How loud is Volume? Seeing as we don't actually have it yet, we couldn't tell you – but judging by some early reviews from those that do, it's pretty darn loud. The stealth game from Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell is being drowned in the sound of positive critical acclaim; here are some choice excerpts on the PlayStation 4 release.
Eurogamer.net - Recommended
It's this clarity that keeps impressing me. So many games are cluttered these days, piling features on top of busywork. Volume isn't short of great ideas, but it delivers them gracefully, one at a time, layering simple concepts on top of solid mechanics to create the sort of organic gameplay experience that seems effortless. Its rules are clear, the edges of its world and your place in it clearly defined. Everything you need to know is on show. While Volume may be more complex than Thomas Was Alone in almost every respect, it's still the work of someone who understands the value of simplicity.
Polygon - 9/10
Volume features a level-creation tool that I played with too briefly to critique, but it's likely to spawn many more maps, many more patrols and patterns. I'm looking forward to playing the best of them. Bithell's sophomore effort is a lovely thing made up of spellbinding puzzles that demand the player's attention. Its beauty, wit and intelligence are nicely offset by its quiet anger.
Game Informer - 8.75/10
As I finished the final level, a strange combination of feelings washed over me – a sense of accomplishment that I had overcome all of the challenges Bithell Games had laid before me, but also a sense of disappointment that the main story was over. Volume's story levels are designed with the same care that players must use when playing, and I enjoyed the experience from start to finish. With true stealth games a rare breed today, Volume stands as a declaration that the formula can still work.
Destructoid - 6/10
However, a lot of where Volume suffers is in what's not here. I wish I could pan around a level to formulate a plan before diving in. I wish I were given incentive to play well instead of just adequately. Volume is not a bad game. But it still leaves me wanting for something more out of it.
Have these scores turned up your interest in Volume, or will you be leaving it muted for the time being? Sound off in the comments section below.
Comments 7
It's a perfect time to release this, with MGSV due out soon, it's nice to play a game that harkens back to those VR missions. Shame the Vita version is delayed for a couple of weeks though.
@adf86 That's a pain, I hadn't realised that. Just got myself psyched for this as well after reading all of the reviews!
The only thing that sounds frustrating is the flaws in the checkpointing system mentioned by Destructoid. While I can see the benefit of it for casual players just looking to beat the game, I think they should enforce an adjusted checkpointing system for players who want their time to appear on a leaderboard. Have death add a time penalty or something like that to stop players abusing it to reset the guards.
@SteveButler2210 Yeah Mike Bithell said there's a couple of Vita related issues that need sorting before release but game remains cross-buy. I can't see any reason why they won't patch in some kind of system to make the resetting checkpoints a punishment.
Volume features a level-creation tool that I played with too briefly to critique, but it's likely to spawn many more maps, many more patrols and patterns
Polygon 9/10
Haha. Polygon is terrible. Thanks for the reminder Sammy.
Volume is a fantastic testament to creativity and good game design.
Destructoid would've given it 10/10 if it was on a Nintendo device.
I didn't know about this. I'll have to look into it, as I love some good stealth. On a side note. Does anyone else hate Euroganer 1-2 scoring system? It's also funny since they still score the game.
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