Code Vein is an action role-playing game created by Bandai Namco Studios and Shift, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was available worldwide on September 27, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game sold over three million copies but received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel called Code Vein II was released in 2026.

Gameplay

Code Vein is an open-world action role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic environment and played from a third-person perspective. The gameplay is inspired by the Dark Souls series of games, which are published by Bandai Namco. The animation style is similar to God Eater 3, and the developers who worked on God Eater 3 also worked on Code Vein.

Plot

Code Vein is set in a world after a major disaster. In this world, Revenants exist—undead humans with vampire-like powers and strength. They can only be killed by destroying their heart, and they need human blood to avoid losing control and becoming the Lost, who are cannibals without reason.

To control the Revenant population and stop the Lost, a girl named Cruz Silva volunteers to become the "Queen of the Revenants." Later, she loses control and attacks others. More Revenants are created to stop her in a mission called Operation Queenslayer, led by her father, Gregorio Silva.

Although Cruz was killed, the Lost still exist, and Bloodsprings—plants that make Blood Beads, an alternative to human blood—begin to dry up. After Operation Queenslayer, Silva creates a temporary government. A tax on Blood Beads worsens the shortage, causing more Revenants to become the Lost.

The main character wakes up in the ruined city of Gaol of the Mists, where they meet Io and Louis Amamiya. They connect with a Lost being without losing control, gaining its memories and the Blood Code, a special ability that gives Revenants their powers. Louis discovers the main character can use the Blood Code of anyone who shares their blood. The group searches for the source of Blood Beads to fix the shortage. They meet Mia Karnstein and her brother Nicola, who is nearly lost in a frenzy and seems to be killed by a mysterious hunter. Later, the main character regains some memories, revealing their role in Operation Queenslayer with Silva and the hunter Jack Rutherford. The main character killed Cruz but was exposed to her blood and nearly lost control. Jack tried to kill the main character but failed.

The group faces a large Lost being called the Successor to the Ribcage, which the main character absorbs. They learn that the experiment that made Cruz a Queen made her immortal. Silva split Cruz’s body into pieces called "Relics," placing them in other Revenants, who became Successors. These Successors locked themselves in crypts to resist the Relics’ influence. The group finds Louis’ sister Karen, a Successor. The main character learns they became a Successor after defeating Cruz and plans to help other Successors to stop Cruz from returning. Jack is revealed to be a Successor and caretaker of other Successors with his companion, Eva Roux.

The group travels to the mountains and meets the real Nicola, revealing that the person with Mia was a clone Jack killed to slow Nicola’s frenzy. They help Nicola recover from the Relic’s influence and reunite with Mia. Jack is attacked by Juzo Mido, a scientist who believes Revenants are the next step in human evolution and seeks Silva, now a Successor. Jack explains that Gaol of the Mists was created by Silva to contain Revenants for humanity’s safety but required constant blood, leading to the Blood Bead tax. Jack joins the group to find more Relics, including Eva, a new Successor who joins after being restored.

They confront Mido, who plans to destroy Gaol of the Mists, merging Relics into Silva to transform him into the frenzied Skull King. This causes the outside world to be revealed as full of monsters. Mido believes Revenants should fight these monsters and evolve. The group defeats Mido before he reaches Silva, but damage is done. The only option is for the main character to replace Silva as the Successor. The group reaches Silva’s crypt and learns Io is a clone of Cruz, one of many sisters who help prevent Cruz’s return by aiding Successors. They battle the Skull King, who is transformed into the new Queen, the Virgin Reborn, and defeated.

The ending depends on how many Successors the main character saves. If none are saved, Louis kills the main character as they lose control, with their companions becoming the new Successors. If some are saved, the main character absorbs Silva’s Relic and becomes the new Successor, with Io staying by their side. If all Successors are saved, Io takes the main character’s place, absorbing all Relics. With Successors restored, Io becomes a new Bloodspring, the Weeping Tree, replenishing Blood Beads and maintaining Gaol. Io creates a Blood Bead with her memory, allowing the main character and group to leave Gaol to help others, joining their comrades years later.

Development

Planning for the game Code Vein began in 2014, with about 200 developers working on the project at one time. The game was officially announced in April 2017 and was first planned to come out in September 2018. However, the release date was pushed back to September 27, 2019. The game’s opening sequence was made by the animation studio Ufotable. In January 2020, the first extra content pack, called Hellfire Knight, was released. The second extra content pack, Frozen Empress, came out one month later. The final extra content pack, Lord of Thunder, was released on March 25, 2020.

Reception

Code Vein received "mixed or average reviews" for Windows and PlayStation 4, and "generally favorable reviews" for Xbox One, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a score of 32 out of 40.

Game Informer writer Daniel Tack said the game has "some interesting new ideas that change the usual gameplay, but they are not the main focus." He noted that the game has "uninspiring settings, unexciting bosses, and slow movement." Hardcore Gamer described the game as "surprisingly enjoyable," but pointed out that "the story, fighting, difficulty, visuals, and world have many problems." IGN said that features like the ability to switch character classes easily are "very useful," but other features, like the AI partner that sometimes acted unpredictably, "could cause problems." IGN praised the game's "willingness to try new things," and recommended it to players who enjoy "a different kind of challenge" and are open to "both good and bad aspects of the game."

Opinions about the game's story were divided. Electronic Gaming Monthly found the story's "absurd and strange" elements fun, but said it was "hard to understand the deeper story." GamesRadar+ liked the game's themes and found the characters "likeable," but thought the sections that explain the characters' backgrounds were "difficult to complete." VideoGamer.com said the story lacked clear connections, and the way dialogue and cutscenes were presented was "not very good." Anime Feminist writer Tessie Alina Corwin pointed out that important female characters in the game were often "passive" compared to male characters.

The PlayStation 4 version of Code Vein reached number two on Japan's video game sales chart, selling 60,843 copies in its first week. The game sold over one million copies by February 2020, and more than two million copies by September 2021. As of March 2023, Code Vein has sold more than three million copies worldwide.