In November of 2008 EA released an unexpected title, Mirror's Edge. At this point EA were not known for taking a risk on new franchises but following the success of Dead Space, a Horror game which was released earlier in the year and highly received by critics, Mirror's Edge continued EA's new approach with yet another new franchise that would delight fans. Mirror's Edge is a game developed by DICE (Swedish Company) which focuses on the First-Person camera angle to create a unique free running action-adventure game that feels intense, frantic, and thrilling throughout the relatively short but delightful experience the game offers.
Mirror's Edge tells the story of a young woman named Faith Connors, she is a runner in this phenomenal looking futuristic city, ruled by an overbearing totalitarian government. Faith's job is to deliver pieces of information to an underground network which still lives with an ounce of freedom in this city ruled by an iron fist. Much like in the Sport (Parkour) Faith uses her incredible acrobatics to outrun, out-leap, and out-swing "Blues" (Cops) who chase her to the edge of the city with aggressive pressure and force. Early in the game players learn that Faith's sister (Kate Connors) has been wrongly accused of murder and it's Faith's job to clear her name.
The story isn't remarkable but it does provide some emotional moments and good character interactions. The game uses animated cutscenes to tell the story and while others were not so keen on this approach, i liked it. The colourful animations work well with the tone and mood of the city. It would have been nice to see a stronger story with more depth, perhaps a bigger incite into how the city became what it is now and how the people adapted to the changes. The game is not very long and can be completed in 6 hours after you know the route to run. This is the only disappointing aspect of the game, along with a story which needed slightly more depth to it. Overall these two issues are shadowed by the masses of fun and thrilling frantic action the game provides on an absolutely gorgeous canvas.
One of the strongest parts of Mirror's Edge is the stunning architecture and simple design the game has. Most buildings will be white with a bold splash of red, green, or orange to create a different mood when the game takes you to the various locations. There is a sewer area which is coloured with dark greens, this helps create a unique atmosphere down there compared to other areas. There is a factory area which is drowned in oranges and reds, the windows are high up so all you see is a glimmer of sun light shine through. These simple touches help create the feeling of an early morning time of day. The game uses colour masterfully to it's advantage unlike any other game i have ever played. The graphics are beautiful and at times you will spend minutes just running up and down a corridor glancing at the detail in the walls. The simplistic art style also helps capture the feeling of the overbearing government which is in control of everything within it's perimeter. Character models look fantastic and when you pull of a stunt or combo it feels satisfying and rewarding to watch.
The star of the show is the free running (Parkour) that you get to do when you control Faith. Faith moves with fluidity and feels responsive as you manoeuvre the many environmental obstacles in your way. You will have to do allot of running, leaping off rooftops, sliding under pipes, and scaling fences during the game. These are just a few of the basics, the game will eventually have you putting together combinations of movements with ease and allowing the player to visualise a path in advance. This is what the game does so well, some areas are colour coded such as red ramps to safely leap from a building. The game is not easy though and these small colour coded areas can be switched off at the main menu if you wish to have a more challenging experience. The game is quite linear offering a range of pathways but not an open city to roam, this however is needed in my opinion otherwise the game would loose it's frantic pace and feeling of constant pressure from the blues.
The game encourages you to complete the game without using any weapons, there is even an achievement or trophy to reward the player for doing so. The game manages to give you this option because Faith is equip with a range of moves. She can run, parachute roll out of a high jump, and swing from pole to pole. These are just a few of the various moves at her disposal. When you manage to pull of these moves in rhythm it provides a satisfying sense of achievement after every chase in the game. All these moves are enhanced by the small inclusions of Faith's hands as she knocks open a door or her legs as she slides under a pipe along with the hint of motion blur at the side of the screen. Everything works extremely well together and makes the game feel very realistic and natural. This game is the perfection of movement and momentum in a videogame.
Faith can't always be running and at times the frantic fast paced action will slow down for tense one-on-one situations. You will have to use hand-to-hand combat to disarm a gun from the blues, this is all about timing and feels very natural when you jump from a tall building, parachute roll into a blue and take control of his gun while knocking him out. Punches and Kicks feel good but you should only get into a fist fight if there is one Blue around, in groups they are tough to take out and you will have to think fast to survive. You can use his gun against other blues or choose to throw it away. The remarkable thing is whatever way you play the game you will have an entirely different experience. I completed the game twice, with and without using guns and each experience differed greatly from the previous playthrough. When i played without guns i felt allot of pressure and at times i felt like a cornered mouse as a cat swiped it's claws at me. The action was fast and fluid. On the other hand when i played the game as a traditional first-person shooter it was much slower and i felt less pressure. The game was more of a shooter and i felt like i was making it from one area to another fighting my way through taking my time rather than running away.
As i previously mentioned the game uses colour as a way of directing Faith's path. At any point in the game if you see a part of the environment that is a bold red, then that is where you need to go. This might make the game sound easy if you always know where to go but it doesn't. The game might show an object in the distance like a crane or door, but you will then have to work out how to get there and this is not always an easy task, especially when faced with the aggressive blues. The game also gives experienced players the option to disable runner vision which is great as well.
After the main game there isn't too much content available, however i do recommend playing through the 9 chapters twice (with and without guns) because it will feel as if you are playing two different games and this adds to the value of the game. There are allot of unlockable time trials which you can complete and compete to gain a high score on the rankings table with other users. The lack of true multiplayer is disappointing and there was a real opportunity to add in such modes as (Blues vs Runners or Races) which could have added a longer lasting appeal to the game.
The game also has one of the most impressive soundtracks and manages to fit perfectly with the feeling and mood of the game. The main track "Lisa Miskovsky - Still Alive" is a sensational theme, it enhances the emotion and feeling of freedom perfectly. The sounds of the unique futuristic world, and characters are all outstanding as well.
Overall Mirror's Edge is innovative and a completely new and fresh experience which the gaming world needs right now. It's beautiful, outstanding, memorable, and the best game of 2008 by far. The story needs more depth and the game would benefit from multiplayer but these issues are eclipsed by the phenomenally unique gameplay and creative setting of this futuristic city. This game needs a sequel.
Mirror's Edge is the most underrated game of the 20th century 9.5
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