Code Vein is the newest game by Shift, and one that has been a long time coming. Back when it was first announced people passed it off as an anime Dark Soul's rip off, and it then quietly vanished off many's radar. Of course the game wasn't canceled, it was just delayed multiple times, and had extensive work done to it. Although the anime style and Dark Soul type systems remained, what we ultimately got was something a bit more unique than many would realize.
Similar to Shift's God Eater series, the game is set during the end of times. Our modern day world has been destroyed by something known as "The Horrors," and a plan was put into action to counter them. This plan involved turning people into vampire like beings called Revenants to fight them, but this of course backfired. After the "Queen" went crazy all hell broke lose, and the end came for many sooner than they thought. When all things were said and done, a red mist wall blocked the outside world from coming inside, and the remaining humans and Revenants were forced to remain within to fight for their own survival.
While Revenants are technically "vampires," they only need blood to keep their minds. If their bodies die they will regenerate (unless their heart is destroyed), but if they lose themselves they too will transform into monsters. This is where humans, and the mysterious plants that produce "bloodbeeds" come into play. However supply of blood is now running short, and those within the red mist must find a new way to survive before it's too late.
What makes Code Vein so interesting is that it's set within our world, but after "something" changed it. Of course I won't be spoiling what that something is, but I will say it's pretty great. Throughout the story you get to see glimpses of the past to help fill in the blanks, but many of the answers are never actually spoon fed to you. NPC dialogue and loading screen descriptions give you clues as to what is going on, but it's not until you get towards the end of the story that things will start to connect for you. Even then there's still a lot to discover within this world, and about the "horrors" themselves.
As for the actual gameplay, it is a souls style game, but it's also very different. There are dozens of "blood codes" to collect within the game, and each one is a different "class" you can freely change into. Continue to use said class and you'll unlock it's skills and abilities for use outside of it. This means by using every class in the game you can unlock every ability, and then freely customize your character to fit your needs. There's also a weapon upgrade and augment system to go along with this, with the option to freely switch between weapons on the fly. It's a really fun system, and it gives you a reason to experiment with everything the game has to offer.
Although the game itself isn't scary, it's definitely a fun one, with a great horror setting. Can't wait to see where this series goes form here. Especially if...
