RE: Code Vein

Hey, here’s a quick, early impressions post on Code Vein!  Because nothing says “Happy Halloween” like a “birthday” “present” “gifted” to you by a brother who tossed it your way upon discovering that he forgot to cancel his pre-order of a game he’d long since lost interest in, but frankly it works out because hey it’s a new game and there’s an open slot on the blog docket to fill up, and if nothing else it’ll spare you from the pain of having to confront the awe-inspiring dread of Kingdom Hearts III for another week at least!

Huh.  That was an oddly-specific scenario.

Like, really specific.  The kind of thing that you shouldn't really think about for any longer than you have to.  So just close your heart to it or whatever.

…

…Hey, here’s a quick, early impressions post on Code Vein!

When my brother presented a copy of Code Vein to me, I laughed.

Part of that was because it (and he) took me by surprise.  Part of that was because mere days earlier, I’d heard rumblings about the game having a suite of character creation/customization options.  Part of that was because, with him being the Souls games expert between the two of us, I’d wondered if he was still down for Anime Dark Souls.  Had I asked him when the thought popped into my head, I’m pretty sure I’d be talking about something different right about now.  Maybe something Keyblade-adjacent.  Or maybe something in an unhealthy shade of orange.

It’s not like I had anything against Code Vein going in.  I had a mild interest in it at one point, yes -- albeit the mildest of mild interests, two degrees above complete apathy.  I’m not a Souls guy; I haven’t finished a single entry in the series.  I have played my fair share of them, granted (with Bloodborne getting the most time), and I’ve seen enough to say that I like the subgenre even if I’m too much of a coward to stick with them to the end.  My biggest problem with Code Vein as an outsider looking in was a simple question: “Why bother with Code Vein when you can just play Dark Souls?”

Now I have an answer to that question. If you don’t have (or have never played) a Souls game…yeah, get a Souls game.  But tentatively speaking, you’ll be all right with this.

The game is fine.  Basically.  Arguably.  Mostly.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: yeah, the character creator is pretty good.  With it, I was able to make a pretty accurate representation of my Xenoblade Chronicles X OC, Lariat (who I’ve been repping in multiple games since as a way to establish her character/loose canon as a dimension-hopping super-soldier).  From the neck up, there’s a high likelihood that you can make pretty much any anime-style character you want.  I was especially impressed, because -- even besides the salvo of accessories, face paint, makeup, and scars you can add -- there’s one option that lets you add extra frontal hair parts (a rarity in plenty of games, trust me) for just the right kind of bangs you’re looking for.  Meanwhile, there’s another option that lets you change exactly what kind of highlights/shine effect you want in the eyes.  That’s in-depth.

The tradeoff here is that you can’t do much about your character’s physique.  There’s a rudimentary slider that widens up your character -- somewhat -- but that’s about it.  I get why you can’t have too much variance, of course; it’d be a hassle to adjust and prepare character models for cutscenes and different equipment.  Still, it’s disheartening.  My Lariat is supposed to be a downright Amazonian redhead, but even at the max physique settings, Code Vein makes her look waifish and barely out of high school (if that) when she’s supposed to be a grown-ass woman.  Also, if anyone was wondering: the bust slider is built into the physique slider, but it doesn’t allow for the supermassive sizes of, say, Saints Row. Or anime, generally.  Which is weird, because in the first hour or so you meet the decidedly-buxom Io, who clearly found a way to break the slider limit.  So it’s not like the game can’t handle it…though I guess that, again, it’s for the sake of modeling equipment. 

I’m still counting it as a loss, though.

But the real meat and potatoes of the game --

Also, I’m just going to go ahead and call out the game for having some pretty lackluster base outfit options.  THANK GOD somebody on the dev team gave you the option to remove some of the garish accessories built in -- but damn, how hard would it have been to give me a simple tank top and jeans?

But the real meat and potatoes of the game is the -- for lack of a better phrase -- dungeon-crawling.  There hasn’t really been a dungeon per se, and I doubt there will be for a while thanks to Code Vein being set in a modern-ish, post-apocalyptic, vampire-infested wasteland (in which you are the vampires, incidentally).  In true Souls fashion, you’re tasked with navigating dangerous corridors and arenas, packed to the gills with zombie-like menaces who are more than happy to bite, slash, stab, and breakdance you to death.  (I’m joking about that last one, but not by much.)

On the plus side, you’re strong enough to handle yourself.  You’ll find weapons and armor to push back against the violent hordes, along with a slew of attacks -- your standard weak and strong melee hits, sure, but also special moves and buffs to give you the edge in a fight.  Coupled with mechanics like dodging, blocking, parrying, backstabbing, and your unique blood-draining ability (which you can use to regain the blood, AKA ichor, AKA mana, you need to fuel your specials), you’re not exactly useless in a fight.

On the minus side, because this is a Souls game by way of -- *throws a dart at a spinning board while blindfolded* -- Tokyo Ghoul, you’re beholden to the same general ruleset.  I don’t mean “minus” in a negative way, mind you; it’s just a ruleset that makes you think instead of letting you go full ham all the time. Combat, exploration, and gameplay in general are beholden to resource management, whether it’s the stamina meter that determines how many actions you can take at once (don’t spam your attacks without leaving enough left over for a dodge!), or the Estus “Regeneration” that gives you a minor stock of mild healing.  As always, you take BIG DAMAGE from enemies, so even if you’ve got a full stock, you’re still effectively slapping band-aids on oozing gashes.  But a band-aid is better than nothing, so make good use of them.

I’m not a Souls guy, so I won’t pretend like I intimately know the essence of the franchise and what makes it tick from a gameplay perspective.  With that said?  Playing Code Vein makes me appreciate the Souls games that much more.  The stress and tension levels are higher than average here compared to most, meaning that I’m engaged with what’s happening onscreen.  Knowing full well that there’s no respite until I reach the next bonfire mistle, and failure to reach that proverbial checkpoint means losing all the souls Haze I’ve gathered leads to me having a sense of urgency.  The threat of death actually feels real.  (Well, usually.)

But it’s a threat that almost guarantees catharsis.  Yes, it’s relieving to see your character make it to a new checkpoint and force the game to acknowledge that you’ve made progress; it means you’ve earned a break while also proving your wisdom and might.  More importantly, the challenge of the game -- spoken and unspoken -- means that you’re striving to excel against unfair, nearly-impossible odds. 

Speaking personally?  Some of the fun I’ve had has come from me striking out in search of that “perfect run”: using area/game knowledge combined with precise execution to lay waste to any enemies that come my way.  It feels so good to clear an enemy encounter without taking a single hit, or even feeling a hint of panic.  Solving the game, or at least a snippet of it, is its own reward.

I have to credit Code Vein for giving me so many options for a shot at perfect play, even at this early stage in the game.  According to the “canon”, Lariat is the melee tank of whatever team she’s on, armed with whatever polearm won’t snap in her grip.  She’s represented pretty well here; your “Blood Code” lets you determine and change your class as you go, with all of the relevant stat boosts and skills that apply.  More importantly, it’s how you use your toolkit that decides whether you’ll finish the run or have to do it all over again.  In my case?  Her Lost Bardiche is lacking in attack speed, but makes up for it with sheer range and decent power -- enough to take on multiple zambos at once.  Using the Berserker code gives her a vast array of buffs -- one for defense, one for a boosted stagger rate, and one to amp up the damage on her next hit. 

Having dealt with these enemies before, she and I both know exactly the number of hits needed to take them out -- and on top of that, how many hits are needed to stagger the beefier ones.  As our combined knowledge grows, the fear of the wasteland crumbles to dust; minibosses that once took everything we had (up to and including our resources) are beatable as long as we keep our wits about us and stay on our toes.  Labyrinths become linear.  Ambushes become assaults.  We learn, evolve, and get stronger.  Ready to push toward another successful, high-ranking run.

I’m not saying that that experience is native solely to Code Vein, but it does speak to the enduring presence of the Souls games and their clones.  There’s a reason why they’re popular, and why I can praise a fresh new entry.

I just wish I could stop at praising it.

The game needed more time in the oven.  It’s not a broken or unfinished mess, at least as far as I can tell (who knows whether or not the endgame holds up?).  But there are a lot of niggling issues that suggest, on a technical level, there’s an extra pass for polish that got skipped.  Some of the character movements are a little jittery on or near geography; voice clips tend to stutter as they’re spoken; clipping is pretty noticeable when you’ve got accessories like belts and capes; the amount of texture pop-in is not only common, but insane; there have been points where characters went without eyebrows for a few seconds until they finished loading up.  That’s kind of a problem when you’ve got a game trying to put on its serious pants.  (For the record, I’m playing this game on a standard PS4.  No telling how it handles on PC.)

I’ve heard complaints that some of the melee swings don’t reach nearly as far as their animations would suggest, and I’m inclined to agree; even the forward movement on a fully-charged polearm strike leaves plenty to be desired.  I’m giving the devs the benefit of the doubt and assuming that the preemptively-nerfed range is there for balance purposes, making sure that players can’t cheese their way to victory with enemies that can’t reach. 

What I’m less than willing to defend is the fact that sometimes, enemy attacks and reactions are frustratingly inconsistent.  I know it takes two hits from me to get Zambambo B to stagger, but there have been times where he’s armored through my two hits to stagger me instead -- sometimes with a stunningly-fast swipe -- and other times where he’s just stood there.  It’s enough to make me think that it’s always a good idea for me to go in with my stagger chance buff popped; otherwise, I’ll end up taking damage I didn’t need to take, and damage that shouldn’t be my fault in the first place.

And remember, this is a game where enemies -- even basic ones -- can do some BIG DAMAGE to you if you give them a chance.  But you’re not giving them a chance; they’re just taking it because they can suddenly decide to super armor through your offense.  Yes, that’s armor you can blow through by opening with a heavy attack, but sometimes it feels like the desire for perfect play is trampled on by the need for perfect play.  Making progress is sometimes, if not often, contingent on your ability to not get hit.  In multiple cases, that’s been harder than it should be -- especially when you’re encountering a new enemy for the first time, or otherwise fighting a foe with a penchant for AoE attacks that blast the life out of you.

To be fair, the solution seems to be tapping into Code Vein’s ability to bring an AI partner with you into the field (or playing the online multiplayer, which I haven’t tried and have no interest in trying).  But that raises its own set of problems -- and part of the reason why, despite having fun with the game, it isn’t grabbing me the way it should.

Obviously, I have my own idealized vision of what a Souls game is (be it right or wrong).  Punishing combat, resource management, adaptation to challenges, et cetera, et cetera.  But what I’ve always had quiet respect for across plenty of hits installments is the atmosphere.  The airs it puts on.  The feel, the soul, the je ne sais quoi.  The games are routinely melancholic and oppressive, with a narrative that’s not always spelled out directly; as far as I know -- and I could be wrong on this, obviously -- you have to piece the story together from item descriptions, incidental character interactions, and environmental cues, with the odd cutscene thrown in along the way.  That’s its aesthetic.

Right now, Code Vein’s aesthetic is anime and not much else.  This is a world where what remains of humanity in this section of the world -- walled off by a barrier of madness-inducing miasma -- has been transformed into a slew of vampires wracked by bloodlust and always a bad day away from turning into mindless hellspawn.  Civilization is effectively wiped out, cities are in ruin and perforated by corrupted spires, and the blood everyone needs to survive is in such dangerously short supply that governments clash with would-be rebels over ownership of a few precious drops -- to say nothing of the wasteland wanderers who force people like your OC into indentured service to find more blood.  And yet, despite all of that, I can’t offer much more than a dispassionate shrug.

It's not bad.  It’s…fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I guess.  Whatever.

I think I know what the issue is, and I can explain it without comparing it to Dark Souls.  See, Xenoblade Chronicles X also has an anime-inspired aesthetic, but it goes beyond that with its central premise and atmosphere, alongside its management of tropes.  In that game, you’re a rando tasked with exploring a planet your space ark crashed on, cultivating and progressively developing it, but more importantly finding the “Lifehold” where the core of humanity resides -- lest you face extinction -- even if it means clashing with indigenous alien species and begrudging alien assailants.  The game mostly carried itself with dignity and grace (barring some off-the-cuff jokes about eating an alien buddy and a wealth of butt shots) thanks to the professionalism of the party, the gravity of the situation, and the heady ideas it at least attempted to explore.  It bumped elbows with transhumanism and the Ship of Theseus, and was stronger for it.

Even if Code Vein is primed to explore more exciting territory later on, it’s not going to change the fact that its grim setting feels insincere.  Like lip service.  From a gameplay perspective, you’re not going to get the pressure of a Souls game. Bringing along partner characters like Louis or Yakumo throws that out the window because of their atmosphere-shattering attempts at rapport; more to the point, they’re able to grant vital assistance to you in fights, to the point where they can even finish off bosses for you.  It’s an anti-frustration feature you can opt out of, certainly, and it does help you make progress instead of banging your head against your PS4.  But this is a game where the struggle is, and should be, part of the experience.  The fact that Code Vein would suggest otherwise is actually kind of depressing.

And before anyone (who I’m not just imagining) says otherwise: yes, I know the Souls games also let you team up with AI partners.  But A) I’m assuming that that was offered sparingly, and B) I’d bet that they can’t do darkness-infused aerial raves pulled straight out of Marvel vs. Capcom.

Dark Souls feels special.  Xenoblade Chronicles X feels special.  Code Vein feels like an anime.  And as a reminder, this is coming from someone who likes anime (I’m not entirely sure who Nezuko is supposed to be, but I feel like I need to find out).  Blind adherence, if not reverence, to all of these modern anime tropes and conventions isn’t going to help anyone in the long run, least of all video games.  See: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as a blatant, painful example.  And if it’s not anime the devs are aping, it’s the bottomless well of JRPG clichés.

You have amnesia.  You’re embraced by a mysterious waif.  You’re the chosen one with a mysterious, never-before-seen power.  You’re embraced by a second, bustier mysterious waif.  The second waif has amnesia, too.  And so on.  I’m not going to complain about the size of some of the ladies’ chests, because then I’d be a hypocrite…and I’m more concerned with their clothes, or lack thereof, in a vampiric hellhole, but whatever.  What immediately, irrevocably shattered the verisimilitude of the game was when I turned the camera just enough while inside the home base to spot the onsen built in -- meaning that, just like one of your Japanese animes, you can enact a steamy hot springs scene whenever you want.  Or if that doesn’t do it for you, you can sit on a couch or chair or lay on your bed and ogle your waifu.  I’m serious.  Unless you can get other characters beside you, all you can do is turn the camera around and zoom in for a closer look at the goods.

*sigh*

I’d say Bandai Namco is better than this, but they let Jump Force out of the gate in the state it was in, soooooooooooooooooooooooooo never mind.

The real stunner here --

Man, I’m starting to get nervous about the next Tales game now.

The real stunner here is that, despite everything I’ve said up to this point, I’m still not ready to drop Code Vein just yet.  It’s got a weaker aesthetic, it’s got technical issues, it’s got a story barely above lukewarm, and it’s got that ever-so-popular creep factor that a lot of anime can’t do without.   Even so, the fun and intrigue I had with it aren’t suddenly invalidated because of one little post.  I want to recapture that feeling, no matter what.

To me, Code Vein is flawed.  It has problems -- some of which are sins of its own creation, while others are part and parcel of the Souls experience.  But even if it’s only because it let me play as my OC again, the game and its devs did just enough to make sure it’ll occupy a space in my mind and heart for a little while yet.  So who knows?  Maybe I’ll find more to be happy about in the weeks to come.  Maybe I’ll find a fresh new thrill waiting for me behind a rubble-encrusted corner.  And who knows?  Maybe this really is just a stepping stone -- the first step that’ll pave the way toward Code Vein 2, and a truly golden experience regardless of its ancestral DNA.

Maybe.  Maybe.

…Maybe.

Man, fuck Kingdom Hearts III.