One of Summer Game Fest’s surprise announcements in 2025, Code Vein 2, is arriving seven years after its predecessor. Maintaining its action-RPG roots and anime aesthetic, the sequel aims to attract old fans and newcomers alike with extreme customization, exhilarating boss fights, and an intriguing stable of allies in and out of combat. I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with the Bandai Namco-developed and published title, an experience that had me hooked on the combat and excited for more to come.
As always, one of the first steps in an action-RPG like this is to create your character, the avatar who starts as a fragile weakling that will eventually grow to slay gods and tear realities asunder. I didn’t want to spend too much of my limited time in the character creator, but Code Vein 2 provided so many options.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
I couldn’t help but check behind every proverbial door to see just how much I could make a character truly mine. A plethora of hairstyles, body types, and even altering the length of your limbs is standard fare for games like these, but Code Vein 2 took the process to another level entirely.
Code Vein 2 offers incredibly deep options for character creation.
Yes, you can pick your eye color, but you can also change the whites of your eyes to any other color. If you don’t want your character to resemble a human in the strictest sense, you can change the shape of their pupil or even their cornea. The most minute details could be shaped here, including the shape of the light reflecting off your eyes.
If you don’t want a ‘normal’ smile, you can give your character sharpened teeth, or make it so they’re missing all but a few. Short of allowing you to select a tooth for each individual spot, the freedom to make your character how you want is unprecedented.
You’ll even be allowed to pick a starting outfit from several. Naturally, after fussing over my character’s hair and facial features, I picked an outfit that came with a mask, obscuring all my hard work. Still, though, if you wanted to recreate your favorite anime character, you likely have the tools needed to do so, letting you play Code Vein 2 as a knockoff Izuku Midoriya or Okarun of Dandadan fame.
Code Vein 2’s plot is fairly straightforward.
Jumping into the story, you’ll find more substance here than the usual action-RPG offerings, at least in the way the plot is presented. Characters you meet are more forthcoming with the story, which makes sense given that they will often accompany you in battle. Additionally, with the inclusion of time travel as a plot device, a more direct story seems better to avoid losing plot details in ambiguity.
With the world on the verge of collapse, you’re sent back in time to prevent the apocalypse, helping key characters along the way. A few examples we saw involved helping a woman uncover the details around her estranged sister’s life.
Upon completing the quest, she joined us as a companion, but that didn’t mean her story was over, since she had a role to play in the present as well. She’s not the only character that you’ll find in both timelines, giving you several threads to uncover as you explore the world.
Exploration is made simpler thanks to a light tool that tracks your comings and goings.
After the introduction and the first instance of time travel, I was allowed to explore a cavernous dungeon. Like many Action RPGs, the bulk of my time with Code Vein 2 was spent exploring locales no sane person would want to visit. Dark, dank caverns and abandoned industrial facilities were just a few of the settings I came across.
Exploration is made a little simpler by the inclusion of a special tool that, when activated, creates a thread of light retracing your footsteps. This comes in very handy when climbing around the same area for a while, reminding you where you came from and where you have yet to explore. Accidentally activating this during a boss fight summoned forth a messy nest of light, retracing all my moves around the arena, so I recommend taking care not to use it in those cases.
As I explored, I naturally came across various enemies, each of which could kill me if I was careless. Thankfully, in addition to light and heavy attacks, combat skills temporarily make you stronger, allowing counterattacks when struck or unleashing punishing blows after a lengthy wind-up. You can also dodge through enemy attacks, another genre standard.
Preparing for combat involves selecting between all kinds of weapons, special moves called Formae, and more.
One major divergence from the genre is the focus on narrative. In my time with Code Vein 2, my exploration was interrupted several times to delve into my companion’s history. This wasn’t unwelcome, since it provided context for our immediate goals, but action-RPG fans may find the interruptions jarring. Once I made it through the intro dungeon, I was able to jump to another section of the game, where I could pick my own weapon, skills, and other aspects of my loadout.
While I typically opt for faster weapons, the massive warhammer called to me with its very slow but very damaging swings. Code Vein 2 offers this and a few other weapon types to pick from, like the mixed range bayonet, one- or two-handed swords, or the rune blades, which combine floating swords with martial arts for some flashy attack combos, among others.
The weapon is only the first part of picking your combat loadout, since you can also choose 4 special moves, known as Formae, to round out your arsenal. As mentioned above, these let you unleash powerful attacks or augment your stats temporarily. Also of note is the ability to pick a Defensive Formae, allowing you to supplement your playstyle with a block, parry, or even just another dodge.
Code Vein 2’s partner system allows you to bring along characters you’ve helped throughout the story.
As one might expect, given their usefulness, these skills aren’t free to use ad nauseum, instead taking up a resource known as Ichor, which can be refilled through combat. This creates a loop in combat, and especially in boss fights, where you’ll unleash your powerful skills, inflicting wounds upon the enemy.
Then, you can use a Drain Attack, a single powerful blow that restores your Ichor based on the enemy’s wounds. This pattern, combined with an aggressive playstyle, allows you to constantly use your powerful attacks, though it’s certainly not the only way to play, and you’ll eventually discover your preferred approach to each fight.
Another unique aspect of combat in Code Vein 2 is the partner system. This allows you to bring along a character you’ve helped throughout the story to assist you in combat. Each character has their own special abilities, so it’s worth experimenting with them to see which works best for you. If you prefer to fight alone, your companions still offer a boon through assimilation.
Bosses will pose a sizable challenge.
This ability allows you to absorb your partner and grants you stats or passive bonuses that vary from partner to partner. Your partners also have the unique ability to revive you upon death, though this can only occur once in a while. In my time with Code Vein 2, it made the difference between victory and defeat.
Of course, the main draw of action-RPGs like Code Vein 2 is the boss encounter—going up against a grotesquerie so large or agile that victory seems like an impossible dream. Of the two bosses I faced, one felt like a huge challenge, both in size and skill level.
With a giant pair of arms, its rapid sweeping attacks made it hard to find an opening, and trying to find a blind spot only resulted in the boss launching projectile acid attacks. After learning its attack patterns—and swapping my parry for the more agile dodge—my mighty hammer eventually felled the creature.
Code Vein 2 seems to be bigger and better than its predecessor in every way.
The second boss, a katana-wielding foe, provided a similar challenge, though at first it seemed to be the easier of the two fights. Unfortunately, I had forgotten about the possibility of a second combat phase, another common trope for the action-RPG genre. While the first phase provided a decent roadblock, the second half of the fight brought the boss’s attacks and skills up to a proper challenge.
This, of course, led to many deaths, including a few careless blunders in the first phase, but eventually this boss was also defeated, bringing my time with Code Vein 2 to a close. If these two boss encounters were any indicator, the rest of the game’s boss battles are sure to provide thrills and test even veterans of the genre.
Whatever you thought of the first title, Code Vein 2 seems to be bigger and better, with a combat system that lets you truly craft your playstyle. With various haunting environments to explore and several companions to recruit, we can’t wait to see the boss fights that await us and the twists the story will take.
Code Vein 2 releases January 29th on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
