Movement Basics
VHOLUME is built around momentum. The five core actions — run, jump, climb, slide, wall-run — aren't isolated tricks. The whole game is about how you connect them.
- Run builds speed. Long slopes are speed generators, not just scenery.
- Jump ends a run. Time it from the edge of a slope, not the moment you see a gap.
- Climb is your recovery tool, not your main transport. Speedrunners rarely climb — but it gets you to areas you'd miss at full speed.
- Slide after a drop. A normal landing kills your forward momentum; a slide turns the landing into a launch.
- Wall-run is a springboard, not a road. Touch the wall, get the acceleration boost, then jump away.
Controls: Keyboard or Controller?
The game officially supports full controller input (Xbox / DualSense both work on PC) and full keyboard + mouse. The honest answer for most players: both are viable, pick the one that matches your goal.
- Keyboard + mouse is the competitive pick for speedrunning. Mouse-aim gives you the precise camera for skipping platforms, and binding Jump to your mouse wheel lets you rapid-fire jumps without perfect Spacebar timing.
- Controller feels more natural for relaxed exploration — analog movement is smooth, and the game handles analog nicely. Watch out for stick drift on older pads; the game demands precise positioning and even small drift will throw off jump setups.
- Hybrid: Some players keep the controller in the left hand for analog movement and the mouse in the right hand for the camera.
For a deeper breakdown, see our Controller vs Keyboard page.
Performance Tip: Watch Your Anti-Aliasing
VHOLUME's Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) anti-aliasing has been criticized for its performance hit. On some systems, enabling TSR pushes GPU utilization to 100% and tanks your frame rate — which in a momentum game means losing your run mid-wall-run. If you see sudden stutter or frame drops, switch TSR off and pick a cheaper AA option. Smooth frames > prettier shadows every time.
Beginner vs Speedrunner Mindset
The biggest gap between a new player and a fast player isn't reflexes — it's what you think about while moving.
A beginner thinks about surviving the landing. A speedrunner thinks about what happens during the landing.
On your first run through a new map, don't chase a time. Learn the architecture: where the major slopes are, which walls support useful wall-runs, where you can build slide momentum, which platforms can be skipped, where a missed jump can be recovered with climbing. Only when you understand the level's geometry should you start pushing the pace.
Common Mistakes That Destroy Your Speed
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Running everywhere | Leaves speed unused | Look for slopes and slide setups |
| Jumping too early | Kills useful momentum | Jump closer to the edge |
| Hitting walls head-on | Instantly destroys velocity | Plan your approach angle |
| Overusing climbing | Costs forward momentum | Use it mainly for recovery |
| Landing normally | Ends your movement chain | Land into slides when possible |
| Copying routes blindly | May not suit your movement | Adapt the line to your own speed |
Next Steps
Once you're comfortable with the basics, the next two pages are the highest-leverage reads on this wiki:
- Climb Faster & Speedrun Tips — momentum tricks, ghost coaching, and how to shave seconds off your time.
- All Demo Secrets — every secret and collectible location in the 4-level demo, plus the "something is different" mystery.