• MixaGame Team
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Bandai Namco’s long-awaited sequel is already dividing its fanbase before it officially releases.

Code Vein 2 hit Steam’s 72-hour early access window this week, and the reception has been rough. Players who pre-purchased the anime-styled action RPG are flooding the store page with complaints about optimization problems severe enough to overshadow whatever the game does well. The current rating sits at “Mixed,” a stark contrast to the original Code Vein’s “Very Positive” standing.

The timing couldn’t be worse. With the official January 29 launch just days away, Bandai Namco faces the uncomfortable reality that its most dedicated fans are the ones sounding alarms.

Performance problems dominate early feedback

The complaints share a consistent theme: the game runs poorly regardless of hardware specifications.

“One of the most unoptimized games I have ever played,” reads one review, “which is a real shame because it otherwise seems really cool.”

That sentiment echoes across dozens of similar posts. Players aren’t necessarily attacking the game’s design or content. They’re frustrated that technical issues prevent them from experiencing it properly. Frame rate drops, stuttering, and general instability appear widespread enough that multiple reviewers independently reached the same conclusions.

“For now, it feels like wasted money for early access,” another player writes. “The game performs like s*.”

The phrase “wasted money” stings particularly hard when applied to fans who paid extra for early access privileges. These aren’t casual browsers who picked up the game on a whim. They’re the core audience, the players who loved Code Vein enough to pre-order its sequel and want to play it before anyone else.

Some players report no issues at all

Not every experience has been negative. The “Mixed” rating reflects genuine division rather than universal condemnation.

“Code Vein was one of my favourite Souls titles, and this is already one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in the past year,” one positive reviewer explains. Another claims they’ve “not had one issue” with performance despite the widespread complaints.

This inconsistency makes diagnosis difficult. When some players experience crippling problems while others run the game smoothly, hardware configurations, driver versions, and background processes all become potential culprits. But the burden of optimization shouldn’t fall on consumers to figure out. That’s the developer’s job.

Review Sentiment	Common Themes
Negative	Severe performance issues, stuttering, poor optimization
Positive	Enjoyable combat, faithful to original, no technical problems
Mixed	Good game underneath, but technical issues ruin experience

The split suggests Code Vein 2 might be a genuinely good game trapped inside a technical mess. Whether Bandai Namco can untangle that mess before launch day determines how the broader audience receives it.

The original Code Vein’s shadow looms large

Context matters here. The first Code Vein launched in 2019 to generally positive reception. It carved out a niche as the “anime Dark Souls,” offering challenging combat with character customization deep enough to spawn an entire community around fashion builds. The game found its audience and held it.

That audience expected the sequel to build on proven foundations. Instead, early access players feel like they’re beta testing.

“This game, for about the one hour that I played, felt like a spit in the face to fans of the first game,” one reviewer puts it bluntly.

Perhaps most telling is a recent review left on the original Code Vein’s store page: “Better than Code Vein 2.” The jab landed hard enough to gain traction among the community. Whether it reflects objective quality differences or just frustration with technical problems remains unclear, but the sentiment exists regardless.

What happens between now and January 29

Bandai Namco has a narrow window to address these concerns. The official launch is days away, and first impressions are already forming across social media and gaming forums. Steam reviews during early access carry significant weight with potential buyers who check ratings before purchasing.

Day-one patches have become standard industry practice for exactly these situations. Publishers know that early access feedback provides valuable data about problems that internal testing missed. The question is whether Bandai Namco can implement meaningful optimization improvements in such a short timeframe, or if the January 29 launch will ship with the same issues.

Performance problems are fixable. Games have recovered from worse launches through dedicated post-release support. But recovery requires acknowledgment, communication, and visible effort. Players who feel ignored tend to stay away, and negative word of mouth spreads faster than positive reviews can counter.

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The broader pattern of rough launches

Code Vein 2 joins an unfortunate trend of games releasing in states that frustrate even their most dedicated supporters. The industry has normalized shipping products that need weeks or months of patches before reaching acceptable performance levels. Early adopters essentially pay full price to participate in extended beta testing.

Some studios communicate transparently about known issues and patch timelines. Others go silent and hope the problems resolve themselves through updates released without acknowledgment. How Bandai Namco handles the next few days will signal which approach they’re taking.

The core game might be excellent. The combat might evolve meaningfully from the original. The story might deliver everything fans wanted. None of that matters if players can’t experience it smoothly.

With the official launch looming and early access reviews painting a troubled picture, can Bandai Namco salvage Code Vein 2’s reputation before the damage becomes permanent?