I had an urge to play a Souls game as well recently, so I decided to give Code Vein a try.
Code Vein is basically "Anime Dark Souls", but not from the same developer team; it's just heavily inspired by Dark Souls.
Its story, however, is not delivered via environmental storytelling like in the Dark Souls games, but proper cutscenes and dialogue. It's an interesting decision but many frequent cutscenes in games like these get annoying after a bit because they bring the gameplay to a halt.
As for the gameplay though, it's actually fun; typical awkward Souls camera aside, the combat system feels fluid, the build variety is good and some unique mechanics are cool. Also, the companion system is a great addition in my opinion.
The extraordinary fashion and visuals in Code Vein remind me much more of Bloodborne than Dark Souls, but paired with an "Anime" aesthetic.
Also, the story, the world design and many of its ideas lean closer to Bloodborne as well, and that's a wonderful thing.
The biggest highlight of the game for me, however, is the character creation and customization; it's honestly fantastic, better than in any Souls game I've played so far, including FromSoftware's Souls games.
With that being said though, the level design is hit or miss; the shortcuts and the interconnected levels are done well, but the environments are usually bland and repetitive, and the layouts are confusing most of the time.
Also, the bosses are mostly underwhelming and weak.
Pros:
+ Enjoyable gameplay
+ Build diversity
+ Awesome fashion
+ Nice visuals
+ Amazing character customization
Cons:
- Cutscenes
- Clunky camera
- Inconsistent level design
- Disappointing bosses
Narrative: ?/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Characters: ?/10
Music: 6/10
Art Style: 7/10
Final Rating: 7/10
- Good -
Code Vein is indeed "Anime Dark Souls" and a surprisingly good "Soulslike" game, but it's still a much inferior game to FromSoftware's legendary progenitor series.
Do I recommend it?:
If you are a fan of FromSoftware's Souls games, I'd highly recommend it but at low price.
Otherwise, just play any of FromSoftware's recent Souls games first.
Code Vein is basically "Anime Dark Souls", but not from the same developer team; it's just heavily inspired by Dark Souls.
Its story, however, is not delivered via environmental storytelling like in the Dark Souls games, but proper cutscenes and dialogue. It's an interesting decision but many frequent cutscenes in games like these get annoying after a bit because they bring the gameplay to a halt.
As for the gameplay though, it's actually fun; typical awkward Souls camera aside, the combat system feels fluid, the build variety is good and some unique mechanics are cool. Also, the companion system is a great addition in my opinion.
The extraordinary fashion and visuals in Code Vein remind me much more of Bloodborne than Dark Souls, but paired with an "Anime" aesthetic.
Also, the story, the world design and many of its ideas lean closer to Bloodborne as well, and that's a wonderful thing.
The biggest highlight of the game for me, however, is the character creation and customization; it's honestly fantastic, better than in any Souls game I've played so far, including FromSoftware's Souls games.
With that being said though, the level design is hit or miss; the shortcuts and the interconnected levels are done well, but the environments are usually bland and repetitive, and the layouts are confusing most of the time.
Also, the bosses are mostly underwhelming and weak.
Pros:
+ Enjoyable gameplay
+ Build diversity
+ Awesome fashion
+ Nice visuals
+ Amazing character customization
Cons:
- Cutscenes
- Clunky camera
- Inconsistent level design
- Disappointing bosses
Narrative: ?/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Characters: ?/10
Music: 6/10
Art Style: 7/10
Final Rating: 7/10
- Good -
Code Vein is indeed "Anime Dark Souls" and a surprisingly good "Soulslike" game, but it's still a much inferior game to FromSoftware's legendary progenitor series.
Do I recommend it?:
If you are a fan of FromSoftware's Souls games, I'd highly recommend it but at low price.
Otherwise, just play any of FromSoftware's recent Souls games first.