Code Vein II Review

The first Code Vein game was a huge hit, and with many fans eagerly awaiting the sequel, the question remains, does it truly live up to the hype?

The game kicks off with Lou bringing you back to life and giving you the option to customize your character, with tons of options and details to explore. Moving on to the story, it’s well-written and packed with interesting characters to meet and connect with.

You must slay all five heroes, but first, you need to learn about them and unlock their seal keys. Each hero has a unique, touching story that draws you in and makes you care for them, making it even harder to face them in the end. Along the way, you’ll explore multiple paths, and every choice you make will shape the outcome of the story.

The combat system is pretty easy to get the hang of. It’s a Souls-like game, but not as hard as you might think. It can feel tough at the start, but as you explore more and level up, it becomes much easier. The controls and the variety of actions can be confusing at first, so it takes a good amount of time to really get used to them.

The game offers a wide variety of weapons to discover, from swords and bayonets to hammers and more, letting you test them out and pick your favorite. You can also use forma abilities in combat, including attack formas, boosters, and long-range spells, making the combat exciting and diverse.

Some enemies have ridiculous range, with hits that feel completely unfair, making it tough to escape and heal. They can sprint at you from across the room and land a hit instantly or cast spells that reach you no matter where you are. The camera movement doesn’t help either, especially with big bosses, since you can’t see their next move, making dodging or blocking their attacks extremely difficult. The camera angle for those fights definitely needs fixing.

Exploring the map is fun and rewarding, with random NPC encounters and fun interactions along the way. However, navigating the map and quests can be tricky at first, as there’s often no clear path, making it easy to get lost or unsure how to reach certain points. Partner dialogues during exploration can be accidentally skipped when picking up items, which can be frustrating and cause missed moments. Additionally, some interactions require pressing a button to continue but then unexpectedly auto-play, leading to more skipped dialogue.

Playing through this game was an amazing experience, and fans of the original will surely enjoy the sequel just as much. It was absolutely worth the wait. It took me 42 hours to finish, including all side missions, though I still missed a few collectibles. You can pick it up for $69.99 on PS5, XSX, and Steam.