"Loose" is pretty apt.

Volt, subtitled "Battery on the Loose," reminds me - unfortunately - of World of Goo. What I hated about that game was that its puzzles demanded a level of precision that the mechanics couldn't support; that the in-game physics were too nuanced to reliably predict and control. Volt is a puzzle game revolving largely around the use of whip-like electric tethers, which can be attached to a surface, using gravity and rotational forces to swing around: the "puzzle" is in navigating to an exit, hitting switches and avoiding obstacles, using a limited number of tethers and other more minor powerups. And the density of its level hazards is at odds with the lack of mercy afforded by the tether swinging -- requiring dies and retries, and split-second precision when placing and cutting these tethers.

It's unfortunate, because Volt comes close to being one of two really cool ideas. If it was a less-precise, more action-oriented game based on using the electronic tethers to move through a level (ala Spider-Man or Bionic Commando); it could be a lot of real-time, actiony fun. Or if it had tighter, more precise controls, e.g. a way to control time or plot paths through the level before following them; then it would be a fairly unique puzzler with a cool aesthetic.

But as it is, the middle-ground that Volt occupies is too fiddly and frustrating for me to extract any enjoyment out of.

Progress: Finished level 1-9.