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Volume

Volume has a carefully considered set of mechanics and it will certainly appeal to those who love stealth action and are interested in completing each of the levels as quickly as possible, moving smoothly and without having to get saved by the checkpoints. The narrative also has some interesting ideas, but unfortunately it feels disconnected from the gameplay and the atmosphere, with the Robin Hood theme serving as a good premise but failing to offer any big surprises. I suspect that there will be plenty of modern gamers who will judge Volume to be too easy, a consequence of the tendency of modern developers to create tough and frustrating puzzle and stealth games to show off their abilities. I liked the fact that Mike Bithell resisted this temptation and chose to create a video game that feels generous, challenging, and a little idealistic, somewhat like the entire Robin Hood theme that it uses.
Volume Game Cover
71%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
76% User Score Based on 495 reviews
Critic Score 56%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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Volume Game Cover

About

Volume is a single player tactical puzzle game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Bithell Games and was released on August 18, 2015. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Volume is a near-future retelling of the Robin Hood legend, starring Danny Wallace (Thomas Was Alone), Charlie McDonnell and award-winning, critically-acclaimed actor Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes) as Gisborne.

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+7
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76%
Audience ScoreBased on 495 reviews
story105 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • Solid stealth puzzle gameplay with a good balance of challenge and accessibility.
  • Distinctive minimalist art style and strong music/soundtrack that enhance the atmosphere.
  • Well-executed voice acting and engaging dialogue, adding personality to characters.
  • Storyline is disjointed and underdeveloped, often feeling irrelevant or poorly paced.
  • AI behavior is simplistic and sometimes exploits easy ways to avoid detection.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive with mostly linear levels and limited gadget interactions; checkpoint mechanics sometimes cause frustrating wait times on gadget cooldowns.
  • story
    417 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Volume" is a futuristic, dystopian retelling of the Robin Hood legend, framed as virtual heists against an oppressive regime, delivered through voiceovers, texts, and environmental clues. While some appreciate its intriguing themes and humor, many find the narrative sparse, disjointed, and poorly paced, often feeling detached from the gameplay or overshadowed by repetitive missions. Though the voice acting and occasional plot twists have merit, overall the story is seen as underdeveloped, with mixed reception on its integration and impact.

    • “The story is a modern twist on the classic tale of Robin Hood, with a focus on stealth mechanics and creative level design. It's never not fun.”
    • “Volume provides a futuristic retelling of the classic Robin Hood story wrapped up in a tightly designed stealth puzzle package. The story tackles some interesting themes such as the dangers of unregulated capitalism, internet celebrities, the fear surrounding artificial intelligence, and the ethics of dealing with them.”
    • “Gameplay is solid and story, writing, and voice acting are all top-notch, as one would expect from Bithell.”
    • “The story is abysmally boring with a weak villain that you won't even notice until two-thirds into it; you are a streamer who replays VR headset robberies, that's it.”
    • “The story is a bit of a mess.”
    • “Genuinely nothing happens throughout the entire game, and the ending itself is open-ended, so the entire plot feels worthless.”
  • gameplay
    274 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Volume offers solid and approachable stealth gameplay reminiscent of classic titles like Metal Gear Solid, featuring intuitive mechanics such as vision cones, distractions, and hiding. Its gradual introduction of gadgets and enemies keeps the gameplay fresh, though some find it repetitive and simplistic, with occasional pacing issues due to cooldown timers and AI limitations. While not groundbreaking, its well-designed levels, smooth controls (especially with a controller), and satisfying stealth-puzzle blend make it engaging for fans of the genre seeking accessible stealth action.

    • “Volume is a great stealth game with varied mechanics and beautiful music.”
    • “The brilliant level design of the core 100 levels accentuates the solid gameplay and drip feeds new abilities and mechanics as the game goes on, rarely leaving the player without some new concept to wrap their head around, although interest can wane over longer play sessions: I'd suggest take your time to enjoy the game in multiple play sessions.”
    • “Volume's gameplay is so cleverly streamlined that there are few faults I can find in it.”
    • “The gameplay simply isn't fun, especially when you mess up, restart, and your equipment is forced on a cooldown timer, so you have to stand still waiting 5-10 seconds before even beginning your next attempt.”
    • “Choppy pacing with longer down times just waiting on cooldowns, and somewhat jerky enemy pathing causing unexpected detection, injects excessive frustration to otherwise solid yet bare boned stealth gameplay.”
    • “The mechanics of Volume are so incredibly basic, the gameplay and focus is so 'soft', you might just fall asleep playing it.”
  • graphics
    122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics feature a minimalist, stylized art style that is often praised for its clarity, charm, and fitting futuristic/stealth aesthetic, effectively supporting gameplay and story immersion. However, some users report graphical issues, bland or repetitive visuals, and a lack of detail or texture variety, which detracts from the experience for certain players. Overall, while simple and sometimes criticized for low-poly or basic design, the graphics generally enhance accessibility, readability, and atmosphere in line with the game's concept.

    • “The visuals are equally simplistic, yet beautiful and well realized.”
    • “Art style in Volume is certainly impressive: the level design in all 100 chapters is absolutely gorgeous and the graphics are fantastic.”
    • “The game's graphics, while simple, work really well with the setting of the game and have a certain charm to them.”
    • “At least a few people seem to be having graphical problems (some are unable to even launch the game), and even I had to squint to change the abysmal resolution it launched with after the most recent install.”
    • “What's not so great; the tired, overdone stealth mechanics are accompanied by lazy low poly graphics, whether that was caused by lack of budget to buy some texture packs, or the lack of opportunity to hire an artist who knows how to apply textures to polygons, or maybe just because the console PS4 couldn't handle textures is irrelevant.”
    • “No matter the cause, the visuals really suck here.”
  • music
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Volume is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric, and fitting stealth-inspired soundtrack, often composed by David Housden, enhancing the game's mood and immersion. However, many players note that the sudden loud and intense music triggered when detected can be jarring, stressful, and disrupt the game's flow, sometimes leading them to mute or lower the volume. Overall, the soundtrack is a standout feature that greatly complements the game's artistic design and stealth gameplay despite some issues with volume spikes during alert phases.

    • “What really makes this game stand out is the music: I absolutely love it and listen to it regularly outside the game.”
    • “The soundtrack alone is worth 20 bucks.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing; I recommend that to everyone, I haven't been able to stop listening to it since I got the game.”
    • “The detection soundtrack is basically a jumpscare mechanic, with it playing loud the instant you get spotted.”
    • “The music audio level when discovered is painfully loud.”
    • “The sudden loud dramatic music when you're kiting around the easy-to-fool AI gets old very fast.”
  • humor
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is praised for its witty, well-written dialogue and strong voice acting, delivering a charming, nerdy, and often hilarious experience reminiscent of classic British wit. However, some find the comedic attempts, particularly certain voice-overs, to be irritating or hit-or-miss depending on personal taste. Overall, the humor adds a distinctive and enjoyable layer to the stealth gameplay and story.

    • “Humorous and well-written dialogue supported by solid vocal performances.”
    • “I am in love with this game; everything that was charming about the original Metal Gear Solid, together with the retro feel of a top-down game combined with a gripping soundtrack and hilarious, nerdy commentary.”
    • “It knows when to be quiet, dramatic and hilarious with fantastic performances from Charlie McDonnell, Danny Wallace, Andy Serkis and a few other brilliant performances that I promise not to spoil.”
  • grinding
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is generally seen as tedious and unrewarding, particularly due to repetitive stealth mechanics and grind-heavy achievements requiring lengthy, repetitive actions. While the save system and challenge level are fair, the post-campaign grind and limited achievement scope discourage extended play, making the overall experience feel monotonous and forced for some players.

    • “Others are very grindy, one instance requiring 100 activations of a gadget that has a 20-second cycle.”
    • “Once you finish the game, achievement hunters can run an auto clicker to sweep some of the grindy achievements that they missed.”
    • “A useless restart button that is nowhere near quick enough, and too much tedious waiting for abilities to recharge.”
  • atmosphere
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its melancholic, compelling mood, enhanced by fitting music, sound design, and art direction that evoke a near-future, stealthy vibe. While some users note a slight loss of immersion due to display size constraints or narrative disconnects, overall the atmosphere is considered a strong, integral element that complements the story and gameplay effectively.

    • “As for the music - it creates a nice, a bit melancholic atmosphere and fits the game.”
    • “Same great atmosphere, music, art direction, and sound design in every other Bithell game I've played.”
    • “I also have to single out the sound design and soundtrack both of which fit the game perfectly and help to create a compelling atmosphere.”
    • “The stories are connected and are in the same universe; however, the atmosphere and mood are very different.”
    • “The narrative has some interesting ideas, but unfortunately it feels disconnected from the gameplay and the atmosphere, with the Robin Hood theme serving as a good premise but failing to offer any big surprises.”
    • “Although it's different to Thomas Was Alone in that it's more of a stealth puzzle game, it has a similar feel in terms of atmosphere, narrative, and humour.”
  • replayability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers strong replayability primarily due to its level creation tools and custom level sharing, allowing for potentially endless content beyond the official levels. While the base gameplay is relatively short, the community-driven content and upgrades provide ample challenge and extended playtime. Overall, replay value is a key highlight, especially for players who enjoy creating and exploring user-generated levels.

    • “Volume is exactly what you want in a 2D/isometric puzzle game: simple concept, great visuals, lots of upgrades, awesome audio, challenging levels, and loads of replayability.”
    • “You can create and share your own levels with the world, effectively giving the game endless replayability.”
    • “Sure, the official gameplay might be a bit short, taking a few hours to get through the first half of the game—there are 100 levels by the way—but the game's replay value is utterly extended by one simple feature: level creation tools.”
    • “Not much replayability, but about 10 hours of content plus community-made stuff.”
    • “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.”
    • “Sure, the official gameplay might be a bit short, taking a few hours to get through the first half of the game... there's 100 levels by the way... but the game's replay value is utterly extended by one simple feature: level creation tools.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional experience of the game is mixed, with some moments of intense immersion, particularly during chase sequences, but overall it lacks strong emotional engagement due to a less compelling protagonist and a story that feels unremarkable. While the setting and certain characters add interest, the narrative and difficulty progression fail to deliver a satisfying emotional payoff for many players.

    • “The soundtrack was pretty nice, but I don't remember any of the tracks well, except the chase sequence music, both because I was caught a lot and it was really good and made me feel like a part of something really intense.”
    • “A story of New England is revealed to you, along with your role, your goal, and an emotional connection is quickly established.”
    • “Overall the game has drawn me in and made me feel like I was Locksley, dodging and sneaking past guards to deactivate alarms, collect gems, and laughing whilst I confuse the hell out of other guards.”
    • “Meh - a tragically boring story and a difficulty that never really amps up across 100 levels.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features strong voice acting and writing but suffers from significant optimization issues, causing severe stuttering and high CPU usage even with lowered settings. Despite attempts to improve performance, it remains unstable and demanding, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Unfortunately, the game turned into an unplayable, stuttering mess as time went on and I could not figure out the cause.”
    • “Lowered settings, uncapped framerate, windowed mode, and making it the only running program did nothing for the performance.”
    • “Unoptimized - over 50% load on my i7 4710 CPU and heat generating computer.”
  • stability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers an incredible experience but is plagued by numerous bugs, input glitches, and audio issues that disrupt gameplay. Players frequently encounter problems such as aspect ratio errors and random, out-of-context character lines, impacting overall stability.

    • “This is an incredible game but it has many bugs and input glitches that make the game stop working.”
    • “The game is buggy and has serious issues with aspect ratio that you have to fix upon opening the game for the first time.”
    • “I encountered some weird audio glitches where characters say lines out of nowhere, without context, that they have said before.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is limited and mostly occurs off-screen, resulting in unclear stakes and a confusing storyline, though the main character's design is visually appealing.

    • “Most character development happens off screen, and the stakes are so poorly telegraphed I had no idea what was going on when the end came.”
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56%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
5-9h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Volume is a tactical puzzle game with science fiction theme.

Volume is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Mac OS, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Volume.

Volume was released on August 18, 2015.

Volume was developed by Bithell Games.

Volume has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked Volume for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Volume is a single player game.

Similar games include Aragami, Thief, The Marvellous Miss Take, Remember Me, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream and others.