VHOLUME

Latest in each market: best RU #64, worst UA #91 · 8 markets collected

US · last 30 days

Hours played at review time, across 1.2K reviews with recorded playtime.

positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up

First of all, I want to make it clear that I liked the game's concept and won't be requesting a refund because I really want to support the game and the creator, and I hope future updates place more focus on movement. This game suffers from a serious identity crisis. I’ve always loved movement-based games, MomentumMod, CSS, CS 1.6, Titanfall, TF2, etc. So when I saw a game blending a moody, overcast atmosphere with mega-structures and parkour, I was instantly hooked. However, while playing it, I was captivated by the setting and atmosphere but incredibly frustrated by the movement mechanics. I understand the intent is to create a more atmospheric experience with slower movement, but that’s exactly where the identity crisis drives me crazy. There are leaderboards for competition and options for speedometers and timers, features typical of great movement games, yet the mechanics themselves lack synergy. I genuinely still can't tell if sliding to gain massive speed is a bug or a feature; sometimes you accelerate wildly, while other times you just stop dead, as if the character is tired. Sometimes you fly up incredibly steep ramps at light speed, yet other times you lose all momentum the moment you touch the slightest bump. Speaking of movement and speed, some maps don't seem designed for the game's mechanics; for instance, if you start a map with a slide to gain immediate speed, the timing makes it impossible to reach certain platforms. Furthermore, the maps seem designed to prevent you from going fast: some punish you for moving too quickly, others for moving too slowly. Some feature sharp turns that kill your momentum when you hit a wall, while others demand extreme speed to clear large gaps. I genuinely believe the only reason the leaderboards are competitive is due to this overall inconsistency. (+Some of the top scores on the timed maps are cheated.) Wall-running is supposed to help you gain speed, but if you're already moving fast thanks to that "mechanic?"... ...of crouching and jumping in sequence; that wall-run becomes a 50/50 toss-up between giving you a huge boost or just slowing you down. Not only that, but I bet even the game's creator doesn't know how the speed system works. Sliding guarantees you 1600u, yet you don't gain extra speed when sliding downhill; plus, the slide can get cancelled out of nowhere—which can literally kill your run if you're aiming for gold medals. The speed system makes no sense: sometimes you lose a TON of speed, while other times everything runs perfectly. On one specific map, you have to slide under about 10 different doors, but a good chunk of the time, your slide cancels right in the middle of them or just before them for no reason, you can go from 2400u to 800u out of nowhere. The lack of air strafing also RIDICULOUSLY hurts the gameplay; not being able to control the character well in mid-air makes readjusting and creating consistent routes really difficult. They wouldn't even need to add extra speed to the strafe, just improve the character's directional control. And to rub salt in the wound: why on earth do I have the option to jump using the mouse wheel when "bhopping" literally isn't a mechanic here? The closest thing to it is this "mechanic?" ...gaining speed with crouch-jumps. I swear I tried to look past all that, telling myself the focus was on atmosphere and vibes (which actually got me really excited), but a few levels in, NOTHING makes sense anymore. It stops being a mega-structure and turns into random, nonsensical platforms floating in limbo. I GENUINELY don't get the point, to the extent that I'm not even sure there's a story, since every NPC I found was weird or spouted total gibberish. And speaking of NPCs, good luck with that; there's one literally hidden OUTSIDE THE MAP. You have to wall-jump up the exterior of the map just to find him. Honestly, this identity crisis makes the game kind of sad. Is it a "vibes" game? But then it’s about movement? Yet the movement is inconsistent? Look, I don't want to put anyone reading this off buying the game, I did like it, it just isn't for me. Honestly, I can't even tell if it's meant to be casual or hardcore; it seems like a matter of personal taste. If I could ask the creator for anything, it would be a complete movement overhaul: maybe a more controllable character, better air-strafing, a bunny-hop mechanic to give the mouse-wheel jump option a purpose, a fix for the sliding mechanic, and, honestly, more focus on that claustrophobic mega-structure feel.