Code Vein II: Bandai Namco's Time-Travel Soulslike Split Critics, Then Found Its Fans
The anime-styled sequel rewrote almost everything about the first game, from setting to cast, and added time travel and a motorcycle. Critics were split at launch. Ten months later, its players tell a warmer story.
Most sequels keep the hero and change the map. Code Vein II changed almost everything. Producer Keita Iizuka called it "completely different" from the 2019 original, with a new setting, an original cast and a new central idea: time travel.
Bandai Namco's anime-styled action RPG launched on January 29, 2026 for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S, after being announced at Summer Game Fest in June 2025. It is a Soulslike, a game in the tradition of FromSoftware's Dark Souls, where tough enemies, careful timing and lost progress on death are part of the design.
A world where heroes became monsters
Code Vein II is set in a future where humans live alongside Revenants, immortal beings who feed on blood. A disaster called the Resurgence, triggered by the sudden appearance of the Luna Rapacis, has turned living things into mindless monsters known as Horrors.
You play a Revenant hunter, part human and part Revenant. With Lou, a girl who can manipulate time, you travel into the past to stop the world's collapse. The mission is to gather the Pathos of five heroes before their sacrifice, undoing the seals that protect their bodies. A character called Lavinia Voda warns you against changing the past, but you can do it anyway, and your choices change the fates of the characters you meet.
Partners, Blood Codes and a motorcycle
Combat rewards reading enemy attacks and building the right loadout. You drain blood from enemies to power skills through Blood Codes, the series' class-like system, and customise weapons and abilities to fit your style.
AI partners can fight beside you or be absorbed to grant bonuses and abilities. The world is also more open than the first game's corridors, and you can cross it by motorcycle, an unusual sight in a genre that normally prefers walking slowly into danger.
Split reviews at launch
Critics were divided. Code Vein II scored 74 on Metacritic for Xbox Series X|S, 70 for PS5 and 66 for PC, and only 48% of critics recommended it on OpenCritic. Shacknews gave it 9/10 and TechRadar 4/5, while IGN, GameSpot and Push Square gave 6/10 and Game Informer 5.5/10.
On Steam, the reception has followed a familiar pattern for big action games. Overall English reviews were Mixed, with 66% positive, but recent reviews had climbed to Very Positive, around 86% positive, by November 2026. Updates and patches since launch appear to have won back many players, and the smaller group still playing in late 2026 clearly likes what it has found. Recent-review scores are based on far fewer reviews than the overall total, so they are a sign of momentum rather than a final verdict.
More time in the rifts
The Deluxe and Ultimate editions include an expansion called Mask of Idris, which explores rifts in time and adds new areas, weapons, Blood Codes and two new companions, Liv Voda and Lou MagMell. The standard edition costs $69.99, with upgrade packs available later.
Should you play it?
Code Vein II is not for everyone. If you want the tightest Soulslike combat, FromSoftware and its rivals still lead. But if you enjoy anime style, character creation and a story about choices across time, the improved current version is a better game than its launch scores suggest.
For more on the genre's roots, read our history of the Souls series.