Mirror’s Edge

Got Faith?

Posted 4 years ago By - Jay Acevedo

Mirror’s Edge excited gamers during E3 this year, and it shows what EA is capable of producing when it comes to original and unique intellectual properties such as Army of Two and Dead Space. Quite possibly “the next incarnation of the platformer genre” we take a look at how sufficiently DICE pulled this off. Here’s our review.


Gameplay

Set in what appears to be a utopian paradise where information is monitored and very valuable, transportation of this sensitive data is placed in the hands of a group called “Runners”. The storyline revolves around Faith, who works as a Runner, a special breed of agile messengers whose objectives are to secure and transport packages containing important and secret data files. Her sister Kate, a cop, is being framed for the murder of a mayoral candidate who was destined to bring important changes to the city. While trying to help her sister on finding who killed him, she discovers that there’s a huge conspiracy behind the killing and she wants to find out what ties both events all together. Rhianna Pratchett, who is known for her work on Overlord and Heavenly Sword, was brought on board to help write the story for Mirror’s Edge. Unfortunately despite her past highly acclaimed works, the story for Mirror’s Edge is sub-par. Filled with clichés and predictability – the story is definitely not one of her best, but the game is so addictive that this doesn’t really ruin the fun.

As a Runner, the game requires you to master the combination of speed, agility and momentum in order to traverse this world of high-rises and rooftops as fast as you can. Faith comes with a surprisingly large repertoire of moves available thanks to the game’s simple control system. Despite this, the game does take some practice to learn how operate smoothly within the game. Chaining button combinations is critical to keep your momentum and jump synchronization takes practice. Even experienced gamers will find themselves faced with lots of trial and error causing players to restart the area again and casual gamers may find this frustrating, especially during the first few levels. Once control synchronization with the world is mastered, the game’s control system begins to feel intuitive and easy to manipulate as the games mechanics for running and jumping are fluid and flawless. You’ll be asked to disarm cops and take their weapons but despite having this option to shoot people, it doesn’t fit the nature of the game and only slows down your momentum. The temptation to shoot is high, especially for players who are familiar with FPS games but the game could have done without the shooting tactics.


Speaking of controls and synchronization, in help you succeed in Mirror’s Edge, the developer’s added “Runner Vision” and “Reaction Time”. The game uses a system called “Runner Vision”, in which conduits and pathways are coloured red to help show you where to go and possible paths that can be taken in order to accomplish your missions. This helps you build up and keep momentum, which is vital to your survival in Mirror’s Edge. Momentum affects how far you can jump, wall-run, and how high you can climb walls. The longer your momentum is maintained, the faster you will run, which also means it will also be that much harder for you to be stopped by the police. Another means of assistance to the player is a system called "Reaction Time". A format of bullet time, this system gives the player time to plan where to go next without losing their momentum, which makes the timing of jumps and disarms easier. Since your agility will be tested, alternative paths are also possible. Exploring the city and testing your capabilities is a fun thing in Mirror’s Edge. Although level design is very linear and repetitive this is not a bad thing. The game takes place on the cities rooftops and inside buildings and the action constantly keeps you moving since levels are built specifically to keep you from staying in once place for more than a few seconds. The only complaint, in certain places the game will pause to load the level bringing the game’s fast paced momentum to a screeching halt.

Graphics & Sounds

When DICE decided to use Unreal Engine 3 technology instead of their own Frostbite engine, the developer made it clear that they wanted to create something that was different and stood apart from the Battlefield series…and they were right to do so. Nowadays, we can tell if a game was built on the Unreal engine but when we see Mirror’s Edge, it shows us how flexible and truly great this engine is in the hands of crafty developers even after all these years. The crisp textures, top-notch character models and incredible lighting run on a steady framerate at all times making Mirror’s Edge one of the most visually breathtaking games we’ve seen lately. While the director’s choice to use cartoon animated cut-scenes in place of the in-game engine seems odd, the sense of height, speed and space are very impressive and makes you feel like you were standing on the top of the world yourself. Very impressive.


While the graphics are excellent, the sound build is interesting and distinctive as you can hear everything that surrounds you. A gunshot really stands out here, and so does Faith’s laboured breathing while jumping and running from building to building or being chased by cops. While the voice-overs are kind of generic and the dialog uninspiring, the soundtrack fits with the action and the general ambiance of the game.

Value

The game is short. You can finish Mirror’s Edge in about 6 hours if you decide to sit down and play it through until the end but it will depend of your gaming experience. But, whether you’re casual or not, you will see your experience end abruptly. The ability to download a friends “ghost” to see them run the time-trial level with you helps to find new short-cuts. The mode encourages friendly competition to improve while racing against the clock to beat friends. The Time-Trial mode will surely keep you busy as you will revisit the game many times, but in the end, you would’ve loved to see DICE go further with the game’s concept as a whole. Mirror’s Edge finds itself in the same category as Portal and Braid: an experimental and groundbreaking game that hints at what can be done with the right people at the right place. Still, if you’re looking for a cool game, this is worth checking out with the eyes closed.


Conclusion

Even if the game is short and frustrating at times, we can’t go without saying that Mirror’s Edge needs to be experienced by every gamer. In a time where sequels and uninspiring titles are flooding the market, seeing this game hitting store shelves is refreshing. Although the game is short and doesn’t have a multiplayer mode, Mirror’s Edge remains one of those games that even when you’re done, you will pop back into your system to play once in while, just for the fun of it…and you won’t be disappointed as satisfaction will be around the corner every time. Now, we can’t wait where DICE will take the franchise as it has already been confirmed as a trilogy. Kudos!

Verdict: The game can be labeled as a “must have” based on its originality and the complex gameplay mechanics that will make hardcore gamers see it as a challenge. For the casual gamer, it’s a solid rental but you have to give it a shot.

1 week ago :: (XBLA) Sacred Citadel
1 week ago :: Injustice: Gods Among Us
1 week ago :: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14
2 weeks ago :: BioShock Infinite
4 weeks ago :: Gears of War Judgment
1 month ago :: (Kinect) The Hip Hop Dance Experience
1 month ago :: Tomb Raider
1 month ago :: Crysis 3
2 months ago :: DmC Devil May Cry
2 months ago :: (XBLA) Serious Sam Double D XXL