Code Vein II does not set out to reinvent the wheel, and in many ways that is both its greatest strength and its biggest shortcoming. Bandai Namco’s follow-up sticks closely to what worked the first time around, including challenging but approachable combat and a world teetering on the edge of collapse. What has changed is the scale. Everything feels bigger, with more layers throughout. Even if not every new idea comes together as cleanly as it should, and the larger areas can at times feel like more filler than killer, the overall experience still works.
This feels very much like a sequel made with fans of the original Code Vein in mind. If the first game did not click with you, there is a strong chance you will run into the same friction here, even with the improvements. It remains, in holistic terms, the same style of game. But if you were already on board, Code Vein II does enough right to feel like a meaningful step forward, even if it never quite reaches the highs it is... Read more