Code Vein, the action title that graced our screens back in 2019, certainly turned heads with its anime-inspired aesthetics clashing with soulslike mechanics. Yet, once the dust settled, players were left grumbling about some rather questionable boss encounters and a buddy system that felt more like a crutch than a companion.

Well, hold onto your hats, because a surprise sequel is on the horizon for next year. I managed to get my hands on an early build of Code Vein 2 back on December 19th. After spending some time with it, it is clear the developers have kept the DNA of the original while trimming the fat. The improvements to the boss fights and the buddy system are, quite frankly, a massive step forward.

In this demo, I explored the early game and the narrative surrounding 'Jose Ange'. The structure feels comfortably familiar to the original—you are dealing with the aftermath of heroes who tried, and ultimately failed, to save the world, only to mutate into something else entirely.

The world is suffering from a mysterious plague known as 'Linne', which has sent humanity into a tailspin and allowed vampires to seize the reins of power. A century ago, a handful of heroic vampires sacrificed themselves to seal the plague away, but that seal is wearing thin. You play as a vampire paired with 'Lou', a companion who possesses the ability to traverse time. You will be hopping between the past and present, tracking these heroes' footsteps to save the world, though you’ll eventually have to unseal these heroes—and likely put them out of their misery—to minimise the fallout.

Jose Ange, who accompanies you during this segment, is one such tragic hero. She lost her twin sister when the Linne plague first spiralled out of control, a grief that has transformed into a heavy burden of responsibility. After exploring the 'Transmission Tower' and taking down the 'Remnant of the Linne Species' boss, you return to the present to break her seal and face her in her mutated form.

The narrative segments stick to the dungeon-crawling format we know, but the 'present' world now features a sprawling open world. There’s a greater focus on exploration, with activities like foraging for cooking ingredients. Interestingly, once you finish the Jose boss fight, a golden object called 'Connection' is left behind. It suggests there might be a way to save these heroes, though it looks far more arduous than the original, likely requiring deep exploration or complex side quests.

Let’s be honest: the original Code Vein wasn't exactly known for build variety. Guarding was tied to your weapon, making heavy gear the only sensible choice early on, while parrying and blood-draining felt clunky if you weren't wearing the 'Ivy' type Blood Veil. Code Vein 2 has completely overhauled this.

For starters, armour is now split into 'Defensive Arts' and 'Veil'. The Veil determines your blood-drain attacks, and there’s a much wider variety this time. 'Bat', for instance, sends a swarm of bats at enemies, while 'Reaper' swings a massive scythe. They are still slow to charge—useless against bosses—but they are a delight against mobs. Mana, now renamed 'Ichor', still works on a resource-gathering loop, but you can now accumulate it just by dealing consistent damage, which makes the whole flow feel less punishing.

Defensive Arts are now categorised into 'Guard', 'Evasion', and 'Parry'. My favourite is the 'Umbra Shift', an evasion art that lets you 'step' rapidly—perfect for closing the gap on a boss or dodging a cheeky strike. There are also 'Inherited Arts', which let you tap into the long history of vampire abilities. I used a bow-based skill that was excellent for pulling a single enemy from a pack.

Weapon variety has also seen a boost, with plenty of fast, lightweight options. The Rune Blade, for instance, consists of floating twin blades that lean heavily into a skill-based playstyle. It’s got the attack speed of a one-handed sword, but the animations? Absolutely top-tier. I found that landing multiple hits to build Ichor, then spamming skills, was a very effective rhythm for boss fights.

The buddy system in the first game was… polarising, to put it mildly. In a soulslike, having an AI companion that matched your performance but rarely drew aggro felt unbalanced. Sometimes, your buddy would practically kill the boss while you were busy dodging, which killed the sense of achievement. On the flip side, if you ignored the buddy, some bosses felt unfairly bloated with health and ridiculous AOE patterns.

Code Vein 2 is putting in the work to fix this. Buddies are now less aggressive and their damage output has been tuned down. They are much better at staying out of your way during combat. The 'Gift Heal'—which revives you with a bit of health—is still here, but it now includes an animation where the buddy briefly vanishes, making it feel like a more calculated risk.

With the buddy system reined in, the boss difficulty has seen a subtle uptick. The 'Remnant of the Linne Species' is a classic 'big boss' encounter. It doesn't move much, but it floods the floor with status effects and swings those massive arms around. It demands patience and a focus on dodging the big hitters.

Then there’s the 'Blind Hero Jose'. Phase one features a haunting, traditional Japanese score, with the boss using a katana and aggressive stomps. Phase two ramps up the speed and adds shockwaves to her stomps, which are absolute nightmares to dodge. I was struggling until my buddy 'Lou' used an Inherited Art to lock her down, buying me just enough time to breathe.

The boss fights feel much fairer this time, thanks to better visibility and cleaner telegraphs—those screen-cluttering AOE attacks are largely a thing of the past. While the bosses are still a bit spongey, the refined buddy behaviour makes for a much more engaging experience. It’s a definite step up, and I’m genuinely looking forward to the final release.

Code Vein 2 launches on January 29th next year for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with full Korean language support.