In the not too distant future a mysterious disaster has brought the world to collapse. At the centre of the ruin lies Vein, a hidden society of Revenants who trade their memories for Gifts of power and fight an ever-growing thirst for blood. Give in to that thirst completely and you become one of the Lost, a mindless ghoul wandering the wreckage in search of the next drink. Code Vein drops you into this world as a newly woken Revenant with no memory, a blade in hand and a partner at your side.
A Souls-like With an Anime Heart
Bandai Namco Studios built Code Vein on the same foundations as the genre's hardest hitters: deliberate third-person melee combat, punishing bosses, and enemies that reward patience over button mashing. Dodge, parry and land combo attacks, learn each foe's rhythm, and expect to die a few times before the pattern clicks. What sets it apart is the presentation. The cast, the ruined cityscape and the Lost themselves are drawn in a striking anime style, and the story of Vein is told through the people you fight beside rather than scattered item descriptions.
Blood Codes, Gifts and Blood Veils
- Blood Codes
- Blood Codes are the game's take on character classes, and you can switch between them at any time, even mid-dungeon. A Code that struggled against one boss can be swapped out for another before the rematch, so experimenting with builds never means starting over.
- Gifts
- Every Blood Code opens access to its own set of Gifts: active and passive abilities that raise your strength, weaken enemies or unlock new weapon techniques. Mix and match skills across Codes to shape a Revenant that plays exactly the way you want.
- Blood Veils
- Your Blood Veil is both armour and weapon, a blood-draining tool with its own visual style and attack animations. Drain enemies to fuel your Gifts and finish fights in dramatic fashion, choosing a Veil that suits your approach to combat.
Rise Together
Code Vein is a story-driven connected dungeon experience, and you are rarely alone in it. Team up with one of a cast of AI companions, each carrying their own plot thread and fighting style, and use your combined strength to coordinate your approach, cover each other from surprise attacks and take down overpowered enemies. When you want a human at your side, online co-op lets a friend join your game to tackle the hardest encounters together.
Greater Challenges Bring Greater Rewards
- Push deeper into the ruins of Vein to acquire new gear, level up your Revenant and grow strong enough to stand against the Lost and the bosses that command them.
- Mould your character from the ground up, from appearance to playstyle, then choose from bayonets, axes, spears and more to decide how you fight.
- Whether you are new to the genre or a seasoned action RPG veteran, the difficulty curve and the freedom to rebuild your loadout keep every run feeling fresh.
Death may feel permanent in Vein, but your loadout never has to be. If you have been curious about Souls-likes and wanted a way in that comes with a partner, a character creator and a world worth uncovering, Code Vein is a very good place to start.
