Volume.art is a free collection of deliberately awful volume sliders

Volume.art is a free collection of deliberately awkward volume-slider mini-games, built by Mike Klubnika with contributions from 23 developers. It launched on 1 October and can be played in a browser or downloaded for Windows and Linux.¹²

The project turns one of the least exciting bits of a game interface into its entire premise. Each mini-game gives the player a target volume, represented by a crown, then asks them to reach it through a strange control system. In “A man named Bow”, for example, the player adjusts an arrow’s angle and draw strength, with the distance determining the volume. The interface looks like a slider, but the task behaves more like a tiny physics challenge.¹

There are 29 submissions in the first edition, made during roughly two months of development from June to the end of August. Other examples include a romance-style game where choices affect a robot character’s feelings, a stock-trading game that ties volume to the player’s money, and a cup-and-ball guessing game where each correct answer barely moves the meter.¹²

That structure gives Volume.art a neat advantage: its joke is immediately understandable, but the individual games can still surprise. The project is not simply a menu of broken sliders. It is a collection of small experiments that use a familiar interface as a constraint, then deliberately make it inconvenient, theatrical or absurd.

The official site credits the project to Mike Klubnika, with music by IODINE, and says it was inspired by the badUIbattles community. The soundtrack is also available separately through Bandcamp.²

Our opinion

Volume.art is a strong example of a small free game finding a clear idea and pushing it further than expected. The premise is silly, but the variety of the 29 contributions gives it enough substance to be more than a one-joke curiosity. It is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys experimental browser games, playful interface design or games that turn mild frustration into the point of the experience.

You can play Volume.art online or download it from the official project site.²