084
INFO
FORMATPS4
ETAOUT NOW
PUBBANDAI NAMCO
DEVBANDAI NAMCOCODE VEIN
A stylish souls-lite that lacks bite
F
eaturing one of the most in-depth
character creators we’ve seen in years,
this fanged soulslike looked poised to
fulfil all those vampiric dreams many
of a certain age had in the noughties. You can
tweak impressively granular details of your
undying anime protagonist, from eye-shine
design to layers of accessories. Character
designs are a pleasingly detailed mix of
belts, buckles, harnesses, and high fashion –
ridiculous but easy on the eye. The bombastic,
chorally-focused score by composer Go Shiina
pitches proceedings to be exactly the kind of
over-the-top nonsense we can get behind.
Unfortunately, what melancholy or drama there
is to be found here is decidedly bloodless.Combat presents an incredibly moreish souls-lite
loop. We say ‘souls-lite’ as fighting involves a
lot of soulslike actions – keeping a close eye on
your stamina, balancing attacks against dodging,
and looking for openings to deliver a devastating
blow or take a step back to heal – but is largely
going through the motions. Your attacks lack
heft, even when you’re wielding some of the
heaviest weapons, and ultimately fights fail to
have the same impact as even the most run-of-
the-mill encounters in Yharnam. That isn’t to
dismiss this as a ‘wonky Bloodborne’ – swinging
the weightiest hammer is still responsive anda lot of fun once you’ve fully
upgraded its damage output,
especially if you’re fighting
alongside a similarly heavy-
hitting AI partner.FASHION VICTIM
Additionally, your Revenant
protagonist has a few tricks up
their sleeve – or rather Blood
Veil. Looking like a particularly
sweet jacket or robe, the Blood
Veil can manifest a variety of
pointy implements for flashy
back-stab attacks or be used to
drain enemies of Ichor. Ichor
powers your vampiric ‘Gifts’,
which offer a variety of buffs
or projectile attacks. You can
collect it from melee moves
or from knocking back Ichor
concentrates as well as draining
enemies. You discover newBlood Veils are all
about style, from
looking like a fancy
jacket to their flashy
back-stab attack.Gifts by collecting Blood
Codes which allow you to
take on aspects of the donor,
making for a high level of
playstyle customisation.
Even if you choose to go
it alone without your helpful
AI partners grating a heap of
cheese over encounters, you
won’t be slowly unravelling a
boss’s weaknesses and working
out how best to exploit them
over hours. Code Vein presents
an accessible approach to the
winning soulsborne formula
but, even with the new
wrinkles of the Revenant’s
Gifts, it fails to glamour us.
Also lacking bite are the
environments and story. You
traipse through corridors and
gangways, your course often
dictated by short ladders andREVVING UP”FIGHTS LACK THE IMPACT
OF EVEN RUN-OF-THE-MILL
ENCOUNTERS IN YHARNAM.”
@KoeniginKatze