Volume: Thomas Was Alone Dev's Tactical Stealth Action Game

Volume is the next game from Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell, whose small team is approaching stealth action in a different way. Its isometric camera and quiet navigation draw from Metal Gear Solid, clearly, but Bithell and co. start deviating from the norm nearly every other step of the way.

"I love games that let me solve problems my own way," Bithell tells IGN, "but I do kind of miss a more focused stealth game, where being spotted is not easily solved with violence. In this game, the only character who can die is the player, that makes for a different kind of stealth game."

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Any player can change a level, or make one of their own.

The basics of getting through a mission unscathed are simple -- sneak up on enemies, club 'em for the KO -- but Volume tries a few different things to give players options. The most important is the ability to change the layout of levels. Bithell says, "Any player can change a level, or make one of their own, and distribute those changes to anyone who wants them. I want to see day one translations of the environmental text to Klingon. I want to see campaigns made by mod teams. I want this game to grow and change as time goes on. I'm excited about the possibilities available there."

Drawing enemy attention with whistles and toilet flushes is a standard in stealth games, of course, but using those sort of noises to lure A.I. is one of the most valuable tools in Volume's  hero's arsenal. Noise as a whole is important to Volume -- hence the title, which presumably applies to filling a space with custom level layouts as well. "You also unlock the 'bugle', a ricocheting noisemaker you can launch and draw guards with in a more targeted fashion," Bithell says. "I can see if Sam Fisher is in light or shadow. The problem with sound is that it's hard to visualize in a realistic context."

The Last of Us put Bithell at ease. It shared certain sneaky qualities. In Volume and The Last of Us, "Sound becomes a ranged ability, where you can effectively use noise to adjust and interrupt enemy AI, changing their patrols to suit you."

Uh, behind you, dude.

Bithell won't discuss the story, hero's role, or even the protagonist's name just yet. Overall, though, Volume probably won't bum you out like Thomas Was Alone's crushing tale of friendship. "I think this one's a little bit more uplifting," he says. "This is a story about a hero, a weird mix of tradition and, well, something new...Also, I kept the cubes. The cubes make me feel more comfortable."

Volume is coming to PC in 2014.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He’s currently reading Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com