We had an opportunity to interview Bandai Namco’sCode Veinproducer Keita Iizuka and director Hiroshi Yoshimura during a special presentation just beforeTGS 2017. We were also treated to a live demo, and hands-on time withCode Vein. Check out ourgameplay capture here, or read on to this interview!
Code Vein Developer Interview: Open World, Multiplayer, NG+
FL:Are there difficulty settings or the like? Are you worried that player may just improve their companions and render tactics useless. Do you have considerations for players who don’t have a lot of time to invest mastering the game?
There won’t be difficulty settings. We are aiming to have players improve their parameters and level up in order to apply their tactics on the field.Companionstats are somewhat improved by the main player’s parameters, but our main objective is for the player character to have the lead role in combat situations.
If a player finds themselves outmatched in their current leveled-up state, they can use theBlood Codesystem to change their fight style and approach the battle with different techniques. We want to make it possible for players to overcome “walls” of difficulty by simply trying a different approach.
FL:Will there be multiplayer or online play? Will there be asynchronous online interactions? Are either of those planned or considered for later?
There’s a desire to do it, but we don’t have a schedule yet. It’s a difficult feature to implement so we are slowly working on how it could be done. So, for now, we have no official information.
Further, adding multiplayer or online features must be done within the setting of the game, where we already have a companion. We must consider the setting and gather information on how to approach this aspect and test it thoroughly before we can confirm if we can include it, and ensure smooth user communication in the process. We want to create a vibrant community.
FL:Is there defensive equipment or armor?
There is vampire equipment that provides protective effects, but it’s not necessarily armor. There are specific “Mantle” and “Cover” slots that can be changed to grant different properties. In the two provided with the demo, the motion and effects of parrying change drastically from one to the next.
FL:Can you explain more about the magic system and spells - how many styles or spells?
Much likeBloodborne, Bullets andGifts are limited by “Stock”, which you may recover by dealing melee damage. The upper limit of stock can be increased too by performing special attacks after a parry, backstab, or even after defeating a powerful enemy.
FL:Can you explain more about the Blood Code system? How many are there? How many can a player level up at the same time?
Blood Code changes the game style, and the Blood skills and gifts available. The gifts then change the player’s actions such as steps, or your special action or effects when you fill your focus bar. This is intended to give players customization over their approach, allowing them to attune their preset parameters or “classes” such as “Fighter type” on the fly. YourBlood Codeincreases in level as you level up.
FL:How many weapons are there? How many upgrade paths? Are upgrades tied to game progress?
We have 5 categories ofweapons, and there will be many individual weapons within them that should be satisfying, but we don’t have a determined total number of weapons to reveal yet. We want players to find the weapon that suits them, so if someone likes a Japanese sword they canupgradethat weapon.
FL:Character Creationseems to be very detailed, what’s the objective?
We wanted to give players a lot of freedom to customize their characters, including details such as changing only one eye color, or applying scars on the face, changing their faces and appearance. We wanted to have everyone be ready to make their own ideal and cool character, without falling into the trap that other games have where players end up sharing a set slider pattern to try and make their characters look good. We gave lots of freedom so people can start from a clear template.
FL:How many areas are there? How many Bosses are there
We haven’t determined the specific total number of areas yet, but it’s an interconnected world where several sub-areas look distinctly different so players may explore this world. Players may also progress in any way they like within the world. Since bosses are tied to areas, we cannot reveal that either (laughs)
FL:Is there NG+? What changes in subsequent playthroughs?
We haven’t decided on NG+ yet, but we want players to enjoy creating their ownBlood Codes, and enjoy multiple playthroughs as multiple different builds and classes, which increases replay value as well as multiple choice options or a no-companion run.
FL:How many companions will there be? Are there multiple choices or quests or companion events? Are there any situations that affect the world status in different ways?
We cannot reveal the total number ofcompanionsyet, but we are planning on providing enough variety so all kinds of players can be satisfied with their choices. You recruit companions by clearing quests in the field, so you will unlock more as you progress
And yes, players will find certain moments where they must make choices that affect the story and events that unfold. They are not just story related choices, but sometimes depending on the player’s approach to events they will see branching effects on their game. Companion and solo players will experience events a little differently.
FL:How long do you expect the game will be?
We are expecting people to have wide differences in gameplay depending on skill, particularly against tough bosses or depending on whether players explore and pick all items, but it should be more than 30 hours of base gameplay.
FL:Do you plan a testing or demo version? Do you have plans for DLC?
It’s really early to think of that, so we are investigating options and will see what we decide later
CODE VEINwill launch for the PS4, Xbox One and PC in early 2018. you may keep up withCode VeinatTGS 2017, as our hands-on footage in this article
If you would like to see how Code Vein relates to Dark Souls in a summarized fashion, you may check out thisbatch of GIFs showcasingCODE VEIN‘s gameplay in action!
