Mike Bithell. “Thomas was alone”. Awards. Many. “Metal Gear Solid”.
If you were to look up the buzzwords for “Volume”, the list above would be spot on. But I don’t think they tell the whole story.
I’ve been playing the game for a bit (I’m about 10% in), and honestly (I know it may be hard to believe), I think the game was undersold. I know it was a media darling from the moment it was announced, but it took so long to get to Vita that, on consoles, it was old news.
I hope people spent time with it, though, because it’s a very special game. The gameplay is fantastically simple yet engaging. The level design is great. All good games have this core set of similarities. Even that Italian plumber (specially him).
However, for me, it’s the story that takes the game from “good” to “fantastic”. Yes, you’d be coming back for more levels. Just one more try. One more go. One more checkpoint.
But the story is so well crafted, and so extremely well acted (not overly done, very John Doe), that it adds a layer of depth to a game that would have otherwise been all about the gameplay. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s so much more than that, and so much better for it.
Yes, “Volume” is a stealth game with polygon graphics. But that’s like saying that “King Lear” is some wood pulp and black ink.
You’d be kinda missing the point.
Expect a full review in the coming days.
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