Volume (video game)

Volume
Developer(s)Mike Bithell Games
Publisher(s)Mike Bithell Games[a]
Composer(s)David Housden
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, OS X & PS4
  • 18 August 2015
  • PS Vita
  • 6 January 2016
Genre(s)Stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Volume is a stealth and indie game by Mike Bithell Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4 in August 2015, and the PlayStation Vita in January 2016. The game uses stealth mechanics inspired by Metal Gear Solid series, allowing the player to plan courses of action to work through levels without being detected by guards, dogs, and automated security turrets to reach specific objectives. In addition to the game's levels, Volume supports user-made levels that can be shared with others. The game presents a modern take on the Robin Hood legend, where a young thief discovers a plot for a military coup involving various heists, and uses a device called "Volume", with the assistance of its artificial intelligence to perform these heists in a virtual manner and broadcasting them to the world at large to make the coup known. The story is presented with the help of voice actors Charlie McDonnell, Danny Wallace, Dan Bull, James Stephanie Sterling, and Andy Serkis.

Plot

Volume's story is based on a modern take of the Robin Hood legend. Robert Locksley (voiced by Charlie McDonnell) is a petty thief that finds a device called "Volume", which allows the user to simulate heists that is part of a secret military coup attempt. The device has an artificial intelligence built into it named Alan (Danny Wallace) that acts as "the Microsoft Office paperclip as a military training program", according to Bithell,[1] and guides Robert on how to use the device. Robert decides to use the device to broadcast the simulations of high-profile crimes across the Internet in the same manner as Let's Play videos.[2] Locksley eventually faces off against Guy of Gisbourne (Andy Serkis), re-envisioned for the game as the CEO of a company that has taken over the country of England and runs the nation as a corporatocracy.[3][4]

It is hinted in-game that Volume is set in the same timeline as that of Thomas Was Alone, also developed by Mike Bithell, but set after the events of that game.[5]

Gameplay

Volume's approach is similar to the Metal Gear series, in this case, showing the player as Robert (bottom center) in virtual heist against guards (knightlike figures) and their current cones of vision.

Volume's gameplay has been designed by Bithell similar to the stealth elements of the Metal Gear Solid series.[6] The game is presented in a top-down third-person view of the Volume simulation, showing a floor layout, Robert's avatar, and several guards and other antagonists that patrol the area. Several different variety of guards exist, each of which have different patterns of movement and how they respond to seeing the player character; such guards include archers that have a long range of vision, rogues that can see in a full circle around them, dogs that work by sense of smell and track the player by proximity, and automated turrets that react much faster than other guards.[7] When spotted, the player has a short amount of time to attempt to break the line of sight and take cover, otherwise the simulation will restart, either fully or at the most recent checkpoint that the player has crossed. Guards behave in established patterns, and the player can disrupt these by making noise, such as flushing a toilet, or purposely cross their line of sight to draw them away from a patrol route. The player is unable to kill these foes, but over the course of the story, gain an arsenal of tools to distract them and avoid detection; once the player has one or more such tools, they can create a loadout for their character to select which gadgets they wish to take into a level.

The goal is to sneak through the level without being spotted to complete various heists. En route, the player needs to collect gems that are scattered through the level before the exit point will become available. Players can track global leaderboards based on how fast they completed a level, with the game allowing players to revisit earlier levels to improve their times.

The game contains 100 story-based levels. Additionally, the game includes a level editor, allowing users to create their own simulated missions. Players are required to complete their own levels before uploading them to be shared with others.

Development and release

Bithell's inspiration for Volume was directly from his earlier enjoyment of playing the Metal Gear games since he was a teenager. Though several other stealth games have come out since then, Bithell felt the newer games lost the "purity" of the stealth experience that Metal Gear provided.[6]

The user-generation aspects for Volume were inspired by The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 that was on the Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance disc, during which Metal Gear's game designer, Hideo Kojima, designed prototypes of levels in real-life using Lego bricks. Bithell designed the in-game level editor to work similar to Lego, allowing the player to snap-in predesigned elements onto new or existing levels, including the game's core levels. Bithell hopes that Volume would have an active user-community that will continue to evolve the game over many years, similar to that of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines where the player community has continued to work on improving the game five years after release.[6][8]

Bithell expected that Volume would still have a limited budget, £30,000 compared to the £5,000 he needed for Thomas Was Alone, but the extra funding has been used to hire additional programming help and 3D modelers.[6] On the New Year of 2014, Bithell had to be taken to a hospital due to overworking himself on Volume. Following his treatment, he opted to bring on more staff to help complete the more ambitious title, with a 15-man team by the game's completion.[9] Some included his former colleagues at Blitz Games, where he had worked during the development of Thomas Was Alone, and additional help came from members of Curve Digital, who had previously ported Thomas to the PlayStation platforms.[9] David Housden, who composed the Thomas soundtrack, would also create the music for Volume.[6][9]

Bithell announced the game in August 2013, using a carefully managed approach to assure the news was widely disseminated on a specific day, promising further announcements on its voice cast and story at future gaming conventions.[10] Volume was originally planned to be a timed exclusive for the PlayStation 4 and Vita platform sometime in 2015, with the Windows and OSX releases set a month later.[11][12] Later, the release was set to be simultaneous across all platforms on 18 August 2015; while the PlayStation 4, Windows, and OS X versions were released on this day, Bithell stated that the Vita version was delayed by a few weeks to better refine the title.[13][14] Bithell later confirmed that the game would be released as a CrossBuy title for the Vita in January 2016, the additional time used to polish the game based on player feedback.[15] The Vita version was released on 6 January 2016.[16] Limited Run Games published a limited edition physical release of the game: PS Vita version on 11 November 2016,[17] and PS4 version on 4 May 2018.[18][19]

Bithell had already worked with Danny Wallace from Thomas Was Alone.[3] For the role of Gisborne, Bithell had listed Andy Serkis high on his list of desired actors. Serkis has responded positively to Bithell's script, and they were able to arrange for his voice acting between Serkis' busy schedule.[3] Bithell contends that Serkis brought "a great amount of gravitas" to the character to help flesh out the game.[3] With Serkis' involvement, Bithell changed the character of Gisborne to better suit Serkis' acting style, making the character more fiendish than an evil genius.[4]

A free expansion, Volume: Coda, has been announced to be released in 2016 alongside Sony's PlayStation VR unit. It includes 30 additional levels, and enables the game to be played on the VR unit, though it is not required. The new levels extend the game's story, following the trials of "The Troubleshooter", a person that was captured by the government forces after the actions of Locksley in the main story, and includes new voice actors for additional characters.[20][21][22]

Reception

Volume received mostly positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 78.40% based on 21 reviews and 80/100 based on 33 reviews[23][25] and the PlayStation 4 version 71.67% based on 12 reviews and 71/100 based on 15 reviews.[24][26]

Notes

  1. ^ Retail versions published by Limited Run Games.

References

  1. ^ Kubba, Sinan (2013-10-25). "Thomas Was Alone narrator stars in Volume as military version of Clippy". Engadget. Verizon Media. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  2. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2013-10-25). "Mike Bithell's Volume stars Danny Wallace and Youtuber Charlie McDonnell". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  3. ^ a b c d Kamen, Matt (2014-10-31). "Andy Serkis joins cast of indie game 'Volume'". Wired UK. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
  4. ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan (2013-03-13). "Andy Serkis brings out the thug in Volume's villain". Polygon. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  5. ^ Strom, Steven (19 August 2015). "Volume review: Cyberpunk Robin Hood meets Metal Gear Solid". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e Yin-Poole, Wesley (2013-08-13). "Turn up the Volume: Mike Bithell switches gears for difficult second album". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  7. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2015-01-12). "Listen to Andy Serkis play the bad guy in Mike Bithell's Volume". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  8. ^ Lane, Rick (2013-07-10). "Reanimated: The story of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  9. ^ a b c Bradley, Lee (2015-08-19). "How Mike Bithell's never-ending crunch on Volume sent him to hospital". Develop. Archived from the original on 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  10. ^ Bithell, Mike (2013-08-21). "Making noise: How Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell put Volume on so many gaming sites". Penny Arcade Reports. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  11. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2013-08-20). "Thomas Was Alone dev's Volume a timed PS4 and Vita exclusive". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  12. ^ Crossly, Rob (2014-08-12). "Volume due for release on PS4 and Vita 'next year'". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  13. ^ Tach, Dave (10 June 2015). "Volume brings a modern-day Robin Hood to PlayStation, Mac and PC Aug. 18". Polygon. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  14. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (2015-08-18). "Volume's Vita Release Delayed "a Couple of Weeks"". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  15. ^ Phillips, Tom (23 December 2015). "Volume finally has PlayStation Vita release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  16. ^ Bithell, Mike (6 January 2016). "Volume Brings Stylish Stealth to PS Vita Today". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Limited Run Games post". Facebook. Menlo Park: Facebook, Inc. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Limited Run Games post". Facebook. Menlo Park: Facebook, Inc. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Limited Run Games tweet". Twitter. San Francisco: Twitter, Inc. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (22 October 2015). "Volume: Coda expansion headed first to PlayStation VR". Eurogamer. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  21. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (22 October 2015). "Volume: Coda is a free PlayStation VR expansion coming in 2016". VG247. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  22. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (8 June 2016). "Volume is getting a free PlayStation VR expansion". Eurogamer. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Volume for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  24. ^ a b "Volume for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  25. ^ a b "Volume for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Volume for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  27. ^ Nakamura, Darren (18 August 2015). "Review: Volume". Destructoid. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  28. ^ Whitehead, Dan (18 August 2015). "Volume review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  29. ^ Shae, Brian (18 August 2015). "Sneaking Past The Competition - Volume - PC". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  30. ^ McHardy, Mike (18 August 2015). "Volume Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  31. ^ Cavalli, Ernest (18 August 2015). "Volume review: Doesn't go up to 11... or anywhere near it". GamesRadar. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  32. ^ Graeber, Brendan (18 August 2015). "Volume Review". IGN. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  33. ^ Wilde, Tyler (18 August 2015). "Volume review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  34. ^ Campbell, Colin (18 August 2015). "Volume review: without a face". Polygon. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  35. ^ Burns, Steven (18 August 2015). "Volume Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.

Read other articles:

Air One

Artikel ini bukan mengenai Air 1. Air One IATA ICAO Kode panggil AP ADH HERON Didirikan1983; 41 tahun lalu (1983)Berhenti beroperasi30 Oktober 2014 (2014-10-30)[1][2]Pusat operasi Bandar Udara Catania-Fontanarossa Bandar Udara Palermo Falcone–Borsellino Bandar Udara Pisa Bandar Udara Marco Polo Venesia Bandar Udara Verona Villafranca Program penumpang setiaMilleMigliaArmada10SloganAir One, my number one.Perusahaan indukAlitaliaKantor pusatFiumicino, ItaliaSitus web...

 

Confine tra il Ruanda e l'Uganda

Confine tra il Ruanda e l'UgandaLocalizzazione del Ruanda (in rosso) e dell'Uganda (n verde).Dati generaliStati Ruanda Uganda Dati storiciIstituito nel1910-1911 Causa istituzioneTrattato anglo-tedesco Manuale Il confine tra il Ruanda e l'Uganda ha una lunghezza di 172 km va dal triplice confine con la Repubblica Democratica del Congo a ovest, fino al triplice confine con la Tanzania a est[1]. Indice 1 Descrizione 2 Storia 3 Ecosistemi 4 Insediamenti vicino al confine 4.1 Rua...

 

Evodius

Jangan disamakan dengan Evodius, koresponden dari Agustinus dari Hippo SantoEvodiusUskup AntiokhiaMasa jabatanSekitar 53-66 MPendahuluSanto PetrusPenerusIgnatius dari AntiokhiaInformasi pribadiWafatSekitar 66 MasehiAntiokhiaOrang kudusHari heringatan6 Mei (Gereja Katolik)7 September (Gereja Ortodoks Timur)VenerasiGereja KatolikGereja Ortodoks TimurOrtodoks OrientalGereja Asiria TimurGereja Timur KunoAtributUskup Santo Evodius atau Euodias (wafat sekitar tahun 69) adalah seorang uskup Antiokhi...

Cericlamine

Chemical compound CericlamineClinical dataRoutes ofadministrationOral[1]ATC codeNonePharmacokinetic dataElimination half-life8 hours[1]Identifiers IUPAC name 3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-2-(dimethylamino)-2-methylpropan-1-ol CAS Number112922-55-1PubChem CID131074ChemSpider115890UNIIVES82D23IBChemical and physical dataFormulaC12H17Cl2NOMolar mass262.17 g·mol−13D model (JSmol)Interactive image SMILES CC(CC1=CC(=C(C=C1)Cl)Cl)(CO)N(C)C InChI InChI=1S/C12H17Cl2NO/c1-12(8-16,15(2)...

 

كفر العرب القبلي

  هذه المقالة عن قرية كفر العرب القبلي بمركز قويسنا. لمعانٍ أخرى، طالع كفر العرب (توضيح). كفر العرب القبلي  -  قرية مصرية -  تقسيم إداري البلد  مصر المحافظة محافظة المنوفية المركز قويسنا المسؤولون السكان التعداد السكاني 2,249 نسمة (إحصاء 2006) معلومات أخرى التوقي...

 

نادي رايكا بابل

نادي رايكا بابل البلد إيران  الدوري دوري آزادغان  تعديل مصدري - تعديل   نادي رايكا بابل (بالفارسية: باشگاه فوتبال رایکا بابل) هو ناد لكرة قدم، يقع مقره في بابل، مازندران، إيران.[1][2] الطاقم الحالي المنصب الاسم المدير الفني للمنتخب بيروز غرباني مساعد مدرب علي ع...

Ami Maeda

Ami MaedaNama lainAamin (あーみんcode: ja is deprecated )Lahir1 Juni 1995 (umur 28)Prefektur Tokyo, JepangGenreJ-popTahun aktif2008 - sekarangLabelKing RecordsArtis terkaitAKB48 Ami Maeda (前田亜美code: ja is deprecated , Maeda Ami) (lahir 1 Juni 1995 di Tokyo, Jepang) adalah seorang mantan penyanyi idola Jepang, anggota Tim A dari grup idola Jepang AKB48. Awalnya ia merupakan anggota siswi pelatihan generasi ke-7. Ia memulai debutnya pada tahun 2008. Ia memutuskan untuk graduati...

 

Wars of Scottish Independence

War of national liberation between Scotland and England This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Wars of Scottish Independence – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Part of a series on the History of Scotland Eras Prehistoric (timeline...

 

Subliminal (rapper)

SubliminalBackground informationBirth nameYa'akov ShimonyBorn (1979-11-13) November 13, 1979 (age 44)Tel Aviv, IsraelOriginTel Aviv, IsraelGenresHip hopOccupation(s)Rappersingerrecord producerYears active1994–presentLabelsTACT Records/NMC UnitedWebsiteTACT-Records.comMusical artist Ya'akov Kobi Shimony (Hebrew: יעקב קובי שמעוני, born November 13, 1979), generally known by his stage name Subliminal (Hebrew: סאבלימינל), is an Israeli rapper, singer and record produ...

Outlaws and Angels (film)

2016 film Outlaws and AngelsFilm posterDirected byJT MollnerWritten byJT Mollner[1]Produced by Luke Daniels[2] Rosanne Korenberg[2] Chris Ivan Cevic[2] JT Mollner[2] Starring Chad Michael Murray Francesca Eastwood Teri Polo Frances Fisher Luke Wilson Madisen Beaty Ben Browder CinematographyMatthew IrvingEdited byChristopher Robin BellMusic byColin StetsonProductioncompanies VMI Worldwide[2] No Remake Pictures[2] Redwire Pictures[2 ...

 

New High German

Most recent period in the history of German This article is about the history of New High German. For a description of New High German grammar, see German language. New High GermanNeuhochdeutschNative toGermany, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Netherlands,Language familyIndo-European GermanicWest GermanicGermanHigh GermanNew High GermanEarly formsOld High German Middle High German Early New High German Writing systemGerman alphabetOfficial statusOfficial language in...

 

中華民國國軍中的中共間諜列表

 本表是動態列表，或許永遠不會完結。歡迎您參考可靠來源來查漏補缺。 潛伏於中華民國國軍中的中共間諜列表收錄根據公開資料來源，曾潛伏於中華民國國軍、被中國共產黨聲稱或承認，或者遭中華民國政府調查審判，為中華人民共和國和中國人民解放軍進行間諜行為的人物。以下列表以現今可查知時間為準，正確的間諜活動或洩漏機密時間可能早於或晚於以下所歸�...

中華民國國軍中的中共間諜列表

 本表是動態列表，或許永遠不會完結。歡迎您參考可靠來源來查漏補缺。 潛伏於中華民國國軍中的中共間諜列表收錄根據公開資料來源，曾潛伏於中華民國國軍、被中國共產黨聲稱或承認，或者遭中華民國政府調查審判，為中華人民共和國和中國人民解放軍進行間諜行為的人物。以下列表以現今可查知時間為準，正確的間諜活動或洩漏機密時間可能早於或晚於以下所歸�...

 

تحالف قوى التقدم (السنغال)

تحالف قوى التقدم البلد السنغال  التأسيس تاريخ التأسيس 1999،  و13 أغسطس 1999  المؤسسون مصطفى نياس المقر الرئيسي داكار  الأفكار الأيديولوجيا الديمقراطية الاجتماعية الموقع الرسمي الموقع الرسمي  تعديل مصدري - تعديل   تحالف قوى التقدم (بالفرنسية: Alliance des forces de progrès)‏ ...

 

Immigrant health care in the United States

Overview of social and economic factors in health policies for immigrants [1][2]Immigrants at Ellis Island undergoing mandatory health inspections, 19th century Immigrant health care in the United States refers to the collective systems in the United States that deliver health care services to immigrants. The term immigrant is often used to encompass non-citizens of varying status; this includes permanent legal residents, refugees, and undocumented residents.[3] Doctor...

Mamluk Sultanate

State in Egypt, Hejaz and the Levant (1250–1517) For the Mamluk sultanate of Delhi, see Mamluk dynasty (Delhi). This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. When this tag was added, its readable prose size was 17,678 words. Consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding subheadings. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page. (April 2024) Mamluk Sultanateسلطنة المماليك (Arabic)Salṭanat al-Mamālīk1250–1517 Flags acco...

 

Heinrich Mann

German writer (1871–1950) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Heinrich Mann – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Heinrich MannHeinrich Mann in his Munich years (1894–1899)BornLuiz Heinrich Mann(1871-03-27)March 27, 1871Free City...

 

RK 71

Finnish assault rifle RK 71 RK 71 RK 71 and RK 71 TPTypeAssault riflePlace of originFinlandService historyUsed byUsersProduction historyDesignerValmetDesigned1966–1971[1]ManufacturerValmetProduced1970–1976[2]VariantsRK 71RK 71 TPM71/SM72TAKSpecificationsMass3.5 kg emptyLength928 mm (RK 71)[1]922 mm stock extended, 680 mm stock folded (RK 71 TP)[1]925 mm (M71/S)[1]Barrel length420 mm (RK 71 and M71/S)...

33 Postcards

33 PostcardsPoster film AustraliaSutradaraPauline ChanProduserPenny Carl-NelsonPauline ChanLesley StevensLiu ZhijiangDitulis olehMartin EdmondPhilip DalkinPauline ChanPemeranGuy PearceClaudia KarvanZhu LinLincoln LewisKain O'KeeffeMatt NablePenata musikAntony PartosSinematograferToby OliverPerusahaanproduksiPortal Pictures Pty LtdDistributorTitan View (Aus.& NZ)Arclight Films InternationalTanggal rilis 9 Juni 2011 (2011-06-09) (Festival Film Sydney) Durasi97 menitNegaraAust...

 

جورج بوش الابن

جورج بوش الابن (بالإنجليزية: George W. Bush)‏    مناصب حاكم تكساس (46 )   في المنصب17 يناير 1995  – 21 ديسمبر 2000  آن ريتشاردز  ريك بيري  الرئيس المنتخب للولايات المتحدة (34 )   في المنصب12 ديسمبر 2000  – 20 يناير 2001  انتخب في انتخابات الرئاسة الأمريكية 2000  بيل كل...