The Souls-like label needs to die, reckons Austin, but, given how much I enjoy Hidetaka Miyazaki's gothic nightmarescapes, I secretly don't mind if the term endures. 'Dark Souls-meets-anime' is the billing Bandai Namco's Code Vein has so far received, and its latest trailer shows off both in equal measure.
Cue sprawling crumbling worlds, towering demon-like baddies, and scores of grandiose costumes and ostentatious weapons.
Nothing in the way of hard story there, but I sense at least one moody teen, an anguished protagonist, and an amnesiac among that lot—a combo that's near universal within the genre. Joking aside, here's what we do know about Code Vein, courtesy of Bandai Namco:
"Feast on the blood of enemies through a journey across a massive interconnected world to unlock its mysterious sanguine past in this thrilling action-RPG. In the not too distant future, a mysterious disaster has brought collapse to the world, as we know it. Towering skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. At the center of the destruction lies a hidden society of Revenants called Vein.
"This final stronghold is where the remaining few fight to survive, blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Give into the bloodlust fully and risk becoming one of the Lost, fiendish ghouls devoid of any remaining humanity."
The following 17 minutes of footage won't dispel Dark Souls comparisons, however does look pretty neat:
Code Vein is without a concrete launch date as yet, however is expected at some point in 2018.
