Bandai’s ‘Prepare to Dine’ Teaser isn’t a ‘Dark Souls’ Game After All

Samantha Loveridge
Games
Games

Bandai Namco has revealed that the game it was teasing with the line, “prepare to dine”, isn’t actually a new Dark Souls title after all. In the latest issue of Japanese weekly publication, Famitsu, Bandai has revealed a brand new title called Code Vein.

In development by the team behind God Eater, the upcoming title is described as an “exploration action-RPG” with some seriously dark themes. It’s set in a future where the world is in ruins, with players playing as vampires with supernatural abilities known as the Revenants. According to Bandai, these vampires have “transcended humanity” and have lost their human memories.

Their new society is known as the Vein and Revenants work together to explore seamlessly connected areas and dungeons. You’ll have an arsenal of close-range weapons to use, it seems, but you’ll have to think about your blood intake too. Get too thirsty and you’ll turn into a monster called a Lost, which is the actual thing you’re hunting.

Code Vein
Bandai's next big game is Code Vein, which is due out in 2018

You’ll have a Blood Veil to your name too, which you use to drain the Lost of blood. Then there’s a special ability called Blood Smelting, which can be used after a successful Blood Veil attack. Here’s how Bandai describes the two unique mechanics (thanks Siliconera):

  • Blood Veil – The Blood Veil is an equipment unique to the Revenant, used to suck up blood from the Lost. While in use, it appears in the form of clothing, and also functions as armour. While in use to suck up blood, it uses a mechanism for the purpose, and we see a change in the user’s mask as well.
  • Special Ability: Blood Smelting – This action becomes possible after acquiring blood from the Lost after successfully sucking up their blood using Blood Veil. This allows you to power yourself up, debuff enemies, do direct attacks, and other uses.

The reason why everyone thought it was a brand new entry in the Dark Souls series was that Bandai teased the game with the phrase “prepare to dine”. Every Dark Souls game to date has featured the tagline “prepare to die”, so no-one thought the similarities between the two phrases was a coincidence.

However, it seems that it wasn’t intentional at all, but we’ll know more when Code Vein is officially revealed with an early trailer on April 20.

For now, here’s the teaser Bandai revealed last week with that “prepare to dine” hashtag.

Code Vein is expected to release sometime in 2018, with platforms yet to be announced.

Samantha Loveridge
Sam is the UK Gaming Editor at Fandom. She's been addicted to games since she first got her paws on a GameBoy and hasn't looked back.