Dive into Adrenaline-Fueled Battles in Code Vein II

We are starting the year with a review for a title that is ready to hit the market hard, because CODE VEIN II is the upcoming sequel to the 2019 soulslike Action RPG developed by Bandai Namco Studios.

It is coming to market quite soon, at the end of this month, since the Code Vein II Release date is set for 30th of January 2026, and there will be a few versions of it for the PS5, Xbox Series S|X and Windows PC. The Code Vein II Steam page is already getting a lot of attention and for those of you looking to find out what is new and changed in both the Code Vein II gameplay and storyline compared to the original title, well… you are at the right place! So without further ado, here is everything that you need to know about this upcoming game.

In this Code Vein II review you are going to discover an epic adventure with all of the important details, features and characters that you would meet on the way. You and your chosen partners are going to explore a post-apocalyptic world of ruin, face against tough enemies in fierce, but also magnificently crafted, battles and uncover a captivating story that transcends time.

It All Happens in a World Where Humans and Revenants Coexist, or do they?

The story in Code Vein II is set around 100 years after the events of the original, happening in a future where humans and Revenants try to coexist, the world teeters on the brink of collapse, but suddenly a mysterious force known as Luna Rapacis emerges, thus transforming many of the Revenants into mindless beastly monsters called Horrors. As the chaos spreads further and further, the fate of humanity could be leaning towards total eradication and then… extinction.

You, as a Revenant hunter, the player, must try to prevent the world's looming collapse by traveling to the past. You are going on that journey to uncover the origins of Luna Rapacis and to somehow alter the events in a way to save everyone from her. To do so, you may have to change the fates of key Revenant characters that you would encounter in the past, while at the same time many of the lost legends and forbidden dark truths of the world get uncovered one by one.

Experience how the bonds that are formed in the past could entirely redefine the world in the present time. Get to not only witness events across a century, but to also personally form the timeline with many of your choices.

A Standalone Entry in the Franchise with No Connection to the Original, Intentionally

You do not have to play the original Code Vein to understand what is happening in the upcoming title. The Code Vein II world is still technically the same one, but it is designed to be its own chapter that is not going to tamper with or retcon anything that has been previously established or having to be necessarily tied to the events of the original game at all for that matter.

The events of the original Code Vein are now described by the term “Resurgence,” or as it was referred in the gameplay itself as “The Great Collapse.” Both describing the fall of human society due to the appearance of Revenants and monsters made out of people and different animal species.

Taking place more than a century later, the upcoming Code Vein II release would offer players a completely new story, which is separated enough from any of the events in the previous game entirely on purpose. This time we are going through the Upheaval and the Emergence of Heroes, as these are among the completely new story beads that are going to be introduced by the sequel.

As mentioned earlier, the Code Vein II gameplay features time-travel as a big part of its storyline, so players are definitely expected to take some tough choices that would ultimately divert the course of history in another direction. Here is what Code Vein II game director Hiroshi Yoshimura had to say about it in an interview. “Although the theme of altering history is undeniably thrilling, it carries the risk of conflicting with the narrative established in the previous game. Therefore, CODE VEIN II has been constructed as a newly envisioned world while retaining elements common to the predecessor.”

Intense Combat with a Unique Battle System as well as New & Returning Features

Dive deep into adrenaline-fueled battles, where properly reading enemy moves and mastering your weapons are of great importance to your survival. Unleash all of your powerful skills and adapt on the go as you vanquish the relentless foes in grandiose battles that bring you sense of both brutal intensity and impactful triumph.

Get to experience the unique Code Vein II gameplay mechanics, where the player drains blood from enemies in order to unleash a plethora of skills. Now, with the new build system, you are able to freely customize your weapons and skills setups to suit your preferred battle styles. The game is still going to retain certain features that have been implemented in the previous game such as:

• • Blood Code: A built-in class system that determines various stat parameters, that are adjustable at any time
• • Partner system: A partnering NPC to accompany you in your exploration adventure and fights. Giving presents to partners improves your bond with them.
• • Home base: A Hub world (shared with other players online) with available Shops, Hot Spring, Training Grounds and at which you can interact with partners and other NPC characters.

New Gameplay Mechanics, Additional Weapons and Other Improvements or Changes

The biggest new story feature in Code Vein II is the one about the alteration of historical events. You are able to go back in time with the option to intervene in the flow of history or choose to let events go on, which could also have its consequences, most likely determining the ending you get, when we just suppose for a moment that Code Vein II even has the option for multiple endings, because it does seem to have the potential to be less linear with more branching paths to progress through.

Also, there is a spell to summon a rideable motorcycle to roam around with, which could be a hint towards a much bigger world map than expected. It’s certainly a good thing that Shops do not only exist at the home base hub too, as the shopkeeper in Code Vein II - the mysterious Jadwiga could be positioned around different parts of the world and in an instant you could obtain a variety of items, important equipment and have access to the workshop in order to upgrade and further transform your weapons by using her powers and services. Speaking of weapons in Code Vein II, there would now be seven types, two being added to the upcoming sequel. The weapon types are as follows:

• • One-handed swords - A weapon type with various useful attacks that are easy to learn and use, making it a perfect choice for beginners.
• • Two-handed swords - A heavier and slower weapon that has attacks with a long deadly blade. Its greatest features are the extended reach and high damage potential of a single hit.
• • Twinblades (New) : a high-mobility option that combines well with blood drain attacks.
• • Bayonets – Make your combat more diverse by switching between close-range attacks using the blade attached to the barrel and long-range gunfire shot attacks.
• • Halbreds - Another heavy weapon option that has attacks with a blade attached to a long shaft. It excels at mid-range combat, enables flexible tactics such as simultaneous hits on multiple foes with its wide-area slashes or the thrusted individual power hits.
• • Hammers - A very heavy weapon whose main appeal is found in its devastating single-hit power and the ability to easily disrupt enemy stances.
• • Rune blades (New) : two swords that float in sync with long-range attacks and different ability-enhancing incantations

Expect complex and challenging boss fights with multiple phases, tough enemy opponents that also change their moveset over the course of the ongoing battle, just like it was in the previous game. In the latest battle trailer we got to witness a fight between the Protagonist and a Samurai-looking creature named “The Blinded Resurgence Offspring”. The clip showed moments from a couple of different phases (including a transformation) and previews of diverse skills from powerful sword slashes to slimy orbs that explode around the area and nets of energy that capture the player from quite the distance.

No worries though, as you have the ability to “assimilate” and get powerful status upgrades from your partner of choice as an option too, so there certainly is what to do against opponents. The blood-draining attacks from Code Vein are back in the form of the “The Jail” equipment! With a couple of new blood actions such as “Reaper” and “Bat”, combat is now much more versatile than ever. Analyze the battlefield, predict enemy movements as well as your positioning, but do your best to pick the right weapon for each type of encounter.

The character customization for the Protagonist has been advanced with many features including more sliders to precisely adjust body type, appearance, hairstyle and general looks, there are now even more base costumes to pick from. Also, the items previously known as Gifts are now named Formae that can also come in the form of Bequeathed Formae, which lets you obtain a unique weapon for special attacks.

Embark on a Challenging, Action-Packed Journey with Your Partner of Choice

In this adventure, your partner is not just by your side - they are literally merged as a part of you. Sealed within the protagonist as a heart-shaped core on their back, your partner accompanies you all through the adventure, offering great support both in the story and battle. The combat for this entry evolves with two newly-introduced powerful partner-based mechanics to use:

• • Summon: Cast your partner into their physical form to actively fight alongside you in real time.
• • Assimilation: Evoke your partner’s might directly, charging your abilities for intense, high-damage moves.

The Assimilation battle system brings another new layer of interesting strategy and power dynamics, therefore offering a new combat experience even for the players that are already familiar with the original title. Such implementations allow for a far more dynamic, high-velocity gameplay that is different from anything seen before in the past.

In this entry of the Code Vein franchise, it is also possible to exploit the inhuman powers that your partner Revenants have used since their creation, titled “Forma” which allows you to transform your weapon attacks into even deadlier powerful strikes, allowing for long-range attacks or quicker status recovery and by doing so to greatly expand the range of your combat potential.

During the Code Vein II Release Date Announcement Trailer, viewers had a first look at the Forma ability known as “Absolute Execution Sword”, one of the more traditional types of available Forma. This powerful skill brings a massive sword into existence - hoovering over the wielder and it truly delivers a devastating amount of damage to any of the enemies around you. However, it does have vulnerability openings between the slower strikes, however its immense power still makes it a game-changing move that is capable of turning the flow of battle in mere seconds if used right.

The Powerful Supporting Characters That Would Help You On Your Journey

Since CODE VEIN II is quite distanced from the events that happened in the original, the new game would feature a cast of characters that have not been mentioned or seen before. You will be going through the world accompanied by your trusted and powerful allies, who also have the ability to fight alongside you or greatly enhance your abilities to new reaches. Each partner brings their unique skills and knowledge that could reshape your journey in various ways.

The Revenants you get to meet on your journey all have interesting designs that definitely make them look less human and they do stand out in a crowd for sure. Some are pretty tall, with some of their body parts missing, so they are kind of replaced with the use of their powers or available tech, an aesthetic that is most likely inspired by the art of Kintsugi that typically has intricate golden ornaments that fill broken vessels with gold.

Code Vein II is going to carry on the tradition to let you assign a Partner, an NPC that accompanies you throughout the game (not just for the boss fights). There will be more available companion options this entry compared to its predecessor, which only had 6. Let’s meet some of the more important ones among them right now:

Lou MagMell - a Revenant girl with the ability to travel through time, who revived the protagonist with her own heart. She possesses the special power to follow someone's Pathos and leap into the past. She joins on the journey to the past alongside the protagonist in order to save the world from utter destruction.

Noah G. MagMell - 100 years in the past Noah was once a human who belonged to MagMell's Research Institute, but he got turned into a Revenant. He is deeply devoted to the cause of protecting his friend Valentin Voda and serves as a bodyguard who tackles dangerous missions without any droplet of hesitation.

With his trusty Twin Blades, you can certainly count on Noah at close-range combat, because of his rapid combo strikes. His “Deep Impact” ability really makes it easy to strike down enemies and opening them up for the powerful Drain Attacks. He also provides players with “Morale Boost,” that increases their maximum Stamina capacity.

Josée Anjou - Josée is the Revenant partner who rules over the Sunken City, keeping herself busy by building shelters for the last surviving humans. Driven by her desire to protect others, she fights with strong passion on the front lines as a guardian of the innocent. She is however terribly haunted by a past failure of hers, when she was not able to stop a catastrophic Resurgence outbreak, an event that has since caused unimaginable destruction.

Josée is a powerful attacker who overcomes her enemies through force and resilience. She carries a two-handed sword capable of easily devastating foes. Supported by her “Hound” trait, which grants high resistance to attack breaks, she can easily pair it with her “Precision” skill to take down enemies even faster. Last but definitely not least comes her devastating skill “Unquenchable Flame”, which summons pillars of fire that have the power to destroy entire hordes of foes.

Lyle McLeish - Lyle is a Revenant renowned for his extraordinary swordsmanship, he serves as the main ace of The Dawn Chorus, an organization dedicated to reclaim the Corroded Scar region. He has a bit of a hot-shot reckless, self-sacrificing combat style that could unsettle even his closest allies, and he is famous for mostly working alone on every mission.

Lyle is a divisive evasion-focused attacker that is capable of engaging effectively at various ranges. He practices “Raikasen”, a skill that delivers lightning-charged strikes and allows for strategic use of mid-range magic. His buff “Overdrive” increases both his and the player’s attack power until either one gets hit. His Link Trait grants dodging abilities to evade enemy attacks, thus enabling a high-pressure offensive playstyle that is very rewarding for players able to anticipate and read incoming moves well.

Holly Asturias - In a clinic deeply nested in the forest, Holly is the head Revenant doctor. She has the healing powers of the Luxuria Bloodline, a lineage rumored to actually be among the cursed.

She tries to tirelessly research the Resurgence events and does her best to treat the twisted Revenants it creates.

Pre-Order and Available Editions for Code Vein II

The game is available for pre-orders on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via the official Code Vein II Steam page in Standard, Deluxe and Ultimate Editions.

Pre-Order Bonus: When pre-ordering the title you get a custom Stylized Forma set with face paint and a special engraved weapon type.

Also, apart from the Standard option you could pick from a few different versions that are available, each coming with Digital packs and Bonuses and even an already planned upcoming Code Vein II DLC Pass. These are as follows:

The CODE VEIN II Deluxe Edition comes with:

• • Custom Outfit Pack: Contains 3 costume sets and 1 weapon
• • Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris (will be available by January 2027)

As for CODE VEIN II Digital Ultimate Edition, it includes:

• • Custom Outfit Pack: Contains 3 costume sets and 1 weapon
• • Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris (will be available by January 2027)
• • Character Costume Set: Contains 6 costumes based on characters in the original title
• • Digital Mini Artbook & Soundtrack

CODE VEIN II is most likely going to offer a more dramatic type of Action RPG exploration game and a bit of a disruptive overall experience. Players are going to travel through time in a richly-detailed world (that evolves both in the present and past versions) alongside their trusted allies. By the looks of it all, you are going to get some really adrenaline-fueled battles against the deadly Revenant foes. All of this while unravelling an epic narrative that balances between emotion, mystery and adventure quite so well.

We really hope that players are going to enjoy this type of unique co-op gameplay as well as the challenges that the next title in the Code Vein series has to offer. With this we wrap up this first YUPLAY Blog review of the year and are looking forward towards all of the exciting upcoming releases that 2026 would deliver us and simply cannot wait to get you more information on them in the coming weeks and months!