After teasing the footage over the past few weeks, Bandai Namco has released the first trailer for the upcoming RPG Code Vein.

The video, embedded below, highlights the game’s dark fantasy setting and provides a glimpse at combat gameplay. In some respects, the atmosphere of the trailer evokes From Software’s Dark Souls series, through claustrophobic environments, gothic orchestral audio, and formidable bosses, but transports the style to more contemporary settings, such as the ruined city streets. Similarly, the gameplay appears to take cues from Bloodborne, requiring a high degree of both strategy and speed to overcome enemies.

Despite these similarities, however, the artistic style is very different, leaning towards a stylised, anime-influenced look rather than the hyper-realistic visuals of From Software’s titles.

Code Vein is in development at Shift, the studio best known for its work on the God Eater series, but will have no direct connection to that franchise.

The game will pit players as a Revenant, a vampiric being tasked within uncovering the mysteries of the post-apocalyptic world. The primary enemies are known as the Lost, Revenants who have succumbed to the desire for blood, some of the designs for which are included in the above trailer.

Beyond the setting, one key point that differentiates Code Vein from the Dark Souls games is the constant presence of an AI-controlled “buddy,” who will help the player in both combat and exploration.

Plenty more details on the game, including insights into the visual design and a more in-depth breakdown of the story details is available in OnlySP’s earlier coverage. Code Vein is targeting a 2018 release for consoles, though a PC version has not been ruled out.

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