The souls-like genre has exploded in popularity since the dawn of From Software's Souls franchise, with multiple companies taking a stab at the format--and some companies taking multiple stabs. Bandai Namco, who publishes FromSoft's Souls games as well as Elden Ring, dropped an anime-style version of the genre in 2019's Code Vein, and now it's back for more in Code Vein II.
We spent a few hours with the next Code Vein adventure during The Game Awards week, and we came away impressed with its improved combat system and a new and interesting take on the genre's "summon" mechanic, but what surprised us most was an original story that carries some emotional weight. The original Code Vein was a solid first effort, but Code Vein II shows that the franchise may have, pardon the pun, cracked the code.
A new code
Code Vein II takes place in a world on the edge of ruin, and where humans and Revenants, a human-like species of beings with vampiric abilities, live amongst one another. Our demo picks up in the present, as the effects of the Resurgence--a cataclysmic event that slowly morphs Revenants into mindless beasts--are wreaking havoc on the world.
Continue Reading at GameSpot