In collaboration with IGN, Code Vein staff gave a detailed look into new character customization content and gameplay for the upcoming action title produced by Bandai Namco.

Code Vein is an action and roleplaying game featuring vicious monsters, run down cities, and mankind’s fight for survival. Players create their own character and choose a partner to fight alongside them on their journey. Both characters use special attacks with various weapons and Blood veils, powers they’ve gained “in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood.”

IGN was able to get hands-on with Code Vein through extended gameplay and showcased some of the attacks, playable characters, environments, and methods of fighting different types of monsters. The game’s atmosphere and fighting style have been compared to that of Dark Souls, but in an interview with Vg247, Director Hiroshi Yoshimura states,

“The thing that separates us from Dark Souls is really.. well, like I said, it’s because they’re vampires. Because of the blood they suck, they can use these special abilities called gifts. These gifts allow you to for instance speed up or create shields to block enemy attacks.

By using these gifts, it gives you that very fast-paced action that you’d see in other games also. It becomes a combination of the Dark Souls style high tense battle with a very high pace action – that’s what sets us apart.”

IGN’s gameplay video displayed some of these fast-paced action characteristics and the use of gifts, as their main character hacked and slashed through enemies while quickly rolling and dodging to avoid onslaughts of multiple attacks at once.

In IGN’s interview with the Director, Producer and other Code Vein staff, character customization aspects of the game were also revealed.  Director Yoshimura says players will be able to “choose their gender and body type, as well as face, eye color, and other features in detail.” Technical Artist Shinichiro Tadokoro describes features that will allow players to change smaller details such as hairstyles, face types, and eye characteristics. Some small accessories like stickers and arm pouches can be added and changed into different colors as well. By providing so many customization options, Code Vein capitalizes on the role-playing aspect of the game by allowing players to create characters that are truly unique individuals.

Code Vein does not have a set release date or rating yet, but Bandai Namco announced that it should be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018.