much more from this game, and I'm not referring to the graphics or the story, which nevertheless does an excellent job of drawing the player's attention to the vast semi-open world. The simplistic gameplay and lack of refined level design, combined with a combat system that certainly has a good variety of weapons, don't always deliver the feel every player deserves, and as a result, the developers only partially achieved their goals.

Code Vein 2 is almost everything I wanted from a sequel. It sheds the Dark Souls skin of the first game and takes a bold step toward becoming a bigger, more confident Code Vein. Unfortunately, that ambition comes at a cost, as the game sacrifices the distinctive art style that defined the original in favor of a more generic tone.

While fun from moment to moment, Code Vein 2 has a cookie-cutter plot, matching dialogue, and combat that isn't polished to the level it needs to be.

The open world is more of a con than a pro for Code Vein 2, but the soulslike-game still has some unique strong points to its name.

Code Vein II builds meaningfully on the original, with stronger companions, more flexible builds, and a story that feels more involved, even when it leans hard into melodrama.

Code Vein II is competent and checks all the right boxes, but it never quite finds a way to stand out. Things that felt genuinely fresh in 2019—like the idea of an anime Soulslike built around two-person combat—don’t land with the same impact today, and all that flexibility ends up making most playstyles feel too similar. If the aesthetic works for you, you won’t find much to complain about, but if you’ve played a lot of games in the genre, you may come away feeling like it could use a little more bite—more blood in its veins.

A highly uneven experience, Code Vein 2 is ultimately saved by its likable characters, clever use of time travel in the story and some tense but fair boss battles. The open-world design hampers the pacing, with drab environments that discourage exploration and uninspired regular enemies. Yet those who stick with it may find themselves genuinely invested in the fate of its central cast.

Code Vein II once again delivers a distinct anime-style Soulslike experience, but poor optimization and a lack of polish ultimately undermine what makes it unique.

This sequel is a clear step backward. While the developers aim for a more emotional story, the empty, lifeless world and one-dimensional characters undermine that ambition. The gameplay is serviceable, but lacks the impact and refinement expected from others in the genre.

Code Vein 2 left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s a game full of interesting ideas that build on the foundations of the original; on the other, it’s not without its share of underdeveloped elements. The overall experience is further undermined by technical issues, which aren’t excused by the game’s outdated visual design.

Code Vein II picks a little from the best of the Soulslike genre, but doesn’t go the distance to innovate or execute on these ideas well enough. The Blood Codes-fuelled action is where the gameplay shines, but the confusing writing and performance issues on PS5 suck the fun out of this anime vampire sequel.

All of these issues hinder a game that only occasionally rises above its weaknesses. The story can be compelling when focusing on its ill-fated characters, and the combat is enjoyable in specific circumstances, particularly when experimenting with the varied tools at your disposal. But Code Vein 2's shortcomings are too frequent to look past. Combat and exploration are hampered by dull enemies and wearisome environments, while technical issues only exacerbate its flaws. The soulslike genre has evolved since the original Code Vein launched in 2019, yet the forward-thinking shift to an open world hasn't prevented its sequel from suffering the same familiar blemishes.

Code Vein II reminds me of a PS2 game, and I say that as the highest praise. It doesn’t always get what’s going for, but man is it trying. It’s the kind of game you’d rent for a weekend and think about for years afterward, not because it’s the prettiest or the most polished or the best in its genre, but because it’s unique and trying hard and succeeding in cool, memorable ways.

At its best, Code Vein 2 provides comfortable, anime-flavored escapism. It’s shallow stuff, but it's combat offers a reliable source of mindless fun if you’re willing to wade through the mediocre world and performance issues.

Code Vein II is fine, functional and can be fun-especially if you're able to get the A.I to do the dirty work for you. The Formae system is potent and definitely gives combat encounters a zesty sense of empowerment, and if you're invested you'll want to lap up Code Vein 2 with vigor-just go in expecting a largely safe soulslike and you'll be content with this one.

Packed with anime influences and an occasionally thrilling story, Code Vein II is not a bad game, but it is overstuffed and aimless to the point that it feels less than the sum of its parts.

A handful of moments had me thinking, "Code Vein 2 might be really good, actually," but nearly every one of them was paired with a reminder that it struggles to maintain the momentum it manages to build up. Soulslike combat demands precision and sharpness from its players, but it also requires those things from the game itself, and unfortunately Code Vein 2 betrays those fundamentals a few too many times. The story has some bright spots and the very concept of repairing a broken world by changing its past through time travel drew me in, despite the shortcomings along the path to seeing its full conclusion. The genre has evolved significantly since the original Code Vein, and even after shifting to an open world, it's unfortunate the sequel hasn't quite kept up.

Code Vein II fundamentally fails to understand that true Souls-like difficulty comes from skill testing, not stat gating. There are also minor but noticeable flaws, such as the sometimes poor readability of attacks, which could be remedied with better visual highlighting and reduced effect chaos. Overall, Code Vein II moves further away from its Souls-like roots, which I find bold and independent. This gives the game a new identity of its own, which in its flow and combat rhythm is more reminiscent of dungeon crawlers and action JRPGs than Dark Souls and the like. The only annoying thing is that many aspects seem to have not been thought through to the end. This results in the aforementioned lack of appeal of the open world, the incoherence between story and gameplay, and the unpolished technical execution. Nevertheless, there is a good game in here somewhere. If Bandai Namco makes adjustments with patches, you can still have fun despite these criticisms.

Code Vein 2 is not the strongest soulslike we've ever encountered. While there is absolutely some fun to be had slaying the myriad horrors that inhabit this post-apocalyptic world and building a powerful Revenant Hunter, repetition inevitably kicks in. Narratively, it's pretty dull, lacking compelling characters or quests to engage with. While not broken or a bad game per se, it is hard to recommend when so many better entries in this well-worn subgenre already exist.

Code Vein 2 tries to reinvent the franchise by embracing an open-world Souls-like structure, but the ambition backfires. While the combat system is clearly refined, deeper, and more flexible than its predecessor, the empty world design and severe technical issues undermine the experience. Performance problems on PS5 are constant, affecting both exploration and combat flow. The time-travel narrative is more engaging than before, yet becomes predictable over time. In the end, Code Vein 2 shines in combat but collapses under the weight of its own aspirations.

Code Vein II is a sequel that remains firmly anchored to its genre tropes; while it excels through its flashy, high-octane combat systems, it ultimately stumbles when it comes to narrative depth and meaningful character development.

Code Vein has unfortunately shown little to no improvement. Despite the time travel element, the game hasn't kept up with the times; its systems are outdated or poorly implemented. The game world is incredibly empty, and even a cool steampunk motorcycle can't save it. The RPG aspects work well, until the boss fights become far too over-the-top. Technically, the game is a complete disaster. I would rather play Dark Souls 1 or even the first Code Vein again than ever play Code Vein 2 again.

I want to say there’s something enjoyable, interesting even, buried beneath the flawed execution of Code Vein II, but that something is the corpse of other games in the genre this vampiric creation is feeding on for inspiration.

Right from the first month of the year, as far as I’m concerned, Code Vein 2 has all the makings of one of the most disappointing experiences of 2026. The story is predictable and monotonous; the combat, while decent, gets tedious due to the repetition of enemies and attack patterns; and the boss battles are unengaging—which is probably the biggest flaw in a Soulslike game.

Ultimately, due to this conflicting nature, Code Vein II is never quite sure of what type of game it wants to be, and as such, I was never quite sure if I was having fun with it or not. A lifeless open world filled with mindless combat encounters feels completely detached from the Soulslike nature of its character progression and spectacular boss fights that break up the otherwise mundane nature of the experience. It’s not a complete lost cause as the narrative is worthwhile, and for genre fans, the depth of the character progression and the payoff in the boss fights does prove rewarding when you see all your tinkering coming together, but the highs aren’t enough to make Code Vein II an easy recommendation for all but the die-hards of the genre.

On paper, Code Vein 2 takes what made the first game unique and expands upon the formula in an Elden Ring-style open world to tell a brand new, ambitious story about time travel to save the world. However, the reality is far less appealing, from the dated graphics and clunky technical aspects to the frustratingly sluggish combat. If you truly loved its predecessor, you might be able to overlook its significant flaws and play for dozens of hours. Otherwise, we strongly advise you to wait for at least performance patches, or even a price reduction.

An improvement on its predecessor, in terms of both combat and setting, but the choppy framerate and ridiculous outfits ensure that the Code Vein II experience remains an underwhelming one.