36) Code Vein (2019)

Beginning development in 2014 under the title God Eater Zero, the game that would become Code Vein eventually dropped the connection to the God Eater franchise, though it retained many of the themes and even the art style while forging its own identity. Code Vein sets out to answer a question that has long since plagued philosopher and scientist alike: What if Dark Souls, but anime? And, as if that question wasn't bold enough, what if vampires? The answer, it seems, is one of the easier Souls-like games I've encountered, but one with far more story that is presented directly, sometimes insultingly, at the player.

We begin by making our character, with all the flair you expect from a custom anime character generator. We're talking spiky hair, a rainbow of colors for hair and eyes, and of course, skimpy outfits for female characters and the choice of breast size. I chose to play as a female, mostly to see what armor options would be presented, and even the most modest outfit still had a massive boob window. So after we make our real doll, we learn a bit about the world we've been thrust into. To make a long, convoluted story short, most of the population has either been killed or turned into Revenants, a fancy term for vampires who go into a frenzy, becoming the Lost, if they go too long without blood. The Lost are mindless cannibals that you don't have to feel guilty about killing over and over and over again, which is good for a Souls-like.

We meet up with a small group that is searching for Blood Beads, a fruit like substance that can be used in place of the now scarce human blood. We also come to learn that our character has the unique ability to use the Blood Code of anyone who shares their blood with us. This is actually one of the features I liked most, as each Blood Code you acquire acts as a sort of job or class system, providing different stats and allowing different weapons and armor to be used. You can master the skills associated with each Blood Code, thus allowing you to use them even if you change to a different one. It goes a long way to allowing you to build your character as you wish to. I quickly found the weapons and spells I enjoyed using and built around that, which was great.

The story is.... Certainly there. If you've ever sat through an anime series where, by the end, you still had no clue what was going on, only that it was awesome, then you'll feel right at home. Another unique aspect that Code Vein brings to the table is that you have a whole cast of characters in your team, and recruit more as you go. You can, at all times, have one of them come with you, giving you an NPC that varies wildly in usefulness. They can heal you, and even revive you if you die, which is why I say this is the easiest Souls-like I've played. They do tend to be less useful in boss fights, which I suppose is a fair trade off.

As we proceed, there are a number of cutscenes that, honestly, don't need us to be present for. It usually consists of two or more other characters talking, then cuts to our character's dumb, mute ass as we just stand there. Honestly, it's kind of funny, and I came to love it. So, imagine my surprise when I made it to the final boss, after sinking dozens of hours into the game, loving my mute idiot, then suddenly, with no warning, she SPEAKS. She gets some anime badass line that, had I not immediately died to the boss, would've been so hype. As is, I guess maybe that's why she didn't talk, lest she look a fool.

Despite my criticisms about how dumb the plot is, which I stand by, it sort of endeared itself to me in a way I didn't expect. I had a great time running around in this world, and even came to care about the characters and their edgy vampire problems. There's a relationship level and gifts for NPCs that is poorly explained at best, but I had fun figuring out who wanted the anime action figure, or who liked ramen. Going in, I thought the combination of Dark Souls, anime, and vampires was going to be dumb, which it is, but it's also fun, and I am genuinely excited for the upcoming sequel.