Volume

Volume is an independent stealth game developed by Mike Bithell Games and designed by British game creator Mike Bithell. It reinterprets the Robin Hood legend through a science-fiction political thriller set in a corporatized version of England. The player controls Robert Locksley, a petty thief who discovers a device called the Volume. The machine contains an artificial intelligence named Alan and can simulate elaborate heists for training and demonstration purposes. Rather than carrying out crimes directly, Locksley uses the device to broadcast virtual versions of the heists over the internet, exposing a concealed military coup and building a public challenge to the authoritarian political order. The game is presented primarily from a top-down, third-person perspective. Its central design principle is non-lethal stealth: players must study patrol routes, manipulate enemy behavior, use distractions, collect objectives, and reach an exit without being detected. The game draws clear inspiration from the stealth systems of the Metal Gear Solid series, but translates those ideas into compact, highly structured puzzle-like stages. Enemies include guards with different sight patterns, archers with long-range vision, rogues with broad awareness, tracking dogs, and automated turrets. If the player is discovered and cannot break line of sight quickly enough, the simulation restarts from the beginning or from a checkpoint. Volume includes 100 story levels and a collection of tools that can be selected through loadouts. These tools support diversion and evasion rather than combat, reinforcing the game's emphasis on planning and improvisation. Gems placed throughout the stages must generally be collected before the exit becomes available, while leaderboards encourage players to replay missions and improve completion times. A built-in level editor expands the game beyond its authored campaign. Users can assemble stages from modular components, must complete their own creations before publishing them, and can share those levels with other players. The narrative combines the Robin Hood framework with themes of surveillance, corporate rule, media spectacle, and resistance through broadcasting. Robert's public demonstrations are presented in a manner comparable to online playthrough or streaming culture. Guy of Gisbourne, voiced by Andy Serkis, is transformed from a medieval antagonist into the chief executive of a company that has effectively taken over England. Other credited performers include Charlotte McDonnell, Danny Wallace, Dan Bull, and James Stephanie Sterling. The game also contains hints that it occupies the same fictional continuity as Bithell's earlier title Thomas Was Alone. Volume was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4 on 18 August 2015. Its PlayStation Vita edition followed on 6 January 2016 as a CrossBuy release after additional refinement. A free expansion, Volume: Coda, was announced with additional story content and PlayStation VR support, adding 30 levels centered on a character known as the Troubleshooter. Limited physical editions for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 were later published by Limited Run Games. Reviews were generally favorable, with aggregate scores varying by platform; the Windows version received stronger average results than the PlayStation 4 release. The title is best understood as a finite premium game product rather than a conventional consumer brand, and its importance lies in its authored stealth campaign, user-generated content tools, and distinctive political retelling of Robin Hood.

Volume originated from Mike Bithell's interest in the stealth design of the Metal Gear games. Bithell sought to recover what he regarded as a more focused form of stealth play: observing enemies, planning a route, creating distractions, and completing an objective without resorting to direct violence. The project followed Thomas Was Alone, but was considerably more ambitious in scope and production requirements. Bithell announced the game in August 2013. Its concept joined a stealth simulation with a modernized Robin Hood narrative. The protagonist, Robert Locksley, discovers the Volume, a device capable of simulating heists, and decides to broadcast his virtual crimes to expose a military coup. This premise allowed the game to connect stealth mechanics with contemporary ideas about online broadcasting, political resistance, and corporate control. The fictional antagonist Guy of Gisbourne was redesigned as the chief executive of a corporation that governs England as a corporatocracy. The development team used the level editor as a major distinguishing feature. Bithell drew inspiration from the level-design experimentation associated with Metal Gear Solid 2 and wanted the editor to feel like assembling stages from modular construction pieces. Players can place predefined elements into new or existing layouts, test their own missions, and publish them for other players after completing them. The released campaign contains 100 story levels, while the editor provides an additional framework for community-created content. Production expanded beyond the scale of Thomas Was Alone. Bithell initially expected a budget of approximately £30,000, compared with the roughly £5,000 required for his earlier game, with the additional resources supporting programming and three-dimensional art. During development, overwork resulted in Bithell being hospitalized around New Year 2014. Afterward, he brought in more staff, and the completed project involved a team of approximately 15 people. Contributors included former colleagues from Blitz Games and members of Curve Digital, which had previously assisted with console versions of Thomas Was Alone. David Housden, composer of the earlier game, returned to create Volume's music. The voice cast became an important part of the game's presentation. Danny Wallace, who had worked with Bithell on Thomas Was Alone, voiced Alan, the Volume's artificial intelligence. Andy Serkis was selected for Guy of Gisbourne after Bithell identified him as a preferred choice and the actor responded positively to the script. Serkis's involvement influenced the characterization, making Gisbourne more fiendish and theatrical. Charlotte McDonnell voiced Robert Locksley, with additional performances from Dan Bull and James Stephanie Sterling. The release plan changed during development. Volume was initially conceived as a timed PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita exclusive, with Windows and OS X versions planned afterward. The main editions ultimately launched simultaneously on 18 August 2015 for Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4. The Vita version was postponed for further polishing and released on 6 January 2016 as a CrossBuy title. A free expansion, Volume: Coda, was announced with 30 additional stages, a continuation involving the Troubleshooter, and support for PlayStation VR without requiring the headset for play. The game later received limited physical editions through Limited Run Games: the PlayStation Vita edition in November 2016 and the PlayStation 4 edition in May 2018. Critical reception was mostly positive, although aggregate scores differed by platform. The Windows release performed better on the cited review aggregators than the PlayStation 4 version. Volume's lasting identity rests on its tightly structured stealth puzzles, non-lethal toolset, level editor, and combination of Robin Hood motifs with a media-driven dystopian setting.

• 2018

  Limited PlayStation 4 physical edition

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Limited Run Games published a physical PlayStation 4 edition on 4 May.

• 2016

  PlayStation Vita release

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  The Vita version launched on 6 January as a CrossBuy release after additional polishing.

• 2016

  Volume: Coda announced

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  The free Coda expansion was announced with 30 new levels and optional PlayStation VR support.

• 2016

  Limited Vita physical edition

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Limited Run Games published a physical PlayStation Vita edition on 11 November.

• 2015

  Primary release

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Volume launched for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4 on 18 August.

• 2014

  Development team expanded

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  After Bithell experienced health problems related to overwork, additional staff were brought into development; the completed project involved approximately 15 people.

• 2013

  Game announced

  [1]Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Mike Bithell announced Volume as an independent stealth game inspired by Metal Gear and based on a contemporary Robin Hood story.

An independent, puzzle-oriented stealth game that combines non-lethal infiltration, user-generated levels, and a contemporary Robin Hood-inspired political narrative.

• Stealth video game · 2015

  Volume

  The main game is a non-lethal stealth title with 100 story levels. Players guide Robert Locksley through simulated heists, avoiding guards, dogs, archers, rogues, and automated turrets. The game emphasizes route planning, distractions, checkpoints, collectible gems, replayable time trials, and global leaderboards. A built-in editor allows players to construct and share their own levels after testing them.

• Story expansion · 2016

  Volume: Coda

  Coda is a free expansion announced as an extension of Volume's narrative. It adds 30 levels focused on the Troubleshooter, a character captured by government forces after the events surrounding Locksley's broadcasts. The expansion also adds PlayStation VR functionality, while remaining playable without a VR headset.

• User-generated content tool · 2015

  Volume level editor

  The level editor lets players assemble stealth missions from modular elements, test the resulting stages, and share completed creations with the wider player community. It extends the product beyond its authored campaign and reflects Bithell's interest in construction-based experimentation.

• 2016

  Volume: Coda expansionProduct launch

  Background

  The developers sought to extend the story and connect the game with the planned PlayStation VR hardware ecosystem.

  Action taken

  A free expansion with 30 additional levels and optional PlayStation VR support was announced.

  Aftermath

  Coda broadened the narrative beyond Locksley's original campaign by following the Troubleshooter.

  Source

• 2015

  Shift from planned timed exclusivity to simultaneous releaseStrategy

  Background

  Volume was initially planned as a timed exclusive for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, with Windows and OS X versions expected later.

  Action taken

  The release plan was changed so that the Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4 editions launched together on 18 August 2015.

  Aftermath

  The PlayStation Vita version did not launch at the same time and was instead delayed for further refinement before its January 2016 release.

  Source

• 2015

  PlayStation Vita release postponed for polishingOther

  Background

  The Vita edition required additional refinement and the team wanted to incorporate player feedback before launch.

  Action taken

  The Vita version was delayed by several weeks and released on 6 January 2016 as a CrossBuy title.

  Aftermath

  The Vita edition became part of the game's multi-platform release program after the main Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4 launch.

  Source

1. 1Volume (video game)en.wikipedia.org