Bandai Namco’s newest ARPG, Code Vein, has been described as something of a sleeper hit for its genre. Regarded as essentially an anime Soulsborne lookalike until its release, the game has managed to surprise audiences with a rich story and unique flavor of its own. For those of you wondering what you’re going to be getting out of a full AAA priced game, here’s a breakdown of what to expect.
30-40 Hours, Depending On Skill
Though not the Soulsborne imitator people had expected it to be, Code Vein is still firmly a Souls-like with all the trappings of the genre. Unlike most other RPGs, you can’t get by the story with the general level of experience points given to you along the way; you either need a base level of reflexes and skill or time to grind (in order to compensate for the lack of the former) in order to progress in the game.
Our playthrough lasted 37 hours, accounting for a lack of experience in the genre. Players more familiar with the genre can expect their playthrough to be closer to 30 hours, with about 3-5 extra hours to complete the footwork necessary to get the true ending.
How Long To 100% Achievements/Trophies?
This is entirely dependent on the player. Most of the trophies/achievements can be unlocked in the first playthrough, as they involve general gameplay elements like collecting all of the Blood Codes available and maxing out your equipment upgrades. The most time-consuming milestones to unlock involve multiplayer and the multiple endings.
One milestone involves achieving a certain rank in multiplayer, which is estimated to take around 10 hours. Additionally, there are four milestones associated with the three endings - one for viewing each ending and a final one for viewing all three. Unfortunately, Code Vein does not distinguish between manual saves and autosaves - your most recent autosave overwrites your manual save - so the only way to view all three endings is to play the game three times through.
NG+, of course, speeds this process up as you’ll retain your level and equipment. However, there is an option to increase the difficulty when starting an NG+ playthrough, so the first level enemies will offer the same level of challenge as the final region’s enemies in the initial difficulty. The length of the two extra playthroughs will vary widely depending on whether or not the difficulty is altered in NG+. Roughly estimated, an NG+ run with the heightened difficulty, so, with all of the cutscenes skipped, it might take around 15 hours, bringing the 100% playtime to around 70-80 hours with the multiplayer component. Without the difficulty raised, it should only take a player about 60-70 hours.
That extra 30-40 hours may not be the most enthralling, however, as fighting through the exact same storyline, even with the difficulty enhanced, will most likely get a bit tedious. The replayability of Code Vein and the post-game content isn't great so far, but with firm plans in place for DLC, it’s too early to put out a final verdict on the game’s shelf life yet. For now, players can expect 30-40 hours of a colorful Souls-like vampire experience.