Code Vein II, launching for PlayStation 5 on January 30, is the most recent entry within the dramatic exploration motion RPG sequence, Code Vein. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, it depicts the drama of Revenants and people who struggle to defy their doomed destiny. Gamers confront relentless foes and treacherous areas alongside a trusted accomplice, whereas their selections rewrite historical past and form the destinies of each the world and its characters.
We lately obtained an opportunity to go hands-on with the upcoming title and have a chat with the sport’s producer, Keita Iizuka, and the director, Hiroshi Yoshimura.
Comply with a hero’s journey that transcends time to rewrite destiny and historical past
PlayStation Weblog: Your studio has labored on motion RPGs just like the God Eater sequence, the Tales sequence, and Scarlet Nexus. What features did you concentrate on to set this title aside from these video games?
Yoshimura: I believe one among Code Vein’s defining options is its difficult problem.
Iizuka: One other essential side of Code Vein is which you can solely convey one companion in your journey. Even when dealing with lethal environments or highly effective enemies the place a single mistake might imply loss of life, it’s simply the 2 of you. Which will really feel isolating at occasions, however the distinctive bond and belief that kind between you and your accomplice is exclusive to Code Vein.
Yoshimura: Code Vein additionally locations a robust emphasis on making a world grounded in real looking backgrounds. The crew made considerate design selections to mix anime-style characters naturally into these detailed environments. This dedication to a particular visible model is one other hallmark of the sport.
Yoshimura-san, again once you had been creating God Eater 2, you talked about the way you organized your concepts by fastidiously placing them into phrases. Did that strategy carry over or affect your work on this undertaking?
Yoshimura: The “verbalization methodology” I used throughout God Eater 2 has been utilized not solely to this title, but additionally to the earlier Code Vein. It includes the big job of writing out each recreation component and clarifying how they join to at least one one other. We repeatedly iterated on the core motion techniques from the prototype stage. As tasks develop in scope and growth durations stretch, the market and player expectations preserve evolving. If the crew doesn’t regularly replace its mindset throughout growth, the sport dangers feeling outdated by the point it launches. The motion on this title is the results of in depth iteration; whereas respecting and carrying ahead the sense of camaraderie along with your buddy that was so effectively acquired within the earlier recreation, we rebuilt the system round two new strategic ideas – “Summoning,” the place you struggle alongside your accomplice, and “Assimilation,” the place you develop into one with them. We hope gamers will get pleasure from this new strategy.
In the case of the sport’s worldbuilding, had been there any components you carried over from the earlier title or particular features you selected to emphasise?
Yoshimura: Code Vein II establishes a brand new setting whereas nonetheless retaining core components from the earlier recreation. As a result of this title is constructed across the thought of rewriting historical past, immediately linking it to the earlier recreation’s world would threat overturning the established historical past and player experiences. That stated, it’s not a wholly separate world both; followers will discover acquainted objects, weapons, presents, and different small callbacks scattered all through the sport.
In the course of the hands-on demo, the design variations between Josée as your Revenant buddy and as a boss actually stood out. What’s the idea behind the Revenant’s boss transformations?
Yoshimura: These design variations are supposed to make gamers surprise what occurred to the character. Whereas their look adjustments drastically, there are nonetheless delicate components shared between the 2 types. You would possibly miss them throughout battle, however because the story unfolds, you’ll start to know the reasoning behind the transformations. We’d love for gamers to look again on the character designs after these revelations.
Making certain narrative integrity amid history-altering adjustments
Player selections play an enormous function on this recreation. Does altering historical past lead to a number of endings?
Iizuka: The core gameplay revolves round touring between the current and previous to progress the story. Once you intervene prior to now and return to the current, relationships with characters or the world itself will change. The sport has a number of endings, so even after reaching one ending, you possibly can return in time to change it.
Yoshimura: It’s a fairly distinctive construction. There are a number of endings, however the way in which gamers strategy them is totally different. What actually defines this recreation is how gamers actively form the story by their very own selections.
Iizuka: There’s additionally New Recreation+ that allows you to carry over your ranges and sure progress for many who need to revisit the story from the start.
The history-altering system have to be difficult to take care of story consistency. What had been your key focuses or struggles when crafting the narrative for this title?
Yoshimura: I took it on myself, however it was far more difficult than anticipated. As I constructed out the narrative, I discovered myself desirous to push the boundaries additional. I need to create dwelling, respiration characters, so I refused to make them act like puppets that had been handy to the sport’s system. Sustaining narrative consistency was robust, however character integrity mattered even more. My core rule was making certain that player experiences had been mirrored with none contradictions. The complexity made it troublesome to convey my imaginative and prescient clearly to the crew, so I simply powered by it myself (laughs).
Iizuka: The story went by in depth rewrites. Nevertheless, the ultimate model achieves stable consistency and a easy circulate, making the historical past alterations really feel seamless with none sense of disconnect.
What are the standout options of the brand new Rune Blade and Twin Blades? Are there any adjustments to weapons carried over from the earlier recreation?
Yoshimura: The Rune Blade is a difficult weapon that leverages formae energy to levitate swords. With particular formae, you and the blade can transfer independently to assault, pulling off solo coordinated assaults. Twin Blades, held in each arms, prioritize velocity and spin. It was extremely requested by followers of the earlier recreation, so we’re excited for the brand new addition. In Code Vein II, you possibly can stack wounds with each hit to maximise Ichor from blood drains, so hit depend is vital.
It’s troublesome to pinpoint adjustments to the 5 returning weapon sorts, however the animations have seen a serious high quality improve, so nothing feels precisely just like the earlier recreation. Each transfer, from weighted swings to combos, has been absolutely rebuilt to match the elevated animation requirements.
Iizuka: This recreation now allows you to equip formae immediately onto weapons, with many more type-specific choices. This makes tailoring builds to every weapon’s strengths far more intuitive than within the earlier title.