Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - Aujourd'hui 00:01

CODE VEIN II – Review

We often still think back fondly of our interactive CODE VEIN theme on our PlayStation 4, only to still wonder why Sony decided to make these obsolete on the PlayStation 5. We quite enjoyed having these options, and we always loved the aesthetic of Bandai Namco’s Soulslike experience. So much so that we were eagerly awaiting the release of the second installment. Sadly, due to a lot of games cluttering our backlog, it did take us a bit longer to play through this one. Now that we are somewhat caught up, however, we are more than happy to present you with our opinion of CODE VEIN II, which introduces some new elements to the mix, while scrapping multiplayer functionalities. Story Compared to many other Soulslike titles out there, CODE VEIN II is quite heavy on the story. That being said, however, it’s also a bit convoluted at the beginning, and there is quite a lot of information you’ll have to process on top of the already heavy gameplay explanations that are thrown at you in the early hours of the game. You’ll be playing as a so-called Revenant Hunter, who is awakened from a deep slumber. You’ll find yourself at the doorstep of a cataclysmic event called the Resurgance, which will end all life as we know it. The only way to prevent this is by traveling to the past, to prevent the seal that was made by five heroes from being broken. That’s the gist of it, basically. You’ll come across interesting characters, which can eventually also aid you in combat, and the game does a fairly good job introducing the different key characters. It did take a few hours before CODE VEIN II finds its pacing, and after we were through all the other introductory elements of the game, the story managed to captivate us. While the narrative is not a key component of many Soulslike experiences, we quite enjoyed having a more plot-driven experience here. Graphics It might have been our nostalgia-tinted goggles, but we felt that CODE VEIN II was somewhat of a step back from the original 2021 game. Don’t get us wrong, though, as CODE VEIN II looks impressive, especially when looking at enemy designs and overall character designs, but the world felt a bit empty at times, and things had a somewhat static ‘feeling’ throughout. Our character, which we spent quite some time designing, suffered from so many clipping issues due to her accessories, and said accessories often completely blocked the view during cinematics. The latter made us regret choosing certain ‘cool’ clothing options or accessories, which is always a shame. Nonetheless, the flashy combat visuals make up for a lot, as well as the aforementioned enemies and boss creatures. We simply never had the feeling our PS5 was being pushed to its limit. Sound Truth be told, Bandai Namco rarely disappoints when it comes to the sound design of their games, and CODE VEIN II is no exception. You’ll be treated to a very cinematic soundtrack that manages to adapt to the situation unfolding on your screen. This is further supported by stellar voice acting that brings the different characters to life. On top of this, the sound effects further complement the experience with decent audio feedback and some heft behind the hacking and slashing moves of your character and their enemies. Gameplay CODE VEIN II is, like its predecessor, a Soulslike title in which you’ll explore your surroundings, kill enemies, gradually level up, and hopefully progress the story after defeating key boss monsters. The offset is fairly simple, but the game can be a bit of an information dump at the beginning. While combat itself is reasonably straightforward, the game throws a lot of terms like Formae, Blood Veils, and Blood Codes, etc. Most of these function like gear and/or classes in other similar titles. It will gradually become easier to get an overview, and before you know it, you’ll be playing a build that suits your playstyle. The game also allows you to swap ‘builds’ on the fly, so it’s very easy to experiment here. We eventually tried out quite a few different options until we found the one that really gelled with us. Unlike the first game, CODE VEIN II offers a more open-world experience. Even so, quests or objectives are fairly easy to track, making sure things never become too overwhelming. The problem with a lot of these games is that they start to feel very similar to the other ones in the genre, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but many of these titles just don’t feel that fresh anymore. In some ways, CODE VEIN II also suffers from the ‘been there, done that’ feeling, but it does differentiate itself via its companion system. While multiplayer co-op was omitted from this second installment, the companions make up for a lot. You can choose to have an NPC companion with you, who helps you in combat and can actually revive you when you go down. When you are revived, your companion disappears for a while before they are summoned again. If you’d rather tackle everything solo, you can choose not to summon a companion to get a passive boost. It’s a fun system that ensures things don’t grow stale too quickly. Conclusion CODE VEIN II is a decent sequel to the 2019 original, but for some reason, it didn’t win us over as much as the first installment. The gameplay is still solid, the combat is nice, and the companion system is a neat alternative to traditional co-op. Even so, we did miss the co-op feature, as nothing is nicer than playing these games with a friend, like we did with Lords of the Fallen. Even so, CODE VEIN II is a solid entry in the Soulslike genre, with cool characters, interesting boss battles, many builds to tinker with, and an engaging storyline.