GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. Code Vein establishes its own identity from the outset. It may latch onto a Dark Souls formula that has come to define a generation of action-RPGs, ...

January has had a fairly slow start for 2026 video game releases, as is typical in the video game industry. We've had a couple of stellar releases, like the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S ...

When Bandai Namco launched Code Vein in 2019, I gave it an earnest try. More than just an anime-looking and occasionally over-the-top riff on Dark Souls, Code Vein’s world of vampires and absorbed ...

Code Vein II starts off with a fairly standard story trope that requires the player, as the silent protagonist, to travel to the past to save the future. The present is currently doomed by the Luna ...

The soulslike genre revolves around challenge and skill mastery, both of which hold true for Code Vein 2. From the opening hours, it is clear that it is designed with mechanical depth in mind. Combat ...

I’m always surprised that anime manages to keep getting away with the same terrible bullshit time and time again without any repercussions. It’s rampantly misogynistic, insipidly trite, ...

When the original Code Vein came out back in 2019, the Soulslike genre was still somewhat in its infancy. FromSoftware, the creator of the genre, via their Dark Souls series, had successfully made its ...

It’s been years since Code Vein first tried to carve out its identity in the Souls-like space. With its anime-inspired aesthetic and flashy combat, the game was an instant curiosity, but that ...

Tue, January 27, 2026 at 4:53 PM UTC In Game Informer's review of the game, which was scored a 5.5/10, reviewer Wesley LeBlanc called the game ugly and criticized the combat system, writing, "Across ...

Seven years after the original, Bandai Namco release a surprise sequel to Code Vein that combines familiar Soulslike gameplay with time-travelling vampires. Back when the original Code Vein was ...