Would you believe me if I told you that Code Vein 2 is one of the most enjoyable action games I have played in years? It not only improves on the systems and features of the original game but also brings something truly new to a crowded genre. After spending a few hours with Bandai Namco’s upcoming sequel, I can confidently say it is a bloody good time. It has enough depth to keep even the most hardened action game fans interested.

Code Vein 2, much like its predecessor, places you in a gothic horror setting filled with beautiful anime style. This time, you find yourself on the edge of disaster. You must travel back through time to find a group of heroes who are tragically destined to play a part in a great catastrophe. Your job is to learn more about these figures while battling through hordes of terrifying enemies and challenging bosses.

Like the original game, Code Vein 2 is a visual delight. A journey through a human settlement, an underground city, and the inside of buried machinery shows off the anime art style. The world design shifts from dark and shadowy to brilliantly colorful. When it comes to combat, ribbons of gold fly off your powerful attacks, and combos explode with eye-catching visual effects. It is hard to look away when the fighting starts.

The character creator also makes a fantastic first impression. It offers much more customization than many of its competitors. I was surprised by the sheer number of changes I could make to my character, including the small differences in color and shape for the tiniest features. For those who do not want to spend an hour designing a character, there are many appealing default options available. Regardless of which group of players you belong to, from the first minute to the five-hundredth, the game is a gorgeous treat.

But what about the action itself? Well, there is more to Code Vein 2 than just its fancy presentation. It is one of those special action games that allows you to enjoy the satisfying feeling of a solid blow. Each strike from a heavy weapon is a mix of visual and audio feedback that goes straight to your brain’s pleasure centers. The rapid combos of faster weapons trade one large hit for a series of smaller ones, with the total damage matching that of bulkier counterparts.

Ranged weapons also manage to keep this exciting game feel. The result is that every fight in Code Vein 2 feels exciting. During my time with the game, I used the hammer weapon type, charging up massive attacks and unleashing them on foes. Sometimes this resulted in a quick death for the enemy, other times it left them stunned and open to a cinematic finisher. It is great stuff and the most obvious improvement on the original Code Vein, which feels a bit sluggish in comparison.

It has incredible depth too, a clear step forward from its predecessor. At its heart, you have the same core: a typical Souls-like combat system with stamina and various stats that boost different weapon types. If you have played one, you have played them all. However, thanks to the excellence at the roots of Code Vein 2, even this basic combat system is engaging.

However, it is the sheer amount of customization available that makes Code Vein 2 stand apart from its peers. Ichor returns as a re

One Blood Code I was allowed to use in the preview was tied to the companion Josée Anjou. Usually, the only way to gain Ichor is through special attacks on enemies. The result is a combat loop where you attack an enemy enough to pull off a special move, gain a bunch of Ichor for other special moves, and then use them to further damage enemies, resulting in more opportunities to drain them. It is nice, simple, and a solid foundation.

But with Josée’s Blood Code, each regular attack provides some Ichor in return. This allows you to gain access to game-changing special attacks without having to rely on draining enemies first. The downside is that gaining beyond the maximum amount of Ichor damages you. This example totally turns Code Vein 2 on its head, and this is a game one assumes has dozens more like it. It is an inventive way to not only pay homage to different play styles but also a nice way to keep Code Vein 2 fresh.

As for what hints of the story we were given during the preview, it certainly has a lot of potential! Hopping back and forth through time, getting to bond with a diverse group of characters, and then leaping forward to clash against their more monstrous forms allows those willing to invest themselves in the narrative to connect with a series of individual tragedies. However, how well that manages to win over people will obviously depend on how interesting these heroes of the past are.

Josée, to her credit, was rowdy and fiery but given time to open up in a more emotionally stimulating fashion. However, the speed at which you learn about her family nightmare was rather fast-paced. If the expectation is that, between continuous melee bouts with a horrific carnival of malformed dudes, I should be interested in the why of this bloody rampage, I do hope Josée is the bar and not an exception. Lou, your sidekick of sorts that enables your time-travelling adventure, is someone I saw precious little of during the preview. Given that your personal relationship with them appears to be a cornerstone of the overarching tale of Code Vein 2, I am left eager to see if their portrayal impresses in the full release.

If there is one compliment I can give Code Vein 2 that may perk up the ears of action game fans out there, it is this. Code Vein 2, unlike many of its contemporaries, appears to be going in its own original direction away from the font of inspiration the whole subgenre drinks from. It is doubling down on its strengths, on what won over a dedicated fan following when Code Vein released back in 2019. It is quite evidently climbing out of the generic soup and setting itself apart with ample refinement and rich new ideas.

For those perhaps unfamiliar with the wider action game space, allow me to present a more basic descriptor. You can make a handsome guy with an eye-patch and beret in an exhaustive character creator, slap a gun in his hands, and set him loose in a world that is distinct from its peers. For that alone, Code Vein 2 should be worth at least a cursory glance from anyone even vaguely interested in action games.

Code Vein 2 was previewed at Bandai Namco’s office, with travel paid for by Eurogamer.