When the first Code Vein launched in 2019, the Soulslike genre was wide open. There had been plenty of attempts made to build on FromSoftware’s popular action RPGs, but the field was so slim that the idea of a Soulslike with an anime aesthetic felt entirely unique. That’s not so much the case in 2025, a year that has already brought us The First Berserker: Khazan, which means that the upcoming Code Vein 2 will need to work twice as hard to stand out this time around.
How is Bandai Namco approaching that task? By doubling down on everything that made the first Code Vein a cult hit. Following its reveal at Summer Game Fest last week, Digital Trends got more detail on the upcoming Soulslike. Bandai Namco showed us a larger sequel with new combat systems, a more robust character creation suite, and even a bit of time travel. All of those upgrades look to pump Code Vein 2 up and help it stand out in a more crowded landscape.
The sequel is set in a new world living in the shadow of an apocalyptic event called the Resurgence. 100 years before the game begins, humans began turning into monsters. A ritual was performed to help stop the plague but it resulted in the creation of a sort of dark moon that only made things work. To avoid complete annihilation, humans and Revenants decided to join forces to stop it all. The story stars a human who has a Revenant heart who joins a monster-killing voyage. While Bandai Namco didn’t have an exact time estimate to share, it says that the story is longer than the first game and features more exploration.
I saw plenty of gameplay clips, which affirmed that this is very much a Code Vein sequel. It’s still filled with Soulslike boss fights against hulking enemies wielding giant bells, swords, and more. Rather than shaking that up too much, Bandai Namco has expanded the formula with some new additions. There are seven weapon types to choose from this time and two of those are new. I saw the Bayonet in action, a new weapon that works exactly the way you’d think it does.
Also new to combat is the addition of jails. These are essentially finishing attacks that are charged up during combat. That system pairs up with formae, equippable skills that can be either offensive or defensive, and stagger-based finishers to give players a lot more options during a fight. Players will also gain bequeathed formae from defeating bosses, giving them even more powerful skills to play around with. Bandai Namco is aiming to create a sequel that gives players more flexibility in their play style.
That philosophy carries over to character creation. It’s not just that the suite contains way more customization options when making a character; it’s also that players will have more control over their starting stats. In addition to the usual Blood Codes, which determine stats, players can choose boosters that will further tweak stats to their liking. Bandai Namco teases that boosters may come with some penalties, but it’s staying tight-lipped on what that means for now.
Exploration has been expanded too, as players will have a bigger world to explore. It’s so big, in fact, that players will be able to traverse it on a motorcycle. The open-world will contain plenty of points of interest, but the main hook is its dungeons that are scattered around. There’s a big twist to it all, though. With the help of a Revenant companion, players will be able to time travel between past and present while in the world. Bandai Namco says that some things players do in the past will change the world in the present. It teased some dungeons that will require players to hop between timelines to defeat.
While Code Vein 2 doesn’t look quite as fresh as its predecessor did in 2019, it’s looking like a buffed-up sequel that takes a lot of fan feedback into account. With a greater emphasis on customization and an intriguing time travel hook, it could have what it takes to cut through a crowded landscape once again.
Code Vein 2 launches in 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
