New Code Vein screenshots introduce Mia Karnstein, Yakumo Shinonome, and Blood Veils
Bandai Namco has just published new information of Code Vein, their upcoming Dark Souls-meets-God Eater new IP, at the latest Weekly Famitsu magazine. This batch mainly introduced us to the Buddy characters that were shown in early screenshots, but it also has more details on some gameplay and background settings as well.
This article has been updated with screenshots provided by Bandai Namco
Mia Karnstein (voiced by Ai Kayano) - A kind-hearted revenant who continues fighting for her younger brother
A female revenant who wanders around the lands of Vein together with her younger brother. She thinks that she shouldn't hesitate in fighting other revenants if it's for protecting her remaining family member. What kind of fate will await the siblings who live in this cruel world?
Mia uses a rifle with bayonet, which can also attack from long range. When fighting enemies, her main strategy is Hit & Away, putting her in a safe and stable position. Her Blood Veil is called Stinger, where her long coat transforms into a tail blade that can stab enemies with a long reach.
Yakumo Shinonome (voiced by Kosuke Toriumi) - A former mercenary who remembers his lost brethren
A man who used to work as a mercenary in the past. He has a strong sense of duty and takes good care of other people, so there are many revenants who consider him like an elder brother. Although he is yearned by people around him, he also has a cool-headed side as a professional in battles.
Yakumo fights with a great sword which has powerful close-range attacks, making him a good helper in fighting tough enemies. His Blood Veil is called Hounds, where the jacket sleeves on his shoulders would transform into a pair of wolf heads. Although the heads have short reach, they have a wide range and quick movements which make them easy to use at close-range battles.
This batch also has more examples of Tempered Blood, the ability to use blood that had been absorbed from Lost demons with the Blood Veil. There are various kinds of Tempered Blood abilities, not only offensive but also supportive.
An example of offensive Tempered Blood is shooting multiple blood bullets that can hit multiple enemies at the same time. The article also shows a couple of supportive Tempered Blood ability examples such as forming a round barrier around the user that will greatly raise their defense, or giving temporary enhancements to the user's movements such as raising their movement speed and altering their evasion motions.
And last but not least, this batch also explains in more detail about Vein, the game's world which is shrouded by mysterious thorns. Vein is a closed society where revenants could barely survive in it. The grounds are being stabbed by the 'Thorns of Judgment', which drive humans away from their safe habitat, forcing them to conceal themselves. What were previously thought to be buildings where humans live in are now totally ruined. The reason why these Thorns of Judgment appear is still unknown, but could it be related to the emergence of revenants?
Areas in the world of Vein are split into interconnected sections. The Ruined City area consists of not only the City Grounds on the surface, which has desolate buildings and abandoned vehicles, but it also has an Underground Region. On the surface, the entrance to the Underground Region looks like an underground tunnel. But once inside, the scenery suddenly changes to a cave composed of rocks and limestones. The cave is shrouded in darkness that could make unsuspecting players fall down.
Code Vein will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC worldwide in early 2018. You can also watch some gameplay footage of the game here, or read our translation of a Japanese interview at E3 2017 here.
Update: Bandai Namco Japan posted more screenshots for the game
