Mirror's Edge

November 14,2008 - There are very few times when new concepts and ideas spring about in the videogame industry. With that said, Mirror’s Edge isn’t so much a new idea as much as it is a payoff of the vision many have had of a game based around freerunning. What is new is the way in which developer DICE has recreated the sport of freerunning and not used the mere concept as a veil on a shallow experience. Instead, Mirror’s Edge delivers a brisk, but well-paced story in a world oozing with style and variety that makes it a must buy this holiday season.

Mirror’s Edge is set sometime in the future in a fictitious city ruled by a totalitarian government focused on ridding societal ills such as crime and violence by forcing complete control over its citizens. Surveillance cameras cover every block and the “blues” (cops) chase a band of rebels known as runners, who stalk the rooftops of the cities passing along anything relevant to the resistance such as packages and data. These elusive revolutionaries can only be seen dashing through the city, leaving only a hint of their existence as they pass windows with their momentary image lasting on the “mirror’s edge.” Your hero, Faith, is one of these runners.

The story focuses around the murder of a mayoral candidate for which your sister, a cop, is the prime suspect. You spend the entire game chasing leads and collecting info that could help clear your sister’s name. While it’s all a bit cliché and predictable, the story is surprisingly gripping due to its well produced cutscenes, excellent dialogue, voice acting, and pacing.

There are a total of 9 chapters in the game, and what keeps you engaged as a player is the constant escalation of conflict. Each chapter ends with a strong cinematic which presents you with an interesting new problem, and your curiosity will often drive you to continue playing. In fact, we only took one break in our playthrough.

Mirror’s Edge is best described as a first-person platformer since you’ll spend the vast majority of your time jumping along rooftops or within the tall buildings you’ll have to infiltrate. The controls are incredibly intuitive with one button controlling all upward moving such as jumping and wall running, and another initiating all ground-level movements like ducking and sliding. You can also fire weapons, barge through doors, disarm and pickup weapons, and interact with objects just as easily.

For the most part, the action is Mirror’s Edge is incredibly smooth. Gaining a good burst of speed and jumping along rooftops, over fences, and from off walls and onto nearby ledges provides a hell of an adrenaline rush. There will be plenty of occasions when you miss time a jump and plunge to the pavement below or have to continually retry getting to a ledge or checkpoing in time, but they don’t seriously hinder the experience. In fact, these problems are to be expected in a well-designed platformer that offers a bit of challenge. And you will be challenged.

There a few jump puzzles spread throughout the game’s levels that may cause you to become frustrated by either trying to figure out where you have to go or in trying to actually land the jump correctly. Luckily, there is a hint button to at least indicate where you need to go next even if the game doesn’t always clearly show you the best path to it. That’s where your brain has to kick in and do a little overtime. The puzzles are cleverly designed and sometimes difficult, but there’s never a situation in the game where anything seems impossible.

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