Code Vein 2 (CV2) is an anime soulslike, having you dodge and parry your way through many tough encounters. Don’t let that scare you, though – It’s less souls for the most part, and more action RPG. Think of it like an easier version of Dark Souls, but still difficult enough to have you questioning why you play games in this genre.
Combat is expanded in CV2, combining blood abilities and weapon skills with newly added weapon, defensive, and Bequeathed Formae techniques. It’s fast, frantic, and dynamic, delivering greater depth and offering more judgement-based combat compared to the more simplistic approach in the first Code Vein (CV). Leans heavily into reactive gameplay, forcing you to adapt to enemies rather than brute forcing encounters.
Animations are clearer, emphasising the importance of timing, spacing, and positioning. Not only do you need to consider when it’s safe to strike enemies, but also how long it takes to close the gap between you and your enemy. I dropped the first CV early as it felt like I was button mashing more often than not; CV2, however, is much more focused on positioning and precision, which I love.
The new Formae system is a welcome addition, adding meaningful depth without unnecessary complexity. Weapon Formaes allow you to specialise in attack, magic, or support, while Defensive and Bequeathed Formaes focus on guarding, parrying, and finishers. These systems compliment the pacing of combat brilliantly, elevating it into something far more engaging than the original CV.
Traditionally, soulslikes boil down to a dodge, dodge, strike, repeat, for me at least. CV2 broke me away from this pattern. I found myself actively invested in refining my build and improving my timing, which made progression far more rewarding. That said, difficulty balance is questionable.
Customisation is where CV2 truly shines. Character creating offers a large number of sliders to craft your ideal look, and the default outfits are stylish, as long as you’re not chasing fan service costumes. Beyond appearance, Blood Codes, weapons, and Formaes allow for finely tuned, personalised builds. This was the most enjoyable aspect for me – There’s a lot of build potential, and plenty to experiment with.
There’s a companion system which, for the most part, is serviceable. While companions differ in aggression or support, they lack the depth (and skill) a real partner could bring. Their main value lies in the buffs and synergies, empowering your ability rather than their combat ability, often acting more as a distraction for enemies rather than a reliably ally.
Playing solo can feel more difficult than necessary, while with your companion, it can negate the difficulty, although it’s still harder than the original CV. Difficulty depends entirely on how you approach and engage with core game mechanics. Mastering the parry mechanic and aggressively dodging into enemies makes a noticeable difference in the ease of fights.
Similarly, exploring the open world can leave you overpowered when returning to the main story should you brute force your way through more difficult content first. In saying that, pacing is brilliant should you play the way the developers intended. However, despite playing like a tough but fair RPG for the most part, it can suddenly hit you with a boss that’s incredibly frustrating.
This imbalance, coupled with performance issues, are my largest frustrations with CV2. The game can feel like a tough but fair RPG one moment, only to suddenly hit you with a boss with frustrating mechanics, questionable iframes, or downright annoying hitboxes. These spikes hurt pacing and undermine the otherwise enjoyable combat, causing fatigue to kick in sooner than I’d have liked.
World design is a massive step up from the first game. While CV1’s linear paths felt dated, reminded me of the narrow hallways in early 2010s RPGs. CV2 is much more flexible in design, with verticality bringing much needed improvements to world design. While the hallway-like structure is still present, it’s a massive improvement over the first CV, with the addition of a light path showing where you’ve been help navigation and exploration feel more natural.
Traversal is enjoyable thanks to the addition of a motorcycle with gliding, unfortunately, the world lacks meaningful content – It’s sparse and lacking secrets. It feels like an addition for the sake of scale rather than for any meaningful purpose. Regardless, it’s an improvement over CV1, and is far less overwhelming than other large open world RPGs such as Elden Ring.
Time travel is a core mechanic, allowing you to travel back to the past and alter outcomes across eras. While it’s satisfying to revisit locations, unlock branching paths and missions, and impact the story, I feel like this mechanic could have been leaned into more strongly. Presently, it doesn’t feel like the consequences of altering the present have any tangible weight.
Visually, CV2 is a major improvement, delivering clearer and crisper animations, leading to satisfying enemy readability. By clearly seeing then when and how of enemies and their attack patterns, encounters felt (mostly) fair. Perfect dodges or parries feel earned, rewarding skill rather than stats, creating an engaging and highly rewarding experience.
Unfortunately, this clarity doesn’t translate to good performance (thanks, UE5). Regardless of how beautiful it may look, CV2’s performance is less than desirable – Frame drops and stutter shouldn’t exist given the games visual scope. CV2 doesn’t push technical boundaries, such as RTX technology, nor are there many assets on screen at any one time, and yet, it struggles more than it should.
Code Vein 2 has a lot of brilliant idea, pairing deep customisation with engaging combat, and a large world with striking visuals. However, performance issues (particularly in the open world) and inconsistent difficulty prevent it from being great. For me, it’s significantly better than the first Code Vein, but that alone doesn’t make it great.
It feels like the series is still in the experimentation phase, trying to figure out what type of game it ultimately wants to be. Listening to fans and adding verticality, along with an expanded combat system and a large open world which allows for player freedom, are all steps in the right direction. Ultimately, CV2 is overshadowed by stronger soulslikes and RPGs. While enjoyable, it’s not something I’d consider a ‘must play’, unless you’re a fan of the anime art style.
CODE VEIN 2 REVIEW
Code Vein 2 is for anime style enjoyers, and those who enjoy build diversity and experimentation. If you enjoyed the first Code Vein, you’ll have fun. However, if you’re looking for a deep story which is a continuation of the first, with an open world filled with secrets to explore, this isn’t it.
PROS
Plenty of customisation
- Verticality in design
- Photo Mode
CONS
- Revival Points don’t allow for resetting or leveling
- No compass markers unless manually set
- Underwhelming technical performance
- Cannot pause
Reviewed on PS5. A review code was provided by the Publisher for purposes of this review.
