Code Vein 2‘s greatest strength is the variety of options it gives you in creating your personal vampiric warrior. Will you drain the blood from your enemies by gnashing away with a snarling wolf head on each shoulder, or summon a deadly eruption of metal thorns? Do you equip a shield that can block, one that can parry, or another that allows you to quick-step out of danger? Are you augmenting your offensive options with a long-range bow, or a battle axe that creates a temporal force field to slow down enemies? Combine all of this choice with a gothic anime aesthetic, and Code Vein 2 does just enough to stand apart amidst a sea of third-person, action-RPG soulslikes.
Unfortunately, it also falls into the same pitfalls as its predecessor in almost every other aspect. Bland enemy encounters, dreary environments and level design, combat inconsistencies, and poor technical performance ensure that Code Vein 2 is a stagnant sequel rather than a triumphant follow-up that improves upon its predecessor.
If you’ve never played the original game, Code Vein 2 is an anthology sequel, so no prior knowledge is necessary. All you need to know is that it takes place in a world on the precipice of ruin, where humans and Revenants–immortal beings with vampiric abilities–coexist and are forced to fight back against a cataclysmic event known as the Resurgence.
