Code Vein is an adequate facsimile of Dark Souls, but lacks that game's storied charm. Enemy design is repetitive and level design ranges from mediocre to horrible (although the excellent map system helps mitigate that somewhat). While the overall plot and premise are interesting, the cutscenes are excruciating to the point that I lost interest in the plot. Side-quests are utterly meaningless with generic rewards. The veil/blood code system is interesting and allows for flexible class-building/switching. The combat is fast-paced and smooth, with well-designed encounters, but the difficulty is extremely uneven. Overall a game with a lot of promise that slowly wore down my enjoyment until I couldn't be bothered to keep playing.