Shortly after zombies had their time in the spotlight, Vampires became hip again, with their roles in media receiving a few… adaptions. With Bandai Namco’s upcoming title, Code Vein, that trend continues.
The new action RPG is currently slated for release on “major consoles” at some point within 2018, and the gameplay will revolve around the concept of feasting on enemies to harvest the various resources that their essences offer to the role-playing elements of the game. While there isn’t a whole lot that’s known about the game aside from the fact that we’ll know more once May 2 rolls around, there’s enough to chew on already. Here are three reasons why you should keep Code Vein on your radar.
Code Vein is from the same team behind God Eater
The pedigree that’s backing the title is promising as it’ll be helmed by the team that created and worked on the God Eater series, a frantic, character-driven action RPG that shares a lot of similarities with Capcom’s Monster Hunter series (only with a heavier emphasis on action elements than RPG dynamics). Once a PSP exclusive, the combat is known for being incredibly deep, yet intuitive and accessible to first-time players. It has a fast, frenetic pace that keeps you constantly moving the moment any enemy beasts shows up on screen.
God Eater uses equipment and weapons to dictate play style instead of job classes, offering more flexibility to combat and leveling, something that will undoubtedly play a factor in the transforming mechanics that were teased for Code Vein. On top of that, the multiple characters shown in the screenshots from Code Vein's press kit might even indicate cooperative multiplayer elements -- just like God Eater.
The vampire gimmick is actually pretty cool
The vampires here aren’t your garden variety bloodsuckers, and they’re definitely not like any of the glitzy, yuppie versions that we’ve seen from other media like Twilight or True Blood — they’re actually kind of interesting, terrifying, and a fresh take on the monster of legend.
From the promotional material that has been released for the game, we know a little about Code Vein's novel world. Setting the stage for Code Vein's post-apocalyptic future, we find that humanity is almost entirely wiped out and that vampire-like beings known as the Revenant are at the top of the food chain.
These new ghouls aren’t exactly on Easy Street, though, as the power of these dark beings isn’t without complication. Concerning their mysterious past, their insatiable thirst for blood has become a driving force behind their incessant hunting.
Some of the Revenant aren’t exactly content with the status quo, and they adventure out into the world to find their memories in a dangerous hellscape, one in which they live against a number of different threats, like the Lost, former Revenant who transformed into vicious monsters after they let their thirst get the best of them.
Even though the amnesia trope is one of the most tired conventions that we’ve seen in RPGs, the vampire-themed twist on the concept is one that’s admittedly captivating in its own right, as well as for the conceit of vampires in general.
This game might end up being "Dark Souls Hard"
At the end of the one teaser video that we did get from Bandai Namco about Code Vein, the footage ended with the tagline “Prepare to Dine,” which sounds like a cheeky nod to another successful action-RPG that’s published by the Japanese company, Dark Souls.
While the reference may seem like a PR-driven marketing ploy on the surface, it could actually be a much deeper clue to the kind of challenge and difficulty that we might expect out of the new, brooding RPG.
While the aesthetic of Code Vein is certainly not as Lovecraftian as the presentation in From Software’s Souls franchise, the themes, atmosphere, and bestiary in the anime-inspired RPG are comparable enough that Bandai Namco may simply promote to the appeal of a hardcore gaming challenge.
We don’t have all the facts, but what we do know is that the game is going to have a big focus on farming resources and materials from your enemies. And if it’s anything like soul harvesting, then I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio is planning to mix Code Vein into being one big melting pot of Japanese flavored gaming goodness.
There is still a lot that we don’t know about Code Vein, and what its really setting out to be until we get to see the full trailer of the game in action next week. But there’s definitely enough that we do know to get excited about.
The gory presentation, and innovative premise of Code Vein holds, gives some promise to the undeniably gorgeous new gothic adventure, and it’s especially more exciting when you factor in that E3 is only a little over a month away.
What do you think of Code Vein? Are you excited for it? Let us know in the comments below.
