The original Code Vein was released in 2019 amongst a slew of soulslike games sailing in the wake of From Software’s genre-defining titles. Seven years on, Code Vein II looks like it’s cemented its identity in a way that I’m quite excited about.
Frankly put, it’s far more anime and story-focused than any soulslikes I have played. It has a stronger focus on customisation and story, and I think that’s a really good thing.
A Night On The Town
Last month, I sat down and played through a segment of Code Vein II on PS5 ahead of its January 2026 release. The preview spanned a few hours, from the introduction to a jump further into the mid-game. During my time, I was able to make a character and step through the tutorial before playing a later segment with more challenging enemies.
There is an astonishing amount of customisation in the character creator. Hundreds of outlandish options were making your own custom little dude or dudette, covered in the requisite gothic spikes, of course. It goes right down to selecting the patterns of highlights in your hair, the sclera colour in your eyes, and a massive collection of hairstyles, scars, and makeup.
I spent a few minutes creating a vaguely cool vampire hunter, but I can already see all sorts of wild and wacky creations coming out of this one.
READ MORE: Review | Elden Ring Nightreign: ‘Gotta Go Fast!’ (PS5)
Sun’s Out, Guns (and Teeth) Out
Combat in Code Vein 2 is an interesting mix of soulslike striking and dodging, blended with a more anime sensibility that favours oversized weapons and flashy super moves. There are seven weapon types, including swords, hammers, glaives and rifles — just to name a few.
As you’d expect, they range from doing big single-target damage to fast strikes or broad crowd-clearing abilities. Once you have your chosen weapon, you can also lay out a set of custom skills tied to the trigger and face buttons. These range from dash strikes and high-damage rifle shots to massive anime explosions and flurries of slashes.
There are a lot of very powerful tools at your disposal. So while I was playing through the preview, I wasn’t as wary of ordinary mobs as I would be in Elden Ring, because I had a wide array of tools at my disposal.
Taking Out The Big Boys
Rank-and-file enemies might be easy pickings in Code Vein 2, but going up against the two major bosses in my preview was a whole other ball game.
One of them was a gigantic sewer monster, all tentacles and drooping piles of goop. Though the arena was a bit simple — just a large dome room — the boss itself was tough. It had plenty of radial attacks that stopped me from creeping in too close, and a few big punishing special attacks with some poison thrown in for good measure.
The second boss was an important story beat, so I won’t spoil it here. But the fight itself was wonderfully intercut with narrative beats as the enemy struggled with a growing corruption.
If the preview of Code Vein 2 is any indicator of the final game, blending more run-of-the-mill enemies with larger, more challenging boss encounters is a structure that I can get behind.
Storytime – do you need to play the first game?
If you haven’t played the original Code Vein, I wouldn’t worry about missing the story ahead of Code Vein II. The world we’re joining in Code Vein II is original and only mechanically connected to the previous one. The new story centres on time-travelling into different worlds to save the present day.
This time-travel plotline is what has me the most excited about this story. In the present day, a cocoon held the monstrous final boss of the preview. I had to travel into the past and meet Josee, a revolutionary leader shepherding a small survivalist group in a derelict train station.
Through this time-hopping segment, you have Josee as a partner. You can summon her to assist you in battles, which is great for drawing enemy attention and dealing some damage. When she isn’t actively summoned, Josee melds with your body and gives you permanent buffs to your abilities.
But after helping her in the past, you know how to open the cocoon and fight the boss inside.
READ MORE: Review | Absolum: ‘Run It Back’ (PS5)
There’s a bit of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver going on here. If anyone is familiar, you’d often see two time periods in those games, and have to understand how events affected the environment, as well as the heroes and villains.
Code Vein II looks like it’s off to a great start. The anime-goth style looks great, and the emphasis on flashy weapons and flashier abilities is super intriguing.
Keep and eye out for our full review closer to the game’s January 30th release date.
Quest Daily was invited to play this early preview of Code Vein II by the publisher.
