Volume

Mike Bithell's Volume is a game caught between two worlds, and in spite of its best efforts, it can't quite split the difference between them. Nevertheless, it's a well-designed little stealth game that's certainly worth a play.
The strongest argument I can make in Volume's favor is its mechanical identity. Reminiscent of the VR levels from Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, the game is a top-down stealth title; designed almost more like a puzzle game than a strict sneak-'em-up, Volume sees players methodically creeping through a series of abstract chambers designed to test both their tactical thinking. The compressed, bite-sized nature of the experience lends itself well to short, casual play sessions, and the visual design of each level is easy to understand at a moment's glance.
The story, on the other hand, is a bit of a mess. A cyberpunk adaptation of the myth of Robin Hood, players follow the adventures of Rob, a criminal-by-proxy who aims to incite a revolution against the tyrannical Guy Gisborne by live-streaming methodical instructions on how to break-into a steal from Gisborne and his lackeys. Fun, right? And credit where credit is due, the overall presentation is quite good. The voice work in the game, especially that of Danny Wallace and Andy Serkis (Yes, that Andy Serkis!), is rock solid.
Less effective is the actual tone of the piece, which is... well, it's a mess. A compelling sci-fi tale in 2015, Volume story of corporate coups and totalitarian governments feels, in 2024, a bit quaint, bordering on politically naive. The nail in the coffin here is the way that the game lauds the player for live-streaming a step-by-step guide to revolutionary burglary, a concept that, though fun, fails to read as much else either than a certain of-the-time tech-optimism that has aged poorly. (Compare to the similarly aged, albeit similarly charming, WatchDogs 2, for instance.) All of this is compounded by a handful of elements that date the game significantly - though, that said, not all are without charm. Depending on what YouTube channels you followed a decade ago, cameos from James Stephanie Sterling and Dan Bull will either delight or else rip you out of the experience entirely.
Still, all of this is par the course for a Mike Bithell production, and whether or not that works for you, I found it worked well enough for me. Though it lacks the narrative coherence of Thomas Was Alone or the breathless replayability of John Wick Hex, Volume is a delightful recreation of a very specific type of stealth game that simply doesn't exist much anymore. An aside, though - for whatever reason, I found that the game's tools for level creation and sharing didn't work in my time with the game. Though not a deal-breaker, the game's longevity is clearly built around an easily mastered set of tools, and the inability to create or share your own stealth levels is disheartening. I was hoping, at the end of my run, to monkey around with the design kit, and I was disappointed to not be able to share my levels nor to try out other user-designed set-pieces.
And yet, the final result of all of this - a tense, well-designed stealth puzzle game that clocks in at a little under seven hours - is still quite engaging. It's far from Mike Bithell's best work, but it's an excellent showcase that he knows damn well what he's doing from a design standpoint. If you've got a tactical espionage itch that Metal Gear just isn't scratching, consider robbing from the rich to give to Chat in this compelling little title.

Great indie stealth game. Not an easy genre to tackle gameplay wise. Pleasantly surprised by this one. Same great atmosphere, music, art direction, and sound design in every other Bithell game I've played. A dev studio worth following.

Played to platinum on PSN, happy to see the experience is similar on PC

I honestly can't remember which platform I bought this game for first - either way they both ended up as backlog items for a while despite my best intentions. Either way, I've played them both now and am wholly satisfied.

__________________________


The main game consists of 100 core levels. The gameplay is stealth, and it plays from an isometric view. The story runs along the lines of a kid being fed up with an oppressive regime; in an old abandoned warehouse he sets up a virtual infiltration, getting an old AI to offer up virtual representations of real-world secure facilities. By 'virtually' infiltrating all these places, and broadcasting it to the internet, he shows others how they can rise up against their rulers.

To be honest, I don't really need an excuse to play a stealth game, if I see what I hope is good gameplay. And I think it is very good.

It's true the initial levels are quick and easy so you're likely to flash through them in blinding speed, but the complexity ramps up well with the incremental addition of new features and tools. Before you know it you may find you have to wait and think it all through.

In the first level you grab some gems to activate the exit pad. Gradually defence units are added in, ranging from regular units with a gun and a vision cone showing what their range is, then there are turrets, units with a full 360 view, snipers, and really fast walls of meat with swords that end you as soon as they are close enough. As meaty as polygons can be at any rate.

Still further variety exists with distracting taps, toilets, and eventually whistling. Vaulting over low obstacles may take a while to be introduced but cupboards and floor grills make for good temporary hideouts, while special tools such as a throwable bugle that can be remote triggered, stun wire, cloak, speedy silent shoes (mute), disguise, and even a running decoy can help through the most challenging of the levels.

The game even has teleport pads, but features like this are cleverly explained away by the 2D nature of the levels and lack of stairs - even the AI insists it has limitations and you have to take the designs with an open mind. The AI and main character Rob Locksley (pun intended) are voiced, by have less and less dialogue as the levels progress. Some of the text (in-game lore) is quite clever, such as comments about the colour palette, or the introduction of lights (but only much later than when shadows got added), or the comments about the library or the castle with the banners.

______________

It's a fun game. I wouldn't go by my play time as a guide though as my first game was on PSN, so I have a bit of foreknowledge this time around. There is a little bit of mop-up in terms of achieves after the game is complete, but some levels are really good for grinding the last few out. I'm convinced some are glitchy with keeping track of numbers but they do eventually unlock.

If you like stealth and you like quality gaming, then you're likely already sold. It'll get your mind working. I don't regret buying it on two platforms, so you should at least buy it on one ;)

This game is incredible, definitely the best stealth game I have ever played! It's very refreshing to see a game so small and simple in scope yet so profound in its execution. What really makes the stealth work so well in this game is all the different gadgets, abilities and enemy variety the game throws at you at such an excellent pace. This brings me to my next point: Pacing. The pacing in regards to stealth is phenomenal and the game does an excellent job at making every level feel unpredictable. You never really know what to expect, whether there will be a new ability, new enemy type, new gadget, or just an old enemy or gadget suddenly returning after 15 levels of absence. I would recommend this game to any stealth and Indie Low Poly games fan. 11/10 !!!

If you crave more Metal Gear Solid 1 VR missions, this is the closest non-MGS game your going to get.

As a stealth game, Volume is full of terrible design choices: Enemies are brain-dead, shadows are binary, abilities are gimmicky, checkpoints are everywhere, levels are counted in seconds. Instead it plays something like maybe Hotline Miami, or Super Meat Boy, but more forgiving. I can only assume the game designers are morons but through sheer determination made their product playable. It's not a great game and it's not a proper stealth game. I'm not sure what it is, but there is plenty of it. Buy it and be perplexed.

Nice little game. Good and relaxing for average person like me, some hardcore players might find game maybe too easy but perfect and quite straightforward for average player. Good story, told throughout game with dialogues and texts found in levels. Includes also level editor who might be interested.