Code Vein Key

Code Vein is a third-person action RPG from Bandai Namco that wears its Souls-like DNA on its sleeve while wrapping everything in a dense anime aesthetic. You play as a Revenant, a vampire-adjacent being in a collapsed world, hunting for blood and gradually recovering fragmented memories that explain how civilization ended. The premise is genuinely interesting and the lore, delivered through collectible Memory Echoes scattered across levels, rewards players who actually read item descriptions and pay attention to NPC dialogue. It is not Disco Elysium territory, but for an action RPG the writing has more ambition than you might expect from the screaming anime box art. The core mechanical hook is the Blood Code system, which functions as a switchable class setup. You can equip Codes like Fighter, Ranger, Berserker, or Caster and mix passive gifts across them to build something genuinely your own. A strength-scaling melee build that dips into Caster gifts for a flame veil is not only viable, it is actively encouraged. Build variety holds up well past the midgame, and the ability to freely swap Codes outside combat means experimentation carries no real punishment. Weapons are split into categories including one-handed swords, halberds, bayonets, and a few wonderfully absurd oversized options that will satisfy anyone who misses Greatswords from other Souls titles. What Code Vein does differently, and better than most of its genre, is the co-op companion system. You bring an AI partner on every run, and these companions are competent enough to meaningfully reduce frustration without eliminating challenge. The game also supports full online co-op, which smooths over the rougher boss fights considerably. Speaking of bosses, they are mostly well-designed with readable telegraphs, though a handful in the back half lean into cheap multi-phase gimmicks that feel padded. A few mid-tier dungeon levels are also obvious filler, linear corridors that exist to gate progress rather than tell you anything about the world. The story, for all its anime melodrama, has genuine emotional beats if you invest in it. The memory recovery sequences are the best parts, quiet and often sad in ways that the action-heavy main missions fail to match. The cast of companion characters each have their own memory questlines that function as proper side stories, and completing them before the final area pays off narratively. Ignore those and the ending will feel hollow. The worldbuilding has a consistent internal logic around the Thorns of Judgment and the Lost that actually holds together under scrutiny, which is more than I can say for a lot of the genre. For players who found Dark Souls or Elden Ring too punishing, Code Vein is a legitimate and honest entry point. The stamina management is lighter, the companion system provides real support, and the checkpoints are generously spaced. Veterans of FromSoftware games will find it noticeably easier and the level design less intricate, but the Blood Code flexibility and the story investment make it worth a playthrough regardless. Just go in knowing this is anime Souls, not prestige Souls, and you will have a good time.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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