Code Vein - new action RPG from God Eater devs at Bandai Namco

[DJOGamer PT]

Watched some videos, and I noticed this has cooldowns for melee attacks...



Why?

 

[Mojobeard]

I remember a time when we didn't need to equip passive skills. What the fuck happened?

The game would be even easier than it already is. Your passives are your rings in Dark Souls 2 and 3, they're part of your build. Think carefully what you really need, because you really, really do not need most of them.

Watched some videos, and I noticed this has cooldowns for melee attacks...

No it doesn't. Those are magical weapon attacks that use ichor. Your basic attacks do not have cooldowns, just stamina. Those magic attacks also grant you invincibility frames and stagger resist, and just generally do huge amounts of damage.

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

but nothing substantial

 

[Reinhardt]

Mindless grindan makes me forget

Only 2 blood codes left. Until ng+

 

[Reinhardt]

Final boss sword is really cool for invasion clearing.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Is the boss in the Cathedral the final one? Like, the game ends after that? Because I looked pretty much everywhere for vestiges, I cleared the available areas as much as I could (the few depths levels that I have access to are cleared 100% except for the bosses behind those doors because I'm really not in the mood to fight Butterfly or Executioner for the 10th time) and I kinda want to progress the story and unlock new areas.
Where else do you get vestiges?
I did the personal memory thing where you fight the boss from the demo, broke some crates that contained a vestige as well as some other loot.
Also, is 6 the maximum number of health potions that you can get or I seriously missed something?

 

[Reinhardt]

Cathedral is mid game. There is half of the game ahead.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Man I can't shake the feeling that they built this game right on top of the source code for DaS. It shares so much of that game's quirks to be a coincidence. All the peculiarities of the backstabbing is present here too, down to the exact timing and positioning.

 

[Haplo]

I do love the Zweihander moveset... It brings back such awesome memories...

But yesterday I finally seriously have tried the Oni Bane and oh boy! Sure its swings have less range, it lacks the vertical smashes and the cool launching Thrust. But it deals almost exactly the same damage per hit - while hitting much faster, is much easier to keep Normal Mobility with, seems to Stagger MORE and consumes less Stamina per block (admittedly blocking a little less damage... but still a lot).
That thing appears to be a real monster!

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

I do love the Zweihander moveset... It brings back such awesome memories...

But yesterday I finally seriously have tried the Oni Bane and oh boy! Sure its swings have less range, it lacks the vertical smashes and the cool launching Thrust. But it deals almost exactly the same damage per hit - while hitting much faster, is much easier to keep Normal Mobility with, seems to Stagger MORE and consumes less Stamina per block (admittedly blocking a little less damage... but still a lot).
That thing appears to be a real monster!

Honestly, i have yet to see anything top spell-caster (forgot what it's actually called) + bayonet (low equipment load). It's super high damage and versatile. Makes a lot of the bosses really easy affairs. You get the best dodge in the game for free (equivalent of a spell), you can shoot long range with the bayonet and the melee is quick and high damage. The spells are yet another source of cheap high damage. Master parry to increase ammo cap and you are golden.

 

[Haplo]

Personally I'm more of a Guts fan

 

[Reinhardt]

Right now i'm more of a "spam heavy attack with argent wolf king's blade" fan.

 

[Haplo]

Well, I'm not that far in yet. Just navigating trough Anor Londo.. I mean Cathedral of Blood.
Disappointingly linear so far.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Finished the Cathedral, moving on. Wow, bosses are annoying, not fun.
Literally every single one of them has a bullshit spin to win move that they love to spam. 180°-360° attacks plus the corresponding tracking. Fucking.....feels like I'm fighting Smelter Demon every time. Only he had this special kind of crap.
Also staggering enemies is identical to DkS 2. You need to hit them 2 or 3 times before interrupting them and depends on the weapon. They only need to hit you once. If you can't land 2 or 3 hits before they launch an attack you'll take damage, unless the animation ends and you can dodge. I much prefer the system in DkS3/BB where each hit staggered them but not to the point of you stun locking them. And vice versa.
It's like they took the worst elements from DkS 2 and expanded them into a game.
So far, feels like this was made by amateurs. This is why you leave the making of this kind of game to the pros and play the original/good ones instead of these knockoffs. From Software by now has it down to a science.

 

[Haplo]

Hmm, how fast you can stagger - and your own stagger resistance depends on some variables, I think.
Most importantly the weapon and its enchantments. Some enemies I could stagger in 1 hit with a Fortified Zweihander, but it took me 2 hits after I removed the Fortification upgrade. Regular Oni Bane can Stagger these enemies in 1 hit, without upgrades.
Then there is the active Precision Strikes ability, that increases your Stagger capability.

On your side armor is the most important for Balance, but also passive and active abilities can increase it - and I guess your stats and Blood Code also might?

It's all actually all quite configurable (with trade-offs, obviously).

 

[Child of Malkav]

Hmm, how fast you can stagger - and your own stagger resistance depends on some variables, I think.
Most importantly the weapon and its enchantments. Some enemies I could stagger in 1 hit with a Fortified Zweihander, but it took me 2 hits after I removed the Fortification upgrade. Regular Oni Bane can Stagger these enemies in 1 hit, without upgrades.
Then there is the active Precision Strikes ability, that increases your Stagger capability.

On your side armor is the most important for Balance, but also passive and active abilities can increase it - and I guess your stats and Blood Code also might?

It's all actually all quite configurable (with trade-offs, obviously).

I'm using the crimson longsword as it has good stats, better than other weapons for casters but because it's basically it's very fast and allows for faster recovery of ichor.
If you use 2 handed sword then I imagine it would stagger with every hit. And I'm still unlocking blood codes so I don't have full access to everything yet.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Yeah i just reached anor londo myself. Trying the Guts build now. Btw, is there anyway to customize Blood Veils?

 

[Child of Malkav]

Yeah i just reached anor londo myself. Trying the Guts build now. Btw, is there anyway to customize Blood Veils?

Not that I know of. You can infuse them. It's called transformation but I haven't used it yet. I think it changes scaling.

Edit: typos.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Dats kinda dumb. In general the clothing options in the game are lacking. I hope they add a bunch more soon.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

i'm yet to meet a single boss in this game that doesn't employ large, sweep attacks (spin to win). I'd say about 90% of ALL the mobs are also the same. Very disappointing overall.

 

[Child of Malkav]

i'm yet to meet a single boss in this game that doesn't employ large, sweep attacks (spin to win). I'd say about 90% of ALL the mobs are also the same. Very disappointing overall.

One of my major complaints as well. Also what I kept saying previously.
90% is an exaggeration. There are certain mobs that appear in almost areas and there are some that are reskins of others but there are new enemies in each zone.
Also in the depths it seems after obtaining the keys, you fight again bosses you killed before. I don't remember if they give anything after defeating them as I have only done 2 or 3 of them. I explored the level 100%, collected all the items but I haven't done the final boss.

 

[Reinhardt]

Depths cannoneer+blade wymmyn > story cannoneer+blade wymmyn.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

i'm yet to meet a single boss in this game that doesn't employ large, sweep attacks (spin to win). I'd say about 90% of ALL the mobs are also the same. Very disappointing overall.

One of my major complaints as well. Also what I kept saying previously.
90% is an exaggeration. There are certain mobs that appear in almost areas and there are some that are reskins of others but there are new enemies in each zone.
Also in the depths it seems after obtaining the keys, you fight again bosses you killed before. I don't remember if they give anything after defeating them as I have only done 2 or 3 of them. I explored the level 100%, collected all the items but I haven't done the final boss.

Was saying 90% of mobs use sweeping attacks. Quote me on that. I don't think i'm off.

Anyways for me this is where i stop playing the game. I put in about 15 hours and i think i saw enough of the game to make up my mind.

 

[Child of Malkav]

i'm yet to meet a single boss in this game that doesn't employ large, sweep attacks (spin to win). I'd say about 90% of ALL the mobs are also the same. Very disappointing overall.

One of my major complaints as well. Also what I kept saying previously.
90% is an exaggeration. There are certain mobs that appear in almost areas and there are some that are reskins of others but there are new enemies in each zone.
Also in the depths it seems after obtaining the keys, you fight again bosses you killed before. I don't remember if they give anything after defeating them as I have only done 2 or 3 of them. I explored the level 100%, collected all the items but I haven't done the final boss.

Was saying 90% of mobs use sweeping attacks. Quote me on that. I don't think i'm off.

Anyways for me this is where i stop playing the game. I put in about 15 hours and i think i saw enough of the game to make up my mind.

My mistake then. Well, I'm going to finish the game but not plan on playing it again. Shame, as it has potential.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

My mistake then. Well, I'm going to finish the game but not plan on playing it again. Shame, as it has potential.

Yeap. My thoughts exactly. It had potential but the iconic BamCo level of quality brought it down significantly. Honestly after Sekiro, beating bosses whose entire existence revolves around (pun not intended) a spin-to-win moveset is not satisfying whatsoever. Couple that with how ugly the game is, how boring and bland the level designs are, and the over-the-top anime dramatics (sounds, constant chatter, screams, melodramatic story etc.) brings me almost no satisfaction. Even the TnA makes it so i feel like i'm watching a sleazy porn parody of something much greater. There is one-thing to be inspired by another game, but calling Code Vein "Souls-like" is really unfair to the concept of "likeness". This is a blatant rip-off, and call me crazy, but i'm even convinced that they've built it right on top of the source code for DaS 2. It just shares too many quirks with that game to be a coincidence. Regardless of that conspiracy theory, this game barely has an original bone in its body, and many of those that it does have actually make it a worse product. That Anor Londo themed area is a perfect example of how not to copy something. There is nothing joyful about a maze that has a whopping "3" total textures of its entire architecture, made by repetitive enemies who all use sweep movesets, all the while unlocking meaningless shortcuts.

This started out okay and quickly spiraled down into to shit-tier for me. I'm just gonna go and see if DaS 2 holds up after all these years instead.