See the first screenshots from Code Vein, Bandai Namco's new action RPG

Code Vein was first teased last week with no name and the tagline 'Prepare to Dine,' which obviously recalls Dark Souls. But it isn't a Dark Souls game, of course. That series is over, and as we learned from Famitsu earlier this week, Code Vein is a brand new action RPG.

Today, Bandai Namco has released the first screenshots of Code Vein along with details which mostly mirror what we already learned from Famitsu.

"Feast on the blood of enemies through a journey across a massive interconnected world to unlock its mysterious sanguine past in this thrilling action-RPG," reads the press release. (If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of someone looking up "bloody" in a thesaurus to avoid repetition.)

"In the not too distant future, a mysterious disaster has brought collapse to the world, as we know it. Towering skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. At the center of the destruction lies a hidden society of Revenants called Vein. This final stronghold is where the remaining few fight to survive, blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Give into the bloodlust fully and risk becoming one of the Lost, fiendish ghouls devoid of any remaining humanity."

As one of the Revenant, players will choose a companion from Vein—the Famitsu article mentioned co-op, though the announcement doesn't confirm it—and enter the world to "uncover lost memories" and find an escape. There are monsters, of course, which we'll dispatch with a "vast array of weaponry" as well as 'Gifts,' special abilities that can apply buffs and debuffs and grant "new weapon abilities with overpowered attacks."

The press release declares that Code Vein is being developed by Bandai Namco Studios and will "release on major home consoles in 2018." There's no mention of a PC version. So why did Bandai Namco send us, PC Gamer, the press release? The most likely reason, I'm afraid, is that we're on a list that receives all of the publisher's press releases. But that doesn't mean there isn't a PC version is in the works. You know how publishers are. They love to hold out on announcing good things.

For now, the publisher isn't commenting on the matter. Given the success of Bandai Namco's other games on PC, though, I have to imagine it's on the table. Until we know more, here are a lot of screenshots:

Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.