CODE VEIN II Review

When Code Vein came out in 2019, it had a clear goal: to make the scary structure of games like Souls less scary without taking away any of their depth. It stands out from other games of the same time with anime-style graphics, AI friends, and a strong focus on story. Even though it wasn't perfect all the way through, it found a loyal audience that liked that it wasn't afraid to be different.

It feels like the people who made CODE VEIN II finally got what the players wanted. Instead of trying to please die-hard Souls fans, the sequel focuses on telling more emotional stories, making the fighting system more flexible, and making the structure much easier to understand.

This game is no longer trying to be like the big names in its area. It's sure of itself, passionate, and clearly focused on the characters.

You don't need to know anything about the first game to play this one, but people who have played the first one will notice how the sequel changes old ideas in a planned way. CODE VEIN II isn't meant to show how hard it is. It's about how much it makes you care.

CODE VEIN II is mainly a story about what will happen and how people try to stop it. The world is already gone, leaving behind Horrors, which are twisted, horrible things. These monsters are not mindless animals; they are the remains of people who tried to save humanity but gave up because they felt hopeless, failed, or betrayed.

You take on the part of a Revenant Hunter, a being who can go back and forth in time. You move between a broken present and a fragile past with the help of a mystery ally who can change the past and the present. Your job is to find out where each Horror came from by meeting them before they fell, getting important pieces of information about them, and then facing them in the present.

The human touch of this story is what makes it so interesting. People used to be more likely to be hopeful. People who were still alive would get together with their friends and make promises. This would make rebels think they could change the future. You get sad every time you see them because you know how their stories end. Sometimes the game will ask you if seeing what will happen gives you the right or the power to change it.

What the player does is important. The choices you make affect the storylines of the characters, the places you visit, and the ending you get. It's rare for these choices to feel good or brave. Often, they make you choose between being kind and having to survive, telling the truth and being comfortable, or making a compromise and living.

The writing isn't perfect—the early exposition can be too much, and some words aren't explained well—but once the story settles down, it has dramatic moments that are surprisingly powerful.

The world of CODE VEIN II gets a lot bigger with a semi-open-world structure that covers both times. Instead of tightly controlled corridors, you explore big, interconnected areas with hidden areas, optional paths, and stories that happen in the world.

The worlds of the past and the present are stacked on top of each other. In the past, a place that feels empty and unfriendly now might have looked lively, hopeful, or just unstable. Traveling through time isn't just a plot device; it's also a core way to explore. In one era, what you do can open up new roads, change the landscape, or reveal secrets in the next.

By adding a supernatural motorbike, traversal is made better. It's a fast-travel system that also lets you glide, which lets you explore higher up and find faster ways across dangerous territory.

This feature makes the world feel bigger without getting boring. That being said, planning can be hard. Since there isn't a detailed mini-map, it's often hard to tell where the goals are. The main map doesn't make it clear how deep things are, so you'll often end up going toward markers that look close but are actually underground or can only be reached by a long way. These problems don't ruin exploration, but they do get in the way of its otherwise enjoyable flow.

In CODE VEIN II, the game loop is made up of exploring, fighting, interacting with other characters, and slowly moving forward. The game is much more forgiving when it comes to checkpoints, enemy placement, and death punishments than most games that are like Souls.

When you die, you still lose haze, which is the game's currency and experience, but it's usually not painful to get back up. Since companions can be revived, there are a lot of stops, and the number of enemies is manageable, anger rarely wins over interest. You should try new things and keep moving forward in the game instead of going backwards.

This method costs something. The feeling of fear fades over time, especially in everyday situations. When you know how your enemy fights, many fights don't feel scary anymore. Accessibility is the price that must be paid, though. CODE VEIN II puts focus on flow and involvement over stress, which makes it easier to enjoy long sessions without getting tired.

Combat is still a big part of the experience, and CODE VEIN II does a great job of letting you be free. There are many kinds of weapons, from big, heavy greatswords and dull hammers to quick, two-bladed swords and long-range bayonets. Each type of weapon supports a different beat and way of playing.

There is more to the Blood Code and Forma systems this time around. Blood Codes work like classes, and Forma skills let you change how powers work within those classes. You can freely switch between builds, which lets you try new things without fear of being punished. Want to change in the middle of the game from a heavy physical bruiser to a ranged caster? It works with the platforms.

Managing blood gives a strategy more meaning. You get blood by fighting and using it on skills that often give you invincibility frames, power over a crowd, or huge bursts of damage.

It's less about how fast you can move in battle and more about timing, positioning, and how you use your abilities. The best parts are the boss fights. Major story bosses and cocoon encounters are visually stunning and mechanically interesting, with a focus on pattern recognition over extreme challenge. But other than bosses, there aren't many different kinds of enemies. A lot of the same enemies show up in different areas, which takes away from the fun of exploring.

Companions are very important in CODE VEIN II. Each one has a different personality, combat job, and story arc. They draw enemy attention, heal you, and can bring you back to life after a fatal mistake in battle, though revives are limited to stop abuse.

Fighting with friends feels like the right way to do it. The battles are more exciting, and the area doesn't feel oppressive. You can fight by yourself to deal more damage, but that takes away a lot of the game's natural flow.

When they're not fighting, companions shine through in conversation and shared times. Talking to each other during rest and exploration times shows their fears, regrets, and goals. These interactions make the story more emotional and support the main idea of the game, which is that life isn't just about being strong; it's also about being connected.

The game's progression is controlled by haze and items found during exploration. Because early leveling is easy, you can focus on learning methods. Optimization becomes more important as the game goes on, especially when fighting bosses, where skill teamwork is important.

Grinding does happen, but it's not usually required. Optional field bosses respawn mostly to give you materials, but the fact that they don't give you any special prizes can be disappointing. But overall, the growth curve lets you take your time and doesn't make you do things over and over again.

Customizing your character is still very easy, and you have a lot of power over how they look and what they wear.

Visual clipping still happens, especially with hair and clothes, which is a problem that sometimes breaks immersion. CODE VEIN II is a striking work of art. Characters with anime-style designs are expressive, and settings that are both beautiful and broken are well-balanced. When moving from one era to another, there are often small visual changes that help the story make sense.

The game has problems with how it works. There is texture pop-in during cutscenes, lighting that isn't always even, and frame drops that happen sometimes in big open areas. The problems don't ruin the gameplay, but they do make it harder to get into the story during important parts.

One of the best things about the game is the music. At important times, orchestral pieces get louder, and haunting voice tracks play during boss fights and emotional moments. Music is often linked to people and makes their stories and tragedies stronger. The sound effects used in battle are powerful, giving each attack and skill more weight. Voice acting ability varies, but the stories are much better when the actors do a good job.

CODE VEIN II doesn't want to be the hardest game in the room. In its place, it centers on emotional resonance, player freedom, and ease of access. Even though technology problems and enemies that keep coming back keep it from being great, its strengths are much greater than its weaknesses.

The game cares about your time, what you like, and how you feel about it. CODE VEIN II might not be for you if you like being scolded all the time. It's a unique journey through a broken world that needs to be fixed, though, thanks to the story, the power to change things, and the intense fights.