I Spent Quite A Bit of Time With Code Vein’s Character Creation
By: RJ (@rga_02)
There is a mundane routine with every video game review. You read through all the PR fluff that is sent to your inbox, try to ignore all the hype and discourse found on social media, and try your best to plow through the game as objectively as you can.
I did none of that.
All I knew was that Code Vein was labeled as an “animu [sic] Dark Souls.” I can’t say for certain that it is a Souls-esque game because I never got past the character customization screen.
I am a sucker for customization options in video games. I’m even more of a sucker for anime garbage. Mix those two together and I’m easily sucked into something so shallow but engaging.
But it would be an insult to call Code Vein’s customization shallow. Dare I say it - it’s probably better than The Sims if you can deal with the anime aesthetics.
There are more than 30 premade options you can build from. From there you can get down to the nitty-gritty of making the character yours.
What I enjoyed the most is the vast color pallet you have at your disposal. Instead of your usual five or six color options, you are afforded the whole rainbow and much more. For example, the hair color option. You have 31 options to choose from. Out of those 31 choices, you have 24 shades to pick from. On my character’s hair alone, I spent a good five minutes because there were just so many shades of red. Did I want true red? Or Ginger red? Or Rusty Nail red? Even I didn’t know myself.
Going down the list of the advanced settings, there were options to customize that I haven’t even thought of touching. Eyes are one prime example of this. They go beyond just the options to change the eye color and sizing. You can change both the pupils and the highlights, and in the words of the late Billy Mays, “there’s more.” You can make them cross-eye, adjust the thickness of the pupils, and if you even want, have heterochromatic eyes. And for all you degenerates out there, you also have the option to have them have cat eyes so they can look like they are straight out of a rejected anime.
Despite looking like an “edgy” game, there are also a lot of light-hearted customizations as well. For one, you can stick an onigiri on your character. Don’t tell me that isn’t one of the best things ever in video game history. Kojima and his faux movies be damned, this is the peak video game design right here.
Joking aside - partially, it is great to see the nuance in all of this. While there really isn’t a real reason to have different shades of red or useless silly accessories, it’s great that there are those options.
It may seem like I’m gawking over every single mundane feature, it’s not all roses. There is a lot that could be better. You really can’t do much with the physique of the character. If you choose the female option, all it seems to do is just make their breasts larger. You can’t select which part of the body and adjust it accordingly.
If I really want to be more nitpicky, I’m disappointed in the lack of costumes you can choose from. While you can make them look different due to the aforementioned color pallet selection, it’s still pretty bland. But in the end, there is an actual game beyond all of this, and costumes should be the least of your worries.
The aesthetics of this game isn’t for everyone. Folks out there will get turned off on how “anime” it looks or how questionable some of the costumes are. If you can stomach that or if that floats your boat, then you will be presented with something creative and engaging. I can honestly say I spent a good two or three hours with this creation tool - only to end up with a very basic looking character. But it’s my basic looking character.
I guess I should now start on the actual game itself - or I could just make another person.