News
Dine With Action RPG ‘Code Vein’!
Remember a couple of days back where Bandai Namco teased a new project that would be revealed by April 20th? Well, the most recent issue of Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu went and spoiled the surprise (at least part of it).
The project, “Tonight We Dine”, is officially an action RPG called Code Vein. The “dine” is in reference to the player’s ability, as a vampire, to feast on monsters in the game. It turns out that Bandai was having fun, as Code Vein will not be related to Dark Souls at all (despite the “Tonight We Dine” being a nod to Dark Souls‘ tagline, “Prepare to Die”). In fact, the team developing the project was behind 2010’s God Eater, which will also not have any connection to Code Vein.
Here’s what the translated article states for the game: Code Vein takes place in a near dystopian future, where players take control of Revenants, vampires with supernatural abilities who have transcended humanity and lost their memories as a result. A Revenant who has failed to consume enough blood transforms into a monster called a “Lost”. Vampires are confined to an isolated society known as “Vein,” and must cooperate with each other to survive. This leads into one of the gameplay mechanics: The “Buddy”. When exploring a dungeon, players can bring a single Buddy with them, who can help players overcome challenges, but players will also need to act to help them out in return. As for weapons, players will have access to a variety of swords, spears, hammers, and more. In addition, they will also have special abilities to use to help attack.
For more info on the game, check out Gematsu’s article, and wait for the official announcement on April 20th.
News
Legendary Grimdark ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Artist John Blanche Has Passed Away at 78
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.

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