After a long wait, Bandai Namco’s vampiric action-RPG Code Vein has a new release date. Almost a year to the date after its original planned release date, Code Vein will land on the PS4, the Xbox One, and the PC on September 27, 2019. The release date appeared in a new trailer from the Xbox YouTube channel in the middle of E3 2019, which is a bit odd since the Xbox briefing was yesterday as of this writing. Anyway, check out the trailer:
Developed by the same team responsible for Bandai Namco’s God Eater series, Code Vein is inspired by the likes of Dark Souls, much like God Eater serves as competition for Capcom’s Monster Hunter. While the inspiration is clear, Code Vein has plenty of its own distinct hooks as well, such as a power up system based on draining blood from enemies. Taking blood can be used to power Gifts, which are special buffs and moves that take the Dark Souls-like action up a notch into something a bit more high-octane. So while you still need to choose your moves carefully, seeking out chances to go all out for big combos and damage is a crucial part of combat. Players can also swap their Blood Codes on demand, which means they can effectively play whatever class or role they want depending on the situation.
Recently, players were able to get a feel for Code Vein themselves via a closed network test, which closed out the month of May. I played some of the network test myself, and I’ll just say that the “anime Dark Souls” descriptor many gamers are ascribing to Code Vein is pretty much appropriate. Getting a release date so soon after the network test is hopefully a good sign, as Code Vein was delayed in the first place due to some quality concerns from the developers.
