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| Pictured - ingame cinematic artwork from Bandai Namco's Code Vein II. |
After a seven-year drought, fans of the unique "anime souls" genre have their answer. Code Vein II, the highly anticipated sequel from Bandai Namco and developers from the original Code Vein and God Eater franchises, launched worldwide on January 30, 2026. For those who pre-ordered premium editions, the journey began a few days earlier on the 27th. This isn't simply a retread of the 2019 cult hit; the sequel takes a major narrative leap with a time-travel mechanic, inviting comparisons to classics like Ocarina of Time. Players, alongside a new companion named Lou, must jump between a vibrant pre-apocalyptic past and a desolate, gray present to thwart a mysterious threat known as the "Luna Rapacis."
The core gameplay sees a significant evolution with the new Forma and Jail system. While the signature Blood Codes return, combat has been supercharged. Players now assign specific special attacks, called Formae, directly to face buttons, creating a faster, more active combat flow that leans into character-action territory rather than a methodical souls-like crawl. Exploration also gets a new vehicle—literally. A motorbike allows for traversal of the game's larger open-world areas, though early impressions on its handling have been less than kind, with some comparing it to a stubborn RC car battling invisible walls.
The beloved Partner system from the first game is back and more integral than ever. Now, you can choose to "assimilate" your companion, fusing with them for a temporary massive power boost while they’re off-field, or rely on their new ability to resurrect you mid-fight—a literal life-saver for messy battles.
You can wishlist and check the latest community buzz for Code Vein II directly on its Steam store page.
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| (Image source: Steam) |
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| (Image source: Steam) |
However, the launch has been marred by significant technical issues, particularly on PC. Despite the anticipation, the game currently holds a "Mixed" rating on Steam, hovering around 53%. The criticism isn’t aimed at the story or core design, which many players are praising, but squarely at the port's performance. The system requirements are steep—recommending an RTX 3080 for 1080p/60fps—yet players report muddy textures, frequent environmental pop-in during cutscenes, and combat that sometimes lacks the visceral impact of the original. A major point of contention is the complete absence of co-op at launch, a feature many considered the best part of the first Code Vein.
For those planning to dive in, be prepared: Code Vein II is a resource hog. It requires 16 GB of RAM, 70 GB of storage, and an SSD is practically mandatory for acceptable load times. The experience on handheld PC devices is also challenging. On the Steam Deck (currently priced around $765 on Amazon), the game is only rated "Playable." It struggles to maintain 30 FPS on Low settings, and the UI isn't optimized for the smaller screen.
The mixed player sentiment is reflected in the detailed charts and data available on SteamDB.
It’s a tough start for a long-awaited sequel. Yet, for the dedicated fanbase willing to look past the technical jank—hopefully to be addressed in future patches—there appears to be a deep and ambitious anime-souls adventure at the heart of Code Vein II. Priced at $69.99, it's a gamble that may pay off for the patient. If you're curious about the hardware to run it, you can check out the latest on the Steam Deck via Amazon.