CODE VEIN

Code Vein may be a bit easier than normal and have a few issues but its unique visual style and extensive playstyle customization allows it to easily stand on its own merits.

82%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

88% User Score Based on 16,451 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 47 reviews

Platforms

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About CODE VEIN

CODE VEIN is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with fantasy and anime themes. It was developed by Bandai Namco Studios and was released on September 26, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Code Vein is set in the not too distant future where a disaster has brought the world to ruin and vampire-like beings battle for dominance.

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Reviews

88%Audience ScoreBased on 16,451 reviews

story2.4k positive mentions

grinding291 negative mentions

story
6,381 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The story of "Code Vein" is a blend of typical anime tropes and dark fantasy elements, featuring a post-apocalyptic world where players, as revenants, seek to regain lost memories while battling against the "Lost." While some players appreciate the emotional depth and character backstories revealed through the game's unique memory system, others criticize the narrative for being clichéd, overly dramatic, and sometimes tedious due to excessive cutscenes and slow-paced storytelling. Overall, the story is seen as engaging enough to keep players invested, especially for those who enjoy anime aesthetics and character-driven plots, but it may not resonate with fans of more subtle or complex narratives found in traditional souls-like games.
- “The story is interesting, somewhat lackluster in some parts, but otherwise this is my favorite souls-like and a good entry into that genre.”
- “The story is good, the characters are well balanced in storytelling, no character you'll forget around the whole game, even the first people you encounter.”
- “The story is engaging and loved exploring the companion stories.”
- “In terms of the overall story - it is serviceable but definitely nothing to write home about.”
- “Overall very mediocre game, gameplay feels flat and cheap and story was just eh, had a lot of potential but sadly it's no Scarlet Nexus, an actual good anime game.”
- “The story is boring, convoluted, and relies on walking simulator flashbacks for everything, but luckily that's all skippable so I can get back to fighting.”
gameplay
2,983 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The gameplay of "Code Vein" is a blend of familiar souls-like mechanics, such as stamina management, parrying, and challenging boss fights, but it introduces unique elements like the blood code system that allows for flexible character builds and abilities. While many players appreciate the character customization and the cooperative AI partner that can ease difficulty, some criticize the game for its repetitive enemy design, clunky mechanics, and a lack of polish compared to its inspirations. Overall, it offers an engaging experience for fans of the genre, particularly those who enjoy anime aesthetics, though it may not reach the heights of its predecessors like "Dark Souls."
- “The gameplay is enjoyable, the class system is really clever and you have a lot of freedom of playstyle.”
- “If you're into anime vibes and challenging gameplay, Code Vein is a must-play.”
- “The combat mechanics are fluid and engaging, offering a mix of strategic planning and real-time action.”
- “Overall, it's an average souls-like game; you either like it when you get used to its mechanics or not like the game at all.”
- “The gameplay outside of the bosses is also pretty frustrating; the enemies either all die far too easily or are obnoxious to fight against.”
- “While it has similarities to Dark Souls with its checkpoint system, lost currency on death, combat, and overall feel of gameplay, it completely fails at actually doing Dark Souls in its own way and at understanding what makes Dark Souls good.”
graphics
1,536 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48% positive mentions, 49% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The graphics of "Code Vein" have received mixed reviews, with many praising its anime-inspired aesthetics and character designs as visually stunning and appealing. However, some players noted that the environments can feel repetitive and lack detail, leading to a perception of outdated graphics in certain areas. Overall, while the anime art style resonates well with fans of the genre, it may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer more realistic graphics.
- “Some of the best visuals I've ever seen for an anime-styled game.”
- “With its stunning visuals, deep customization options, and thrilling combat, 'Code Vein' stands out as a captivating and memorable gaming experience.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the characters and story are interesting, and everything people have said about the character editor is true.”
- “Overall a very good game unfortunately seems a bit outdated in terms of graphics.”
- “The scenery and graphics in general are below average, combat is dull and repetitive, enemy AI is a joke which comes in handy since so many enemies will just target you while your annoying companion kills them.”
- “The graphics look like they are from a 2009 PS3 game.”
music
1,143 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51% positive mentions, 45% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The music in "Code Vein" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its emotional depth and orchestral quality, particularly during boss fights and key story moments. However, several players noted the soundtrack's repetitiveness, as many tracks are reused frequently, leading to a lack of variety that can detract from the overall experience. While some tracks are memorable and impactful, others are considered bland or forgettable, resulting in a soundtrack that, despite its high quality, may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
- “The soundtrack for this game is also phenomenal; and it had no business being this good.”
- “The music is fantastic, both on its own and in terms of fit.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, featuring anything from powerful choirs to rock to emotional piano.”
- “The music is forgettable, literally.”
- “Music is horrendously repetitive; the main combat background music is a 10-second loop that you will keep hearing for hours, and in the tedious story flashback scenes, you always have the same cliched sad piano part playing.”
- “The soundtrack is generic and forgettable with the exception of a couple tracks in the end credits.”
grinding
318 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2% positive mentions, 6% neutral mentions, 92% negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming. While some appreciate the depth it adds to character customization and skill mastery, others criticize the repetitive nature of farming for materials and experience, often leading to frustration and boredom. Overall, players suggest that the grinding can detract from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding experience.
- “I had no trouble getting the good ending and it wasn't tedious at all to find the stuff I needed for it, but if you're just rushing through the game you can definitely miss the things you need.”
- “Code Vein is a game that tries to appeal to a variety of kinds of players; it can be a hard or easy game (you can play without a partner, making the game much harder) and it's not too grindy.”
- “No grinding is needed as equipment is obtained mainly from exploration.”
- “The memory fragment thingies are tedious as hell, just skip them, it's an awful way of storytelling anyways, fking retrospectives from characters' lives in the form of a walk through a museum, total and utter waste of time.”
- “The level design is incredibly dull and tedious, there is nothing memorable whatsoever about this game, a complete waste of my time.”
- “The grinding mechanic is already there with the mastery of certain class gifts, the farming for materials to upgrade your veils and weapons is there.”
emotional
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93% positive mentions, 1% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Code Vein" is a significant highlight, with many players praising its compelling characters and heartfelt storytelling that often elicits strong emotional responses, including tears. The game effectively combines dramatic music and character backstories to create an immersive experience, though some critiques mention that the emotional moments can feel forced or clichéd at times. Overall, it offers a mix of touching narratives and emotional depth, appealing particularly to fans of anime and story-driven games.
- “The story is surprisingly heartfelt and engaging; its take on (essentially) vampires feels reasonably unique.”
- “The story is emotionally gripping and the combat reasonably simple and fun.”
- “The touching story hit hard and the sheer humanity of the characters was, although at times unbearably cheesy, the most 'aweeeeee' inspiring thing I've ever experienced in media.”
- “Cliché boring story that reeks of bad anime storytelling, like all of their games (God Eater series and Scarlet Nexus).”
- “Boring story: the main story is not interesting to me in the slightest, and despite the moderately sized cast, I can't bring myself to care about any of their backstories.”
- “Hundreds of flashbacks which you have to slow walk through for cheap and boring story bits; should've had fewer characters but made them more interesting.”
character development
255 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the emotional depth and attachment they felt towards certain characters, particularly Yakumo and Io, while others criticize the overall lack of meaningful development for many side characters. The narrative is often described as engaging, but the execution can feel rushed or reliant on clichés, leading to a disconnect between character design and their development arcs. Additionally, the character designs, while visually appealing, are frequently noted for being overly sexualized, which detracts from the immersive storytelling experience for some players.
- “Great story, great graphics, great character development.”
- “The story is heartbreaking, the character development is splitting the seams of what has become the norm for modern games.”
- “The character development punches you right in the feels and finally the multiple story endings based on your actions as a player and how much effort you put towards diving into the story of the individuals you come across.”
- “Instead of exploring the concepts the game introduces, it tries to rush character development through some extremely awkward cutscenes, yes, the ones where you exist.”
- “Unfortunately, while I thought the story was serviceable, the actual characters you interact with are easily the worst part of the game since most of them get little to no actual character development and because they don't leave a long-lasting impression, making them pretty forgettable.”
- “The character development of some of the side characters is very 'anime-trope' with really basic tragedy arcs (lost loved ones, unrequited love, regrets) that felt sometimes cheesy and other times lazy.”
optimization
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance on various systems, including lower-end PCs, while others report frequent stuttering, frame drops, and input lag. Many users noted that while the game can run smoothly under certain conditions, it suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly during transitions and in crowded areas. Overall, the consensus suggests that while there are moments of solid performance, the game still requires further optimization to address its inconsistencies.
- “It's optimized very well for the most part, though it has its occasional hiccup.”
- “The game runs smoothly with precision and is easy to understand the controls.”
- “The way it's optimized is amazing; I feel as though even those with lower-end graphics cards would easily be able to run and play this game with decent, if not good, graphics settings.”
- “The game runs like a dream, no performance dips and feels as responsive as Dark Souls 3.”
- “Optimization is a major problem with Code Vein as it is expected for you to experience frame rate drops every second and serious stuttering which kind of breaks that immersion.”
- “It's also very unoptimized, requiring a ton of system power for no real reason while not even looking that great.”
atmosphere
151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its unique post-apocalyptic, anime-inspired aesthetic and immersive soundtrack that enhances the experience. However, others criticize it for lacking the depth and intricacy found in titles like Dark Souls, describing certain areas as visually uninspired or overly simplistic. Overall, while the game offers a captivating atmosphere for some, it falls short for others who seek the haunting environments typical of the genre.
- “The art style and attention to detail create a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in its unique and mysterious setting.”
- “The atmosphere mixed with the variety of locations and the entertaining enough combat that is not nearly as difficult as a game like Dark Souls makes it an immersive world to just enjoy.”
- “Amazing atmosphere, beautiful soundtrack, and a magnificent story.”
- “The latter feels especially awful to me because of how cheap it looks, everything just being copy-pasted white patterned textures as far as the eye can see, not really evoking any sense of atmosphere as much as it evokes the feeling of someone opening up the Unreal Engine for the first time and just messing around.”
- “Code Vein does away with the atmosphere and mystery typical to the genre and instead opts to tell a more straightforward story with straightforward characters.”
- “It's souls with none of the atmosphere and very little of the challenge.”
replayability
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising the variety of builds, multiple endings, and the New Game Plus (NG+) feature that encourages further playthroughs. However, some reviewers noted that the flexibility in class switching and the linear nature of the story can diminish the incentive to replay, leading to a perception of limited replay value for certain players. Overall, while there are significant opportunities for experimentation and replay, opinions vary widely on its long-term appeal.
- “Replay value: high - there are many different builds, there are other gameplay modes/instances that you can combat through outside the story, there's also NG+, etc. that you can replay at either enhanced difficulty or normal difficulty.”
- “Additionally, Code Vein features multiple endings, adding replayability and incentive for players to explore different story paths.”
- “The gameplay is flexible, allowing for quick switching between dozens of different classes and abilities, this plus three different endings based on choices you make give it good replayability too.”
- “Good game with a great ending, but no replayability.”
- “The only replay value that it has is getting other endings, which can be done via YouTube.”
- “Has a few endings but I really don't see it having much replay value after the initial run, so if that's important to you then you'll be disappointed.”
humor
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, often described as both intentionally and unintentionally funny, with players finding amusement in its cheesy dialogue, over-the-top anime tropes, and absurd character customization options. Many reviews highlight moments of laughter stemming from the game's flaws, such as weak boss encounters and ridiculous scenarios, while others appreciate the comedic value of the characters and their interactions. Overall, the humor tends to resonate more with those familiar with anime culture, leading to a blend of cringe-worthy and entertaining experiences.
- “The story is interesting enough to keep me engaged, and I've had a few laughs at the sense of humor.”
- “I found it funny when it came to character customization as you can do a lot with it, including some weird stuff.”
- “The character customization is both expansive and funny; you can make accessories in ridiculous proportions if you want.”
stability
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 90% negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly disrupt gameplay. Issues include unresponsive NPC interactions, broken multiplayer functionality, and frustrating combat mechanics, leading to a generally unstable experience. While some users noted that the game runs well on certain systems, the overall consensus is that it suffers from a lack of polish and persistent technical problems.
- “The game looks and runs great, the gameplay is pretty solid and I overall enjoyed the combat.”
- “Runs great on Ubuntu + Steam Proton!”
- “The game runs great even on maxed out settings.”
- “My main complaint, and the game's main flaw, is that it was surprisingly buggy.”
- “This game is so buggy when you give NPCs gifts and want to receive something from their store. The game won't let you leave the store, and you have to force the game to close. This has happened multiple times; you literally get stuck in the store.”
- “I spent more time troubleshooting than playing the game, and had to throw in the towel and request a refund once I found out the lock-on bug had been plaguing some other people a while back and seemingly never got addressed.”
monetization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players labeling it a "cash grab" due to perceived lack of depth and reliance on superficial elements. However, many appreciate the absence of microtransactions, praising the game for offering a complete experience without additional purchases, which contrasts sharply with trends in the industry. Overall, while some criticize the game's monetization strategy, others celebrate its straightforward approach and generous customization options.
- “I absolutely love this game and I absolutely love that it's just a full package; you get the game and you have it, no additional purchases mandatory, no microtransactions (as far as I could see), and overall a quality game.”
- “What I love about this is the fact that all accessories aren't locked behind any kind of microtransactions (they are totally free) and its customizations are somewhat similar to other MMOs/JRPGs, which gives you some elements of freedom on how you want to make your waifu/husbando look.”
- “It is surprisingly polished, looks like they put the extra time from the delay to good use, and feels like a complete package, like nothing has been cut from it to sell back as DLC or microtransactions, which is refreshing nowadays.”
- “I have never written a review but this game compelled me to do it, just because of how much it genuinely irked me that it could have been pretty good but fell short to the point I was wondering if it was made with genuine love that fell short on funding or time constraints or if it was just a cheap cash grab at anime and souls consumers.”
- “The DLC is a joke and is disrespectful to the players and base game as to how lazy, cash grabbing, and limited in scope they are.”
- “Other AAA developers no longer have an excuse to release shoddy, mediocre, unfinished cash grabs.”

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Critic Reviews

75%Critics’ scoreBased on 47 critic reviews

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Play Times

23h Median play time

27h Average play time

26h Main story

59h Completionist

9-40h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 96 analyzed playthroughs

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CODE VEIN is a role playing game with fantasy and anime themes. Common tags for CODE VEIN include trading and story rich.

CODE VEIN is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

The main story can be completed in around 26 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 59 hours to finish. On average players spend around 27 hours playing CODE VEIN.

CODE VEIN was released on September 26, 2019.

CODE VEIN was developed by Bandai Namco Studios.

CODE VEIN has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked CODE VEIN for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

CODE VEIN is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Mortal Shell, Salt and Sanctuary, Ashen, Lords of the Fallen, NiOh and others.

CODE VEIN

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story

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character development

optimization

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replayability

humor

stability

monetization

Critic Reviews

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CODE VEIN

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About CODE VEIN

Games Like CODE VEIN

Mortal Shell

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Lords of the Fallen

NiOh

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Steelrising

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Reviews

story

gameplay

graphics

music

grinding

emotional

character development

optimization

atmosphere

replayability

humor

stability

monetization

Critic Reviews

Buy CODE VEIN

Code Vein (PC) - Steam Key - GLOBAL

Code Vein Digital Deluxe Edition XBOX One CD Key

CODE VEIN

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