When I was a little girl, I found a doll sitting on the high shelf at a drugstore. It came with 4 dresses. I wanted the doll so bad. I remember pleading with my mother that it was the only thing I wanted for my birthday. After hoping and praying about it, my mother finally bought it for me, and I was so happy. I played with it all day.   So when a game offers the ability to customize the color of your character’s outfits and doll them up, it makes the gaming experience 10 times better to me!

Code Vein, developed by BANDAI NAMCO Studios, was released in 2019 and is a great co-op/solo game with a lot of playstyle customization. If you are the type who enjoys trying out different weapons and codes (just another term for class) and changing your character’s appearance, this is the game for you. I wish there were more outfits, though. Some of the clothes look like lingerie…

I hope you get my point. As for the story, I can’t remember in detail because it was that generic, and I played it years ago,  but what I do remember was that it made me feel good.  It’s about humanity. It’s about cooperation, service, interdependence, selflessness, etc. All the good traits that make humanity beautiful. It’s nice to play a feel-good game that doesn’t bash humanity.

Okay, what about the gameplay? Obviously, it took some parts from Dark Souls. Some bosses and monsters are a total rip-off done intentionally, but you can say the same about Dark Souls. It’s not like they originally came up with monster designs. I also think they drew a lot of inspiration from spending way too much time at the gentlemen’s club. The Executioner boss was quite comical. It’s not ideal for audiences like me, but nonetheless, they successfully imitate game design that has worked in the past by introducing something new. That’s why I think Code Vein is unique.

Overall, I enjoyed the game more than I expected, and those are the best gaming moments. When I find a game I enjoy, I feel like I hit the jackpot. However, what prevented me from totally loving it was the outfit designs and the edgy atmosphere. With that being said, I am on the fence with Code Vein II. It is one of those games that I am interested in playing, but I’m not in a rush to play.  From what I remember, it was a fun co-op adventure game I played with my fiancé during quarantine. 

I like the dancing emote in this game. It is really fun capturing these silly moments, and the soundtrack wasn’t too bad either.