Back in December 2025, I was invited by Bandai Namco to go hands-on with Code Vein II, the follow-up to Code Vein, or as everyone calls it, Anime Souls. Yes, I traveled nearly 3,000 miles to play three hours of a preview build of Code Vein II, and it was absolutely worth it, even though I could hear the voice of my late mother in my ear asking if I was crazy.
That said, what I got to play was a very small slice of the game and, unfortunately, was restricted to the dungeons, so I was not able to explore the open world. This was due to time constraints and a desire to focus on the improvements over the first game, and how they were tweaked for Code Vein II.
Not only did I get to play Code Vein II, but the event was held in a cathedral in Los Angeles, California, where several others, ranging from content creators to media and press, had gathered. It was awe-inspiring to be there, and I must say I was a tad nervous about what I was about to do. It is not every day you are asked to participate in something like this.
I also want to thank Bandai Namco for making this all possible and flying me across the country just so I could play a game. While some may think that’s trivial, for someone who not only enjoys video games but has been trying to make a name for this outlet, it means the world to me.
Better Character Customization This Time Around
Once it was time to sit down, and after a brief presentation about the game, I was left to play as I pleased. Starting off, I could select a premade character or create my own, similar to how you were able to in Code Vein. Given that I wanted to see what was new, I opted to embrace the character customization.
Unlike the first game, the character creator was much more in-depth. There were different clothing and accessory options, and definitely more choices for skin tones, hair and much more. And yes, I was happy to see that there were more than just cornrows for people who look like me. I know some people will say I am making a big deal out of nothing, like they did when I was critical about this in Monster Hunter World and Wilds, but I really appreciate what Bandai Namco has done.
After finishing up creating my character, I was able to jump into the game and dive headfirst into the story and gameplay.
Getting Introduced To Code Vein II
The majority of the Code Vein II preview was broken into parts. However, I was free to do what I wanted, with the only concern being how much time I had to play. For the first hour or so, I played the beginning of the game, which provided story bits, introducing me to my character, the NPC Lou Magell, who is the time-traveling key to the game, and what exactly my role was in this madness. After a bit, I was sent back in time, which is where I spent most of my time with the game.
Back in the past, I teamed up with Josée Anjou, one of the AI-controlled characters in the game, and played through her arc, which involved helping clear a dungeon and eventually defeating a boss. Along the way, I learned more about Josée, who had a sister that had passed away, someone she had grown to resent because she believed her sister had thrown her life away when she could have lived a very cushy life.
It was not until my character, via a memory echo called an Incursion, that Josée truly got to see what had happened to her sister. This is similar to how memory echoes played out in Code Vein. It adds an element of storytelling that helps progress the narrative, and I really enjoyed it.
Lastly, as I know someone is going to ask, this preview was conducted on the PlayStation 5. While the frame rate was mostly fine, there were moments where it dipped. Still, this was a preview build, and I did not get to ask how old the version I was playing actually was.
Combat Has Been Tightened and That Makes Me Happy
Let’s get one thing out upfront: I did not enjoy Code Vein much. I gave it the good old college try, but ultimately, it just did not click for me, and that mostly had to do with the slow pace of the game and its combat. However, upon playing Code Vein II, that all changed. This was not just a follow-up for namesake. The gameplay has been tweaked to compete with many other action RPGs.
Combat and movement speed felt a tad faster than the original game, and there is also the addition of a jump. While it seems like a simple addition, this really stood out in combat, especially when combined with wielding a massive hammer to jump in and slam it down, adding extra heft and leading to staggering enemies, if not outright pulverizing them.
When it comes to all those lovely weapons we will get to use to smack all sorts of baddies around, Code Vein II sticks closely to the weapon foundation laid out in Code Vein. One-handed swords, two-handed swords, bayonets, halberds, and hammers all make a return, so if you enjoyed those in the first game, you should feel right at home almost immediately.
Where things start to get more interesting is with what is new. Twin Blades bring a faster, more aggressive playstyle that leans hard into mobility and rapid-fire combos, while Rune Blades feel like a natural evolution of Code Vein’s anime-inspired combat, with floating weapons that looked really cool and were just as deadly. It is not a radical overhaul, but it is a smart expansion. Code Vein II looks focused on deepening combat variety without losing the identity that helped the original stand out in the first place.
I also noticed that weapons felt different depending on what you used. Heavy weapons delivered more impact, while faster options let you move in and out of combat. I did not have any complaints about weapons feeling off. While I did not get to test them all, the ones I used felt really good.
Another nice change is how you can transform or customize weapons as it’s called in Code Vein II. This can now be performed at Mistles, unlike the first game where you had to teleport back to the Headquarters. This not only saves time, but players will also be included to do this more often.
Helpful Changes to AI-Controlled Characters
While Code Vein featured AI-controlled partners, they were fairly limited in what they could do. With Code Vein II, that has significantly changed. Bandai Namco appears to have listened to player feedback, because companions now feel far more capable and useful in combat.
You can still bring a partner along for the ride, and they will actively engage enemies alongside you, but this time they feel smarter and more impactful. I regularly noticed my partner dealing meaningful damage and even jumping into fights with enemies I had not yet focused on.
Partners can still revive you if you go down, but there are clear limitations. They can only revive you a set number of times, and each revival briefly incapacitates them, resulting in a temporary loss of damage output. Every revival also increases the cooldown before they can revive you again and restores less health each time. The only way to reset this is by reaching a Mistle or fully dying and respawning, which keeps the mechanic from feeling overpowered.
One of the biggest additions is a new ability called Assimilation. This allows you and your partner to merge into a super-powered form, making combat much easier, especially when you are overwhelmed by enemies or facing off against a boss. I used it a handful of times in those exact situations and found it genuinely effective. That said, I will admit I occasionally forgot the ability was even there, which says more about how packed combat already is than about the feature itself.
Overall, while we still can’t directly command the companions in Code Vein II, they feel like real partners rather than safety nets, and that change alone makes combat more engaging and dynamic.
How Does Time Traveling Fit Into It All
Code Vein II revolves around time travel, as you will be visiting the past before the world was all messed up and on the brink of destruction. Going into the preview, it was not entirely clear how this would work, but thanks to the hands-on session, I have a better idea. You are not just going into the past to change the future, but meeting characters whose future versions have become twisted and locked away in cocoons that you will eventually have to fight.
Josée Anjou is one such character. While in the past she joins you in your adventures, in the future she becomes a boss. In the past, you progress her story enough that you eventually learn how to open her cocoon and fight her.
During the preview, I had the opportunity to fight her future variant, Josée the Blind Hero, and she was not a pushover. Since I spent most of my time exploring and fighting the first boss, I did not have as much time to fight and learn her tactics, but what I did get to play was challenging, and I still wished I had more time with the fight.
I could have defeated her more easily using the “Preview” weapon, a maxed-out weapon available to everyone at the event. The downside was that footage recorded while using it could not be used. Wanting usable footage, I took the challenge head-on. Sadly, just as I was making real progress, I was told it was time to stop playing as the hands-on portion was over.
It’s an interesting concept with the time travel and how it affects the future, even if the Hulk told us in Avengers Endgame that making changes in the past doesn’t really do anything and all that. I can’t wait to see how this plays out in the game.
Taking Notes From Capcom
Early in the preview, I encountered an NPC named Lavinia, a character whose presence is impossible to ignore. She stood at least twice the height of my character, with a design that leans heavily into exaggerated proportions, including an ample chest that immediately recalls the Lady Dimitrescu discourse. From my character’s perspective, the familiar phrase “her eyes are up here” came to mind, though realistically, he would have needed to look well above eye level just to try.
Capcom demonstrated the unexpected power of striking character design with Resident Evil Village, where Lady Dimitrescu’s towering stature and exaggerated proportions turned her into an overnight internet phenomenon. Memes, fan art, and plenty of commentary followed, cementing her place in gaming pop culture. It is difficult not to see Bandai Namco applying a similar understanding of the internet’s tendencies in Code Vein II.
I jokingly remarked to a Bandai Namco representative at the event that it likely would not take long before Lavinia became meme fuel online, which was met with a laugh. The reaction suggested this was less an accident and more a knowing design choice. If the intention was to create a character that sparks immediate conversation and inevitable internet fixation, then the goal was clearly achieved.
Final Verdict
With my limited time with Code Vein II, I enjoyed what I played. I am glad to see that Bandai Namco did listen to player feedback, something that was apparent even in the short time I had with the game.
Combat feels much better, and I genuinely enjoyed the storytelling. Now I just have to wait for the game to be released so I no longer have to worry about imposed time limits and can instead relax in my gaming room without rushing through everything.
Sadly, there’s so much more I want to say but there’s no way I can fit this in this preview without making it entirely too long. Still, I’m looking forward to playing the full game.
Code Vein II releases on January 30, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
