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Code Vein II builds on the original game’s vampire-inspired world with a largely standalone story, new combat systems, and a central time-travel premise. A preview session offered a closer look at how players will travel between past and present, face powerful enemies, and rely on partners in battle. The early impression is of an action game with intriguing ideas, though it remains unclear whether its Soulslike elements will make a lasting impression.
Code Vein II sets up a new story
The game follows Revenants, undead humans with vampire-like abilities, in a new setting separate from the events of the first Code Vein. A century before the present, Revenants tried to contain the Resurgence, a phenomenon that turns living people into mindless creatures called Horrors. Their attempt failed, leading to a new threat known as Luna Rapacis and the transformation of some Revenants into Horrors.
In the present, a customizable Revenant Hunter is tasked with helping prevent the world’s collapse. The Hunter teams up with Lou MagMell, a mysterious girl who can travel through time. Together, they visit the past and present in search of the fallen heroes connected to the Resurgence.
Practical takeaway: Because the story starts with a fresh setting and cast, newcomers can follow the premise without needing detailed knowledge of the first game.
Time travel shapes the adventure
Traveling into the past is more than a way to reveal background information. Players can affect earlier events, with those choices influencing what happens in the present and future. The developers say this structure is intended to give players more agency over the story. It also helps explain why Code Vein II is not a direct continuation: changing the timeline could otherwise alter the original game’s events.
The preview begins with character creation and an exposition-heavy introduction. The Hunter meets Lou, witnesses a world being destroyed, and encounters Lavinia before being sent back in time. The immediate goal is to work with Josée Anjou, a legendary warrior sealed away in the present, and find a way to free her in the future.
Helpful context: The timeline is central to the plot, so players who prefer straightforward storytelling may want to pay close attention to the introduction and how past actions connect to later events.
Exploring the Sunken Pylon
Much of the preview takes place in the Sunken Pylon, a multi-level industrial dungeon where Josée is trying to identify and remove the source of water pollution. The area’s layout can be difficult to read. A navigation aid displays a golden route to the objective, while previously traveled paths appear in blue; when those lines overlap, they can become visually confusing.
As in many Soulslikes, special checkpoints restore health and bring defeated enemies back. Players can also travel to the Confluence, a separate realm where they can speak with Lou and learn more about the situation.
Exploration tip: If the route display becomes cluttered, use it to identify the general direction of the objective rather than relying on every overlapping line as a precise map.
Combat systems and partner support
Combat offers a range of weapons, including dual swords, hammers, and a bayonet. The Jail is wearable equipment that provides access to Formae, supernatural abilities tied to weapons, and Drain Attacks. Drain Attacks use a beast-like claw to take Ichor from enemies.
Ichor powers Formae, which can include forceful weapon strikes, defensive shields, stat boosts, and projectile attacks. Draining enemies regularly can therefore help keep these abilities available. The Blood Code system has also been reworked. As in the first game, Blood Codes provide different combat styles and include six attributes that affect statistics such as base defense and maximum Ichor.
The Partner system allows another character to join the Hunter in battle. Partners can deal damage and distract dangerous enemies, creating openings to attack. During the preview, Josée could also revive the Hunter after a fatal blow, although that ability had limited uses.
Players can dismiss a partner through Assimilation and fight alone. Companions provide Link Traits that improve stats, while Link Points (LP) are reduced when the player takes damage before losing HP. In the preview, keeping a partner available was often more useful than giving up their support, especially when facing several threats.
Combat tip: Drain Attacks can help replenish the resource needed for Formae. Pairing that resource management with a partner’s distraction may make tougher encounters easier to control.
Boss encounters raise the stakes
The demo’s boss fights provide a tougher test than its regular enemies. The first major opponent is the Metagen Remnant, a deformed creature responsible for polluting the Sunken Pylon’s water. It attacks with fire from a distance and can spray poison from its tail when the player moves behind it. Prolonged exposure to the poison causes the Acid status effect.
Defeating the Metagen Remnant takes several attempts and encourages switching between equipped Formae. Staggering the creature creates an opportunity for an execution-style attack that deals significant damage. Josée’s help also makes a difference during the fight.
Later, the Hunter returns to the present and attempts to unseal Josée. After years of hardship, she has become a blind, masked, sword-wielding demon and asks to be killed. With Lou as a partner, the player must face her relentless attacks. The encounter combines a difficult fight with the story’s tragic consequences.
Early impressions of Code Vein II
Fighting fallen heroes is expected to be a recurring part of the game. The developers say that changes to the timeline can affect how and when these confrontations occur, and may determine whether some happen at all. Their stated aim is to build a tragic story around characters who may fall into darkness.
The preview leaves questions about how clearly the full game will handle its time-travel plot and whether the combat will develop beyond familiar Soulslike conventions. Still, the idea that a player’s choices in the past could shape a hero’s fate gives Code Vein II a compelling foundation. For players interested in action combat, partner support, and stories built around changing history, Code Vein II is worth keeping an eye on as more details emerge.
