Code Violet Review: A Dino Crisis Dream or a Prehistoric Misfire?

Let’s get something straight right from the top—you’re not here for sugar-coating. Code Violet is not a good game. If you saw a few stylish (and sometimes not-so-tasteful) screenshots of its stunning brunette protagonist tangling with dinosaurs and thought, “Hmm, maybe I’ll pick this up just to admire the view,”—hey, no judgment… well, maybe a little.

But if you were hoping for anything beyond that? If you wanted engaging sci-fi storytelling, memorable characters, or razor-sharp survival-horror tension? Sorry to say it, but you’ve wandered into the wrong raptor-infested space station.

What Code Violet delivers instead is clunky third-person shooting, uninspired levels, and technical stumbles that make exploring this futuristic bloodbath feel like dragging your feet through a fossil bed.

A Sci-Fi Story That Tries Everything and Nails Nothing

Code Violet doesn’t shy away from tropes. Far-future space colonization? Check. Genetic experimentation running amok? Check. A lone heroine fighting monsters in a doomed facility? Triple check.

Bits and pieces of the narrative are interesting, especially side lore you discover through scattered journal entries left behind by the less-fortunate residents. These tiny bursts of context are where some personality hides.

But nearly everything you actually play or witness in cutscenes is awkward, rushed, or so convoluted it collapses under its own twists. Characters appear only long enough to dump exposition, cry, vanish, or all three—yet the game insists Violet should care deeply about them, even though the audience never gets a reason to.

Violet Herself: A Hollow Heroine Without Agency

Violet is clearly inspired by iconic survival-horror queens like Jill Valentine or Lara Croft—the tough, capable action heroine who can outthink and outshoot almost anything.

But Violet? She’s more like the cover art for a character that never gets written.

Her motivations are barely explored, her reactions feel disconnected from the events around her, and she mostly exists to do what other characters tell her to do. She only shines when you, the player, take control—sneaking down tight corridors and unloading bullets into whatever reptilian nightmare leaps out next.

Visuals: Pretty from Afar, Messy Up Close

Playing on a standard PS5, there are moments where Code Violet looks genuinely impressive—especially from mid-distance in its more imaginative zones.

But once you approach these environments, textures blur, metallic surfaces shine unnaturally, and grime doesn’t blend convincingly. Large sections of the facility look like leftovers from early-2000s sci-fi shooters, and not in a nostalgic way.

Every now and then, you’ll stumble across something extravagant—like elaborate statues or oil paintings that feel completely out of place. Half the time I paused just to squint and decide whether they were AI-generated. The jury’s still out, but the uncanny vibe is strong.

Environmental Design: Repetition Everywhere

Outdoor areas offer temporary relief but only visually—gameplay-wise, they’re just long grass-filled corridors connecting buildings.

Back inside, you’ll traverse endless hallways with nothing to discover between rooms. The pacing becomes predictable, almost mechanical, robbing the experience of tension. In a great horror game like Dead Space, every room feels dangerous. In Code Violet, most rooms feel like empty set dressing.

Exploring off the beaten path often wasn’t worth the effort, as it usually meant slogging through the clunky combat system for minimal reward.

Combat: Dash, Shoot, Repeat… Forever

Violet moves well enough and even comes with a Resident Evil-style backward dodge. At first, this helps create space between you and the raptors. In reality, the arenas are so cramped that you quickly hit a wall—literally—and lose camera visibility.

And that camera? It’s your true enemy. It slams into geometry long before Violet does, completely blocking the screen during many encounters.

Enemy variety is minimal: small raptors, big raptors, and a spit-attack variant straight out of Jurassic Park. They rush you, swipe, retreat, and repeat. When they get stuck on level geometry—which happens often—they become more annoying than threatening.

Boss fights? Same strategy, bigger hitboxes.

Stealth exists, thanks to Violet’s temporary invisibility feature, but it’s largely pointless. Enemies have near-supernatural awareness and often know you’re coming before you even enter a room.

Technical Issues: Bugs Bigger Than the Dinosaurs

Code Violet’s technical problems are numerous:

• audio glitches
• skyboxes failing to load
• disappearing weapons
• wrong ammo counts
• cluttered collision detection
• enemies getting stuck

One particularly shocking bug: items used directly from storage didn’t actually decrease, allowing infinite healing. Helpful, sure—but absolutely not intended.

Final Verdict: Not the Dino Crisis Successor You Want

If you were hoping Code Violet would fill the Dino Crisis-shaped hole in your heart, brace yourself for disappointment.

It doesn’t live up to the classics it tries to emulate, nor does it succeed as a modern third-person shooter. The flat story, dull characters, repetitive environments, and technical issues drag the experience down from start to finish.

The scariest things in this game aren’t the dinosaurs—it’s the bugs.

If you're looking for a better sci-fi shooter to sink your time into, you’d be better off checking out stronger alternatives like Routine or Terminator: No Fate instead.