Technologies

Code Vein II Review: A Better Sequel Still Struggling to Stand Out Among Soulslikes

The anime Soulslike is back.

The Soulslike genre — difficult action games built on the formula established by FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series — is a common sight these days, but back in 2019, when the first Code Vein came out, they were few and far between. Code Vein had the notable descriptor of being the «anime Soulslike» thanks to its unique art style. The sequel, Code Vein II, expands on the story and gameplay of the original, but like its predecessor, it simply hasn’t stepped up to be one of the better Souslike games.

Code Vein II is a sequel in name only and doesn’t connect directly to its predecessor, save for the return of vampire-like undead Revenants who make up most of the cast — except for the player. As an unnamed Revenant Hunter, players are ultimately tasked with doing some time traveling to save the world, befriending heroes in the past and then striking them down in the present for the greater good.

While that does make the story more interesting, this sequel still doesn’t have enough substance to both satisfy fans of the Soulslike genre and bring non-fans into the mix.

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Did I hit a vein?

Code Vein II makes use of the traditional action-RPG formula found in most Soulslikes. You equip weapons such as one-handed swords, giant swords, dual swords, hammers and halberds, and proceed to kill enemies using combos of light and strong attacks. At your disposal are Forma items that can be added to your weapons that act like abilities or spells, which use Ichor, the mana pool for your character. There are also flavorful finishers called Jails that can be used to do some huge damage to enemies when they’re staggered, or drain Ichor when deployed any other time.

Combat has the same feel as other Souslikes, relying on tight timing to dodge enemy blows and get in counterattacks, but it’s sometimes difficult to tell what kind of attack is coming your way, which is a glaring flaw. Going back to the originator of the genre, Dark Souls made sure enemy animations had telegraphed which style of attack was incoming, giving players ample time to get out of the way.

Where most of these issues become noticeable is with the bosses. As is the case with a Soulslike game, Code Vein II has some big bosses with powerful attacks requiring players to approach the fights with some strategy, as simply pressing attack over and over again will not suffice. Yet it almost never fails that in a battle, there will be some attack causing damage without any visual indicator. Also, not every boss is unique, as you’ll see weaker versions of them later in the game roaming around the map.

More frustrating is that, seemingly due to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting, some enemies have attacks that you just can’t see coming. There is one field boss that is built like a four-legged tank and can shoot from double turrets, but the bullets can barely be seen before they hit the player. This means you’re stuck blocking the attacks. Other bosses have similar issues where it’s tough to tell the reach of an enemy’s attack, making it easy to mistime a dodge and get hit anyway.

Code Vein II’s most unique addition is the Partner System, which is a different take on the summoning-a-computer-ally options found in other Soulslike games. Players meet other characters throughout the story who will join them as partners, typically after winning their friendship through tasks and trials. These allies will have a segment of the player’s lifebar dedicated to them, and they’ll act on their own in battle using their own abilities and attacks. This partner not only helps deal damage and tank hits from the enemy, but they can also revive you when your health is depleted, although they will disappear for a certain amount of time — a neat last-ditch survival mechanic that gives players just enough time to land a last blow.

If you don’t want to deal with a partner or are having trouble with a boss and want to try a different strategy, you can try Assimilation, or absorbing your partner. By doing this, your character gets the whole lifebar to themselves as well as buffed stats, but you’re on your own. I found myself struggling against a particular boss when I had my partner with me, but when I went on my own, the fight seemed easier. It can help to have another target for certain bosses, but there are likely players who will prefer to absorb the boosts and handle enemies themselves.

Speaking of stats, each partner offers their own Blood Code, which are equippable artifacts that improve the player’s stats and provide other positives and negatives to their abilities. Equipping them and defeating enough enemies will level them up to improve their buffs, and wearing the matching Blood Code that your partner gave you will stack an additional boost.

If that sounds a bit convoluted, it is. The systems in Code Vein are noticeably more complex than other Soulslike games that focus on a few primary stats for your character and a handful of other secondary stats that determine other attributes, such as how many hits you can take before being stunned or how fast you can cast a spell. There are so many explainer pages that pop up when exploring your character’s stats page within the menu, and it’s just exhausting after a while. I’m not saying it would be better to only see the absolute minimum of character stats, but there is a point where a screen full of numbers is too much.

Can someone decode this?

While the stat system for Code Vein II is a bit convoluted, the story is seemingly both complex and sparse. In the world of Code Vein, humans and Revanants, a human-like species with vampiric abilities, coexist in a post-apocalyptic future that is about to be destroyed. A cataclysmic event called the Resurgence, once prevented by the sacrifice of many heroes who sealed themselves away in cocoons, has returned to threaten the destruction of the world again.

The player takes on the role of a human who dies trying to save innocents, and a Revenant named Lou revives them by donating half of her heart. She’s part of an organization called MagMell that is trying to use time travel to save the world. Those former Revenant heroes who once sealed away evil need to be defeated to stop the Resurgence.

However, in the present, they are locked in their cocoons and can’t be touched. So it’s up to the player to travel back in time 100 years to when these heroes were thriving. Each one has their own personal story and motivations, and the players will have to help them to eventually learn what’s needed to defeat them in the present.

The addition of time travel offers some emotional moments in the game, especially as you bond with heroes in their past, knowing they’ll end up doomed and corrupted in the present, but there is still just so much going on regarding the Resurgence and the world. Yet none of that nuanced character growth has any real weight or adds to the story — it felt like I’d emotionally connect with partners through their tragic stories and then defeat their final versions, only to never see their impact on the plot again. The world itself changes quite extensively when going back in time, but there’s simply not enough of that narrative substance to chew on.

The environmental storytelling is so minimal, and aside from the primary cast of characters, there’s nothing really of interest to explore — mostly just areas filled with items, enemies to fight and a handful of optional dungeons. Typically, Soulslikes offer a vast world filled with little details that help piece together an extensive backstory littered with legendary events and fated battles, just as it did with the Dark Souls games, but that’s just not the case with Code Vein II. After some time, I found myself playing on autopilot, not bothering with every nook and cranny in the world, and just caring solely about gaining levels, completing quests and getting loot. The game’s world is huge, but there’s no worldbuilding. There’s no explanation about some building full of monsters other than one character saying monsters took over that building. The world is just so empty of context for the protagonist and their quest.

As for Code Vein II’s presentation, it’s well-done, but not really exceptional. The designs of the characters and enemies include some delightfully grotesque designs and do satisfy the «anime» aesthetic the franchise is known for, but the world is kind of drab and boring — a standard post-apocalypse that nature is slowly reclaiming. The English voice acting works well, and the music is fine yet not really memorable.

When it comes down to it, Code Vein II improves on the original game for a better experience, but the original was lacking to begin with. Fans of Soulslikes will be satisfied with a quality title, though it will be frustrating at times. Casual players who don’t seek out the difficult experience of these types of games, however, will find very little reason to give Code Vein II a try.

Code Vein II comes out on Friday for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles and will cost $70.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 18, #1011

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 18 #1011.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is pretty tricky, but musicians might find the blue group easy. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Time between two things, maybe.

Green group hint: That smarts!

Blue group hint: Rockers know these well.

Purple group hint: You might write one out to pay a bill.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Interval.

Green group: React to a stubbed toe.

Blue group: Guitar effects pedals.

Purple group: ____ check.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is interval. The four answers are patch, period, spell and stretch.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is react to a stubbed toe. The four answers are curse, hop, wince and yell.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is guitar effects pedals. The four answers are delay, reverb, wah and whammy.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ check. The four answers are blank, coat, rain and reality.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Technologies

My Kid Wanted Video Games. I Was Against It. This Console Gave Us Both the Win

The movement-based Nex Playground might be the antidote to parental screen time guilt.

When our 8-year-old started asking for video games, I knew we were about to engage in an uphill battle. Anytime we’ve been to friends’ houses with gaming consoles, he goes full zombie mode, then has an epic meltdown once the sensory overload wears off. And since he inevitably ropes his 6-year-old brother in, we’re essentially sealing both their fates.

So when our neighbors started raving about a movement-based gaming console called Nex Playground, my first instinct was to shut it down. The words «gaming console» alone were enough to put me in a mental block. Add in my own memories of Wii tennis sessions where I nearly took out the ceiling fan, and I was firmly in the «no» camp.

But after doing a little more research, I was intrigued enough to try it out.

Screen time isn’t something I take lightly. With three kids ages 2 to 8, my husband and I have always been intentional about how and what they watch. They don’t have their own tablets, and most of their screen time happens on our family TV, which means whatever the oldest is exposed to quickly trickles down to our toddler. So anything we bring into the house has to work for all of them. Tall order, I know, but the Nex Playground gets surprisingly close.

Getting started is easy

The console itself is refreshingly simple. It’s a small cube, slightly larger than a Rubik’s cube, with a circular camera and motion sensor, a light indicator and two ports for power, and an HDMI connection to the TV. There’s no controller beyond a basic remote for navigating menus. For most games, your body is the controller.

Setup is quick. Plug it in, connect it to your TV, and you’re ready to go. It doesn’t store video or upload footage to the cloud, which was an immediate plus. It also comes with a magnetic privacy cover that you can put on the lens when it’s not in use.

At $250, it’s not cheap, but it’s less than some of the popular gaming consoles for this age range, like the Nintendo Switch 2. That gets you a five-game starter pack: Fruit Ninja, Go Keeper (soccer), Starri (think Guitar Hero for your whole body), Party Fowl (an AR emoji frenzy) and Whack-a-Mole. Additional games require a subscription: $89 a year or $49 for three months, which unlocks a library of 50-plus games and counting. New titles dropped even as I was writing this.

The library spans a surprisingly wide range. There are board game adaptations like Connect Four and Candy Land, character-driven games with Peppa Pig, Bluey and the Ninja Turtles, and sports like baseball and, yes, tennis — minus the ceiling fan hazard. There’s even parent-friendly content like Zumba workouts, which I may or may not have fully committed to on a rainy afternoon.

Even my toddler has gotten in on the action, mostly bouncing her way through Hungry Hungry Hippos when her brothers finally concede.

Gameplay is where it wins

The movements range from swinging your arms to keep a ball in motion, hopping or full-body launches that are far more aggressive than what the game actually requires. (I’m not about to tell the kids otherwise.) After a 45-minute session, my kids are tired and sometimes even drenched in sweat. The Nex Playground entertains and burns energy in one fell swoop.

The graphics also seem intentionally simple and arcade-like, which fits the minimalist play experience. There’s no POV storyline to get lost in, no leveling up into a new world at 9 p.m. on a school night. Some games keep score, which awakens my kids’ competitive streak, but the vibe is more collaborative and hasn’t been the catalyst for more fighting like other games. If anything, it’s done the opposite.

I still don’t love defaulting to a screen when my kids are bored, so we try to use it in moderation. In our house, piano practice is the only thing that unlocks weekend play time, and the fact that they’ll sit at the piano for a full hour tells you everything you need to know.

The verdict that matters most

But the real test: Does it hold up to an 8-year-old who was dead set on a Nintendo Switch?

Short answer: yes. At least for now. He’d still pick the Switch if you asked him, but not for the reasons you’d expect.

«The Playground is more tiring,» he told me, which only helped seal the deal for me. His current favorite is Homerun Hitters. «It’s basically a baseball game where you go against ranked global players. Me and my brother are really good at it.»

This from a kid whose primary hobby is annoying his younger brother. The fact that he said «me and my brother» as a collective was an unexpected bonus.

The Switch may still show up on the Christmas list this year. And realistically, I know I’m on borrowed time. As kids get older, «cool» becomes the currency, and a motion-based cube probably won’t hold up against an Xbox or a Switch once playdates turn into side-by-side gaming sessions.

The Nex Playground isn’t a replacement for those. It’s more of a detour; it gives them a taste of gaming without all the usual side effects. Even if I do eventually cave, I can still see it sticking around for the occasional family game night or as a rainy-day sibling diffuser.

In the meantime, I’ll relish this simpler version of gaming while I still can. He’s not exactly rushing me to return this review unit. More importantly, neither am I.

Technologies

Don’t Wait for New Emoji in iOS 26.4, Here’s How to Create Them on Your Own

If your iPhone has Apple Intelligence, you can create your own emoji now.

Apple will likely add new emoji to your iPhone when the company releases iOS 26.4. Those new emoji could include an orca, a distorted smiley face and more. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way. The current list of emoji include smileys, sports players, weather conditions and flags. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.3.1 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.