Mirror’s Edge places you in the heart of a tightly controlled metropolis. Run down by the government to keep tabs on everything and everyone in their homeland. All communication has come under strict regulation. Most citizens conformed to the new rules at hand. Some chose to fight the control and were cast aside as criminals. That’s where you come in. As a runner, you (Faith) are the link between the shunned. Transporting confidential information among your clientele.
Parkour has definitely broadened it’s reach over the past year. And it’s hard not to note the influences here. The core mechanic of this game is parkour. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. The premise is shooting for the stars! It’s a growing trend people can relate to and it has rarley been done before on a console. After some hands on time with Mirror’s Edge, does this look like it will be new ground worth exploring, or should we continue waiting for the next big thing?
The second you drop into Mirror’s Edge you’re overcome with a sense of awe. The enviroments are so well put together you’d be hard pressed to find a flaw. Originally thinking the (all white) surroundings would feel bland and monotonous, this city seems to be bursting with life. The key element to this is the spot on sound. The sound team did an admirable job with this city. Granted the visuals are brilliant, without the sound team setting the tone, this would not be as immersive. That’s not to take away one bit from the view. Have a look for yourself and you be the judge.
It’s hard not to take a moment and absorb all your surroundings. This game is, in one word, gorgeous.
Helping add to the immersion there is no hud to be seen on screen. This seems to be a growing trend among games. Damage is seen through a darkening and reddening of the screen. Not to worry though, you wont be searching for health kits as your life begins to regenerate with a few seconds out of harms way. Not exactly realistic, but neither is the totalitarian setting. Lets cross our fingers that last part stays true for many years to come!
Your hands and feet play a larger roll than you might imagine. While you can look around this world as you can in any other first person view game, you’ll almost immediately notice something different. You can see your arms and legs while you’re standing still. Now call me crazy, but that is a revolutionary leap in gaming history! Not only can you see them, they help lead the way. Watching the flailing of your arms as you plummet from the roof of a skyscraper, the bending of your legs as you prepare for impact, the curl of your body as you perform a roll to land safely, the reach towards the box in front of you just before you bound over an obstacle, the… well.. you get the idea. The fluid movements and interactions with your surroundings are just one more step that Mirror’s Edge takes towards pulling you in even further.
One thing that seems lacking is the combat system. I understand that the whole idea here is to run away from danger, that’s why they’re called “runners”. But if you bump into two or more baddies at once, forget about taking them out, just try to find a way out! The system implemented to overtake a baddy and steal their weapon can be frustrating. Even when using slow motion (wich is granted to you by completing insane jumps and keeping up momentum) it can be hard to hit them at the right moment. The problem here is that you are granted such a small window of time in which to obtain the weapon. If you miss that opportunity, you’re in for a world of hurt. Hopefully this changes in the final version. Timing should still be an aspect, but there should be a slightly larger window to take advantage of.
Combat aside, this game is all about momentum. The fluidity sets Mirror’s Edge apart from the crowd. It’s easy to see why they included a “race” mode. This game really gets your blood flowing when you nail a perfect wall run, to one-eighty spin, to jump and grab, while simultaneously running away from people with guns. The music seems to kick in just at the right time, and the visuals take your breath away while you jump from skyscraper to skyscraper. If EA can keep what we’ve seen so far strong throughout the game’s development, then there will be no reason anyone should miss Mirror’s Edge. We can’t wait to experience the final product.
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