Review - Mirror's Edge (PC)

Mirror's Edge is an immersive first person platformer set in a totalitarian city, where the government controls the media and actively suppresses basic freedoms we all take for granted. You play as a runner named Faith whose job is to deliver messages and Intel between various members of the rebellion through unconventional means, by using the rooftops of the city as her means of travel. Soon into the game, your sister is framed for a murder and you set out to rescue her and uncover the truth behind it all. The story is actually really compelling, though much of it isn't explained out in enough detail. You catch a lot of subtle hints throughout the game, especially in the elevator rides where you see a lot of the propaganda spewed out by the media. I thought the addition of these were great as it hints to a much larger story line  Since everything plays out in the eyes of Faith, you only catch a tiny glimpse into the underlying plot of what's happening in the city.

The game play is broken up into two elements, parkour and combat. People who have played other platforming games may already be accustomed to the free running elements; wall running, wall jumps, and zip-lining have been done in many other games though Mirror's Edge is the first to incorporate these as the bulk of its game play  DICE really did a great job capturing the sense of speed and excitement that comes from parkour and the thrill of pulling off a series of stunts is amazing. A major reason for this is how well this game uses acceleration as a game play mechanic. Unlike many other games, Faith does not have a set run speed. Instead, Faith gradually gets faster the longer you are running and failing a jump or stunt causes Faith to stop and lose all that momentum. Many of the jumps require Faith to have already built up some speed, and being able to nail all your stunts consecutively is extremely satisfying.

The combat on the other hand is a bit disappointing. The disarm mechanic is pretty cool, though the gun play is fairly mediocre, which is understandable considering shooting takes up very little of the game play  My biggest complaint about the combat segments is that it broke up the flow of the game. Combat in this game requires you to stop and separate one enemy from the rest so that you can safely disarm. I wish you were able to pull off combat moves while running at full speed, like being able to wall jump into a kick that knocked out your target or leaping onto someone and flipping them over, while still maintaining your speed. I think that would have kept the action more fluid and had made the game more fun. Thankfully though, many of the combat encounters in the first half of the game can simply be avoided. I often just found an alternate route that protected me from some of the gunfire so I could keep going at full speed. As you get further into the game, the enemies become much harder. I was soon faced with snipers and heavy SWAT officers armed with light machine guns. These did far more damage than Faith could handle so I had to stop and take on each enemy slowly and cautiously.

Most chapters have both an indoors and an outdoors segment. The indoors segments were considerably slower, and they played out more like puzzles, in that you need to study your environment to figure out a path. These weren't quite as much fun as the outdoors parkour, mostly because the path isn't always clear and having to stop and study your environment again breaks up the flow. The indoors segments tend to be much smaller so they start feeling cramped in a few places. Also, be prepared to restart, a lot. The game took me roughly 6 hours to complete, but many segments I had to restart multiple times because of a failed jump or taking too much damage. About an hour in (and 2 chapters in) I was curious how far into the story I was and checked the game on Howlongtobeat. The average completion time was 6 hours and 30 minutes, though people were able to speed run the game in less than an hour. That should give you an idea of just how much time you'll spend repeating segments until you can master them in one try. This may seem frustratingly difficult, but it kept me motivated because with each attempt, you get further and further in, and when you do nail that series of jumps just right, it is extremely satisfying.

For an older game, the visuals are simply stunning. The city is beautiful, and the colors are bright and vibrant. Instead of going for hyper realism  DICE chose a contrast between whites and bright primary colors, and as you take more damage, the colors become less saturated and the world looks gray and bleak. The cut scenes employ a cel-shaded animation, which I thought fit in quite well with the overall art style of the game play  The electronic soundtrack is amazing and fits the game play and feel of the game perfectly. The music gets more intense as you enter combat scenarios and helps to portray that sense of urgency and danger.

My biggest issues with the game all deal with continuity and the flow of the game: the combat, the indoor segments feeling a bit too tight and claustrophobic at times, and perhaps not providing enough hints as to which path to take. The game play is fairly linear, and while that's not a bad thing in itself, there's really no reason not to provide clearer indications of where you actually need to go. I would have also loved to have seen a larger and less restrictive city as well, with more alternate paths you could take. Despite its flaws, Mirror's Edge is easily one of the most unique and innovative games I've ever played. Why did I wait so long to play this game? Honestly, after beating this game, I felt like I've been deprived all this time. Get it, get it now.

Final Score: 8.5/10