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DICE, fresh off of their release of Battlefield: Bad Company, attempts to shake the first-person shooter genre up with Mirror's Edge. With this release, EA continues its foray into the realm of "fresh ideas" and "new intellectual properties," a foray that began recently with Dead Space.
Mirror's Edge brings together parkour style running, puzzle based environments, and a bit of gun play into one neat little package. We will see if Mirror's Edge has what it takes to completely change the face of future first-person titles or if it falls flat on its face.
Story
The story centers around Faith, a Runner and courier of information, trying to clear her sister, Kate, of any wrong doing in the murder of a mayoral candidate. Faith soon finds herself deep in a series of plot twists that will take her from rooftops, to areas that include the mayor's mega sky rise office, affectionately referred to as "The Shard." The player will also find himself darting into and out of various office buildings, a shipping vessel, and also through the headquarters of a security firm that monitors the entire city. Given that these are no small tasks, the player will seek out information from a small ensemble of characters that are quickly forgotten. The only notable secondary characters are Mercury and Celeste.
Mercury is the voice directing Faith through most of her journeys and the man that turned Faith on to Running. Celeste, another female runner whose character is never fully developed, will appear from time to time. She is just sort of "there" throughout the story without much focus given to understanding her personality, character, or motivation.
A small supporting cast rounds out the rest of the lineup. The first supporting cast member is Miller, Kate's immediate supervisor. He is a firm believer in "maintaining absolute order" in the city, no matter what the cost. Next, Jacknife is an ex-Runner caught up in an underground crime movement with aspirations to make it big. An ex-wrestler, Ropeburn, serves as the head of security for the now dead mayoral candidate, Robert Pope. Completing the roster are the "Blues," the police force tasked with keeping law and order on the streets of the unnamed city utopia.
The utopian paradise present in the game is a unique character in its own right. Pristine buildings and law abiding citizens were born from a world of chaos and anarchy. The city's security and "Big Brother" like surveillance would put George Orwell to shame. After years of struggle, the citizens are complacent in their environment. Any act that disturbs the norm is immediately met with extreme opposition from the city's Blues.
Mirror's Edge's story, while used to push the game forward, can easily be overlooked and discarded. Plot twists, often expected, are present throughout. However, many of the upcoming twists can be painfully obvious to the player, even when they aren't to Faith.
The story itself is told through a variety of narrative techniques. First, cut scenes break up each of the game's "chapters." These sequences use a stylized animation technique that may remind the player of the old Fear Effect titles from the glory days of the PlayStation. Plot elements are also fed to the player by Mercury's voice communication with Faith. He keeps Faith up to date on what is going on around her and where she needs to go.
The small details throughout the city also serve to provide narration to the player. News broadcasts play from radios and televisions found scattered inside buildings. Stop to listen and the player may be clued in as to what is happening in other parts of the city. Digital bulletin notices found inside most of the elevators also provide a bit of back story on the city itself.
Controls
On the surface, the gameplay of Mirror's Edge is very straight forward. Gamers will have a button for upwards movements and a button for downward moves. Other moves, such as attacking, looking for hints, interacting, and quick turnaround moves are each tied to separate buttons on the controller.
The basic elements of running in Mirror's Edge are taught through a brief opening tutorial. Players will learn to jump from rooftop to rooftop, slide under obstacles, and perform acrobatics that will all be put to good use as the game progresses. The simplistic controls can be used in conjunction with one another to pull off some really complicated moves.
A minor example of this would be having Faith run full speed forward before jumping and wall-running along a wall running parallel to her movement, tapping the quick turn-around button, and jumping once more onto a pole that Faith will swing on before you again hit the jump to leap forward. From there, the character arcs a small distance forward and down and moments before you crash down, another tap of the "down" action button causes Faith to land into a somersault, thus avoiding all fall damage. Keep in mind this is a rather simple example.
The contextual based moves are not always perfect though. There are times where Faith will somehow slide and avoid fall damage when the animation that should have played was the somersault. Other times, the player becomes frustrated when Faith neglects to grab onto a ledge or pipe simply because the angle of approach was just slightly off from what is needed.
Gameplay
While the focus of the gameplay is on running, light gun play also works its way into the game. Faith can disarm her opponent with the press of a button, provided her timing is perfect. Disarms occur only when approaching from behind an enemy or when the enemy's gun turns red. A successful disarm will render the opponent unconscious as Faith deftly steals their weapon. Unsuccessful disarms will typically result in Faith getting knocked back or killed.
A "reaction time" button will slow the world down for a brief period, allowing the player to more easily disarm an opponent or make a rather troublesome jump that requires rapid-fire reaction times. When the world slows down, the time span where an enemy can be disarmed drastically increases. As noted, the only time the player can disarm an opponent is when the weapon turns red.
When objects turn red, it typically means that Faith can either benefit somehow by utilizing that object. For instance, elevator buttons show up as bright red indicating that Faith is able to interact with them. While running, red objects will pop out from the grays and whites of the cityscape and will often lead your character in the right direction. These visual cues are extremely valuable to the first time player of Mirror's Edge.
Combat comes off as awkward and frustrating in Mirror's Edge. Sure, a player can pull off basic punches, sliding kicks, roundhouse kicks, and flying kicks easily. More advanced moves involve wall running and jumping techniques, but the opportunity to use those are rare. This means that Faith's basic arsenal of attacks will be used most of the time. It is easy enough to attack one foe and down him with a constant barrage of high and low blows, but when faced with multiple opponents Faith would be better off running and hiding. Nothing is more frustrating than having to redo a part over and over again simply because the character dies in just two to three quick shots or melee attacks. Having just a few enemies in a small area may be the biggest issue with this game.
While it is possible to play through the entire game without shooting at an enemy, it is virtually impossible to play through without disarming most enemies you come across. This is especially apparent when playing on the normal or hard difficulty levels (hard being unlocked after one successful play through). Once the weapon is in your hand, a quick tap of a button will toss it aside. If you do choose to shoot, the firing mechanics feel clunky. For a game where the main focus is on running and evasion, this ends up being a very minor complaint.
The most fun to be had with this game comes not when your character is being shot at, but when you have a moment to just look out across the rooftops and run. It is quiet, and unless you fall off of a roof, the number of retries for these areas is at a minimum. Simply put, the sections with the Blues are one of the few black marks in this title.
While it may initially appear as though the entire city is Faith's playground, each chapter is limited to an almost linear path. Only a small amount of choice is given to the player on how he will reach the next area, and even then it is usually only a choice as to which Parkour move the player wishes to use. With a city that looks to extend in all directions for a considerable distance, it is disheartening to be confined to such small sections for each chapter. If you are expecting a free-roaming experience, prepare to be disappointed.
Another black mark against the game comes in the form of elevator sequences. Fans of Mass Effect may immediately cringe at the word "elevator" when it applies to a game. Unfortunately, just as the case is with Mass Effect, it appears as though Mirror's Edge incorporates the use of these lifts as a means of loading the next section of a map. They are unavoidable and outside of a few rare occasions, nothing is ever said during these periods that apparently push the plot forward. These sections are made even more odd by the fact that there will be the occasional "loading screen" that pops up during certain, non-elevator areas. If, for instance, the elevators weren't used as a means of streaming the next part of a level, why make the player sit through periods of absolutely no activity? Were they simply added to extend the play time or to provide a breather for the player? These elevator sequences are boring, tedious, and place a damper on the game's fun.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer component to Mirror's Edge consists of either Time Trial runs or Speed Runs. The Time Trial mode can and will become addicting, provided you enjoy competing against your friends' best times. The Time Trial stages are derived from sections of the single player maps. Players can either select a friend's time to compete against or simply try for their personal best times in a stage.
Be warned though, should a friend beat your best time, you will spend countless retries on a stage trying to get that "perfect" run. If you screw up or make just one imperfect jump, you may as well restart the trial immediately. Time Trial runs have the player going from checkpoint to checkpoint. During the course of a run, a progress bar will show if you're slower or faster than a competitor through a particular section. Should a player constantly come up just short of beating a target time, a quick look at the progress bar can tell them just where they need to step up their game.
Every trick picked up from the single player game will be utilized in a rapid fire sequence in the Time Trial mode. For some, this may be the very mode that keeps a player hooked long after the single player mode is completed. The Speed Run mode simply allows a player to try and run through any of the single player levels in the fastest time possible. While fun, it just doesn't have the addictive nature of the Time Trial mode.
Both modes incorporate a ghost runner option. This ghost runner can be turned on or off and will either follow the path of a selected friend's time, or your own best time. The ghost runner is a semi-transparent red figure that leaves red footprints behind. It is a wonderful feature that will allow you to pick up new tricks and paths that may have otherwise gone undiscovered. In a game where hundredths of a second determine the fastest Runner, any little advantage is welcome.
Some may look down on Mirror's Edge for lacking any of the "typical" multiplayer modes common in a FPS, but this title is of a different breed. Normal multiplayer modes simply wouldn't work in a game designed around free-running and speed. It is for that reason that the Time Trial and Speed Runs modes fill in the multiplayer gaps nicely.
Graphics
Sterile, clean, static. These are just a few of the words used to describe the environments in Mirror's Edge. Given that the game takes place in a utopian, Big Brother-like city it should stand to reason that the city is largely uniform and void of most color.
The colors that are present mainly provide visual cues to the player. The only colors present in the title are red, yellow, orange, blue, and green, all of which are used sparingly. Warmer colors tend to lead the character in a particular direction and pop out to the player through the use of the "Runner Vision" feature. This is an option that can be disabled in the game's options. Red is used to show the player where springboards are located that can be used to propel Faith to a higher ledge. They also highlight drain pipes, ramps, bars, and ledges that can be jumped from or to depending on the situation.
The cooler colors are used more to light the various areas in something other than white. These colors sometimes offer guidance to the player, but generally are only used in indoor areas where jumping is at a minimum.
The lighting in Mirror's Edge is quite stunning. Whether you're indoors or running along a roof top, the shadows and light work together to create stunning visuals and really pick up the pieces that were dropped by having a minimal color palette. The graphics in Mirror's Edge simply work. They fit the setting and serve to put the player into the mindset of being a Runner in this environment.
The animations are also top notch. Being able to see Faith's hands, arms, and legs really allows the player to feel like he is that character. When Faith somersaults for a landing, the view goes through the appropriate movements as if the player were also somersaulting. Given that the majority of this game takes place racing along rooftops, gamers with a fear of heights may want to stay away. Wall jumps make use of the quick turn ability that snaps your view to your next immediate jump location. Faith raises her arm to bust open a door and keep her momentum going strong. The edges of the screen will also subtly blur when Faith runs, really conveying an excellent sense of speed.
Coming up just short on a jump shows Faith struggling to pull herself up to the ledge. Should Faith miss her mark and plummet down to earth from the top of a building, be ready to go along for the ride. Falls from up high result in a screen that shakes more violently the further down you fall all the while wind rushes up around you. Right at the moment of impact, a sickening splat is heard just as the screen goes black. Is this completely unnecessary? Yes, but it only serves to pull you more into the character.
There are only a handful of issues with the game's visuals. Objectives and direction are not always clear, even with the Runner Vision at the player's disposal. A "hint" button may be used that shifts your view in the general direction of where you need to end up, but there are times where the objective is obscured and the means to reach that area are no clearer than they were before. Secondly, the Blues and security guards are all generic. When the player begins taking on foes that wear face masks, a feeling of déjà vu starts to rear its ugly head.
Another black mark against the title comes courtesy of the cut scenes that occur between levels. While the stylized animated visuals are unique, they should not have been used to progress the story along. For a game that prides itself on having a unique first-person experience, transitioning to a third-person view for these scenes is completely unnecessary. The real crime here isn't that the scenes are told in a third-person view, but that the visuals themselves are largely dull. Colors come off as muted, and features on both the characters and environment are dull and flat. The scenes are certainly unique in their approach, but pale when stacked up against the visuals found during gameplay.
Audio
The audio, much like the controls and the visuals, is simple but effective. The player always knows when Blues are on her tail by the heightened and suspenseful music, or from the pitter-patter of their feet as they give chase. The music in the game is comprised of subtle trance beats. Louder, more intense music generally means that Faith's fighting or running skills are about to be put to the test.
Dull thuds go hand in hand with an on-screen visual indication of a hard landing. The sounds of guns puncture the relatively tranquil experience. Once you hear a gun, it soon becomes second nature to find a shady spot or to try and out run your attackers. The voice acting comes across clearly to the player, and emotion is clearly conveyed through the actors. It is because of this solid acting that the player is able to tell how a character is feeling even when their on-screen actions cannot be seen.
The main theme for Mirror's Edge is entitled "Still Alive" by Lisa Miskovsky. The lyrics to the song work on so many levels for this title. The song can be viewed as a commentary on the struggle of the city and its violent past. Despite how much the old city has been silenced by the surveillance and extreme crackdown on crime, the old city is "still alive." It is merely waiting for the right moment or person to start chipping away at the fake utopian exterior.
The song could also be the anthem for both Faith and her sister, Kate. For all of the hardships the two have faced over the years, the fact that they have persevered is a testament to their strong will. The last obvious connection for the song is for Faith herself. The song could be her personal anthem that keeps her going from day to day, even when the odds often seem to be completely against her. Undoubtedly, the song is very open to interpretation and will have different meanings to different people.
Summary
While Mirror's Edge is quite the enjoyable experience, it is far from perfect. Clocking in at just around six hours, the single player experience is very short for a full-priced title. I'll be honest and say that I don't feel Mirror's Edge is worth $60 if you are looking solely for an engaging single player title. However, toss in hours spent with the Speed Run and Time Trial modes and paying $60 for the title is more than justifiable.
It is a fantastic title that offers up one of the best and most unique first-person experiences in recent memory. Even with its flaws, Mirror's Edge certainly deserves more than a passing glance.
Mirror's Edge was developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published by Electronic Arts. To learn more about Mirror's Edge visit, DICE, Electronic Arts, or the Mirror's Edge home page.
Mirror's Edge brings together parkour style running, puzzle based environments, and a bit of gun play into one neat little package. We will see if Mirror's Edge has what it takes to completely change the face of future first-person titles or if it falls flat on its face.
Story
The story centers around Faith, a Runner and courier of information, trying to clear her sister, Kate, of any wrong doing in the murder of a mayoral candidate. Faith soon finds herself deep in a series of plot twists that will take her from rooftops, to areas that include the mayor's mega sky rise office, affectionately referred to as "The Shard." The player will also find himself darting into and out of various office buildings, a shipping vessel, and also through the headquarters of a security firm that monitors the entire city. Given that these are no small tasks, the player will seek out information from a small ensemble of characters that are quickly forgotten. The only notable secondary characters are Mercury and Celeste.
Mercury is the voice directing Faith through most of her journeys and the man that turned Faith on to Running. Celeste, another female runner whose character is never fully developed, will appear from time to time. She is just sort of "there" throughout the story without much focus given to understanding her personality, character, or motivation.
A small supporting cast rounds out the rest of the lineup. The first supporting cast member is Miller, Kate's immediate supervisor. He is a firm believer in "maintaining absolute order" in the city, no matter what the cost. Next, Jacknife is an ex-Runner caught up in an underground crime movement with aspirations to make it big. An ex-wrestler, Ropeburn, serves as the head of security for the now dead mayoral candidate, Robert Pope. Completing the roster are the "Blues," the police force tasked with keeping law and order on the streets of the unnamed city utopia.
The utopian paradise present in the game is a unique character in its own right. Pristine buildings and law abiding citizens were born from a world of chaos and anarchy. The city's security and "Big Brother" like surveillance would put George Orwell to shame. After years of struggle, the citizens are complacent in their environment. Any act that disturbs the norm is immediately met with extreme opposition from the city's Blues.
Mirror's Edge's story, while used to push the game forward, can easily be overlooked and discarded. Plot twists, often expected, are present throughout. However, many of the upcoming twists can be painfully obvious to the player, even when they aren't to Faith.
The story itself is told through a variety of narrative techniques. First, cut scenes break up each of the game's "chapters." These sequences use a stylized animation technique that may remind the player of the old Fear Effect titles from the glory days of the PlayStation. Plot elements are also fed to the player by Mercury's voice communication with Faith. He keeps Faith up to date on what is going on around her and where she needs to go.
The small details throughout the city also serve to provide narration to the player. News broadcasts play from radios and televisions found scattered inside buildings. Stop to listen and the player may be clued in as to what is happening in other parts of the city. Digital bulletin notices found inside most of the elevators also provide a bit of back story on the city itself.
Controls
On the surface, the gameplay of Mirror's Edge is very straight forward. Gamers will have a button for upwards movements and a button for downward moves. Other moves, such as attacking, looking for hints, interacting, and quick turnaround moves are each tied to separate buttons on the controller.
The basic elements of running in Mirror's Edge are taught through a brief opening tutorial. Players will learn to jump from rooftop to rooftop, slide under obstacles, and perform acrobatics that will all be put to good use as the game progresses. The simplistic controls can be used in conjunction with one another to pull off some really complicated moves.
A minor example of this would be having Faith run full speed forward before jumping and wall-running along a wall running parallel to her movement, tapping the quick turn-around button, and jumping once more onto a pole that Faith will swing on before you again hit the jump to leap forward. From there, the character arcs a small distance forward and down and moments before you crash down, another tap of the "down" action button causes Faith to land into a somersault, thus avoiding all fall damage. Keep in mind this is a rather simple example.
The contextual based moves are not always perfect though. There are times where Faith will somehow slide and avoid fall damage when the animation that should have played was the somersault. Other times, the player becomes frustrated when Faith neglects to grab onto a ledge or pipe simply because the angle of approach was just slightly off from what is needed.
Gameplay
While the focus of the gameplay is on running, light gun play also works its way into the game. Faith can disarm her opponent with the press of a button, provided her timing is perfect. Disarms occur only when approaching from behind an enemy or when the enemy's gun turns red. A successful disarm will render the opponent unconscious as Faith deftly steals their weapon. Unsuccessful disarms will typically result in Faith getting knocked back or killed.
A "reaction time" button will slow the world down for a brief period, allowing the player to more easily disarm an opponent or make a rather troublesome jump that requires rapid-fire reaction times. When the world slows down, the time span where an enemy can be disarmed drastically increases. As noted, the only time the player can disarm an opponent is when the weapon turns red.
When objects turn red, it typically means that Faith can either benefit somehow by utilizing that object. For instance, elevator buttons show up as bright red indicating that Faith is able to interact with them. While running, red objects will pop out from the grays and whites of the cityscape and will often lead your character in the right direction. These visual cues are extremely valuable to the first time player of Mirror's Edge.
Combat comes off as awkward and frustrating in Mirror's Edge. Sure, a player can pull off basic punches, sliding kicks, roundhouse kicks, and flying kicks easily. More advanced moves involve wall running and jumping techniques, but the opportunity to use those are rare. This means that Faith's basic arsenal of attacks will be used most of the time. It is easy enough to attack one foe and down him with a constant barrage of high and low blows, but when faced with multiple opponents Faith would be better off running and hiding. Nothing is more frustrating than having to redo a part over and over again simply because the character dies in just two to three quick shots or melee attacks. Having just a few enemies in a small area may be the biggest issue with this game.
While it is possible to play through the entire game without shooting at an enemy, it is virtually impossible to play through without disarming most enemies you come across. This is especially apparent when playing on the normal or hard difficulty levels (hard being unlocked after one successful play through). Once the weapon is in your hand, a quick tap of a button will toss it aside. If you do choose to shoot, the firing mechanics feel clunky. For a game where the main focus is on running and evasion, this ends up being a very minor complaint.
The most fun to be had with this game comes not when your character is being shot at, but when you have a moment to just look out across the rooftops and run. It is quiet, and unless you fall off of a roof, the number of retries for these areas is at a minimum. Simply put, the sections with the Blues are one of the few black marks in this title.
While it may initially appear as though the entire city is Faith's playground, each chapter is limited to an almost linear path. Only a small amount of choice is given to the player on how he will reach the next area, and even then it is usually only a choice as to which Parkour move the player wishes to use. With a city that looks to extend in all directions for a considerable distance, it is disheartening to be confined to such small sections for each chapter. If you are expecting a free-roaming experience, prepare to be disappointed.
Another black mark against the game comes in the form of elevator sequences. Fans of Mass Effect may immediately cringe at the word "elevator" when it applies to a game. Unfortunately, just as the case is with Mass Effect, it appears as though Mirror's Edge incorporates the use of these lifts as a means of loading the next section of a map. They are unavoidable and outside of a few rare occasions, nothing is ever said during these periods that apparently push the plot forward. These sections are made even more odd by the fact that there will be the occasional "loading screen" that pops up during certain, non-elevator areas. If, for instance, the elevators weren't used as a means of streaming the next part of a level, why make the player sit through periods of absolutely no activity? Were they simply added to extend the play time or to provide a breather for the player? These elevator sequences are boring, tedious, and place a damper on the game's fun.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer component to Mirror's Edge consists of either Time Trial runs or Speed Runs. The Time Trial mode can and will become addicting, provided you enjoy competing against your friends' best times. The Time Trial stages are derived from sections of the single player maps. Players can either select a friend's time to compete against or simply try for their personal best times in a stage.
Be warned though, should a friend beat your best time, you will spend countless retries on a stage trying to get that "perfect" run. If you screw up or make just one imperfect jump, you may as well restart the trial immediately. Time Trial runs have the player going from checkpoint to checkpoint. During the course of a run, a progress bar will show if you're slower or faster than a competitor through a particular section. Should a player constantly come up just short of beating a target time, a quick look at the progress bar can tell them just where they need to step up their game.
Every trick picked up from the single player game will be utilized in a rapid fire sequence in the Time Trial mode. For some, this may be the very mode that keeps a player hooked long after the single player mode is completed. The Speed Run mode simply allows a player to try and run through any of the single player levels in the fastest time possible. While fun, it just doesn't have the addictive nature of the Time Trial mode.
Both modes incorporate a ghost runner option. This ghost runner can be turned on or off and will either follow the path of a selected friend's time, or your own best time. The ghost runner is a semi-transparent red figure that leaves red footprints behind. It is a wonderful feature that will allow you to pick up new tricks and paths that may have otherwise gone undiscovered. In a game where hundredths of a second determine the fastest Runner, any little advantage is welcome.
Some may look down on Mirror's Edge for lacking any of the "typical" multiplayer modes common in a FPS, but this title is of a different breed. Normal multiplayer modes simply wouldn't work in a game designed around free-running and speed. It is for that reason that the Time Trial and Speed Runs modes fill in the multiplayer gaps nicely.
Graphics
Sterile, clean, static. These are just a few of the words used to describe the environments in Mirror's Edge. Given that the game takes place in a utopian, Big Brother-like city it should stand to reason that the city is largely uniform and void of most color.
The colors that are present mainly provide visual cues to the player. The only colors present in the title are red, yellow, orange, blue, and green, all of which are used sparingly. Warmer colors tend to lead the character in a particular direction and pop out to the player through the use of the "Runner Vision" feature. This is an option that can be disabled in the game's options. Red is used to show the player where springboards are located that can be used to propel Faith to a higher ledge. They also highlight drain pipes, ramps, bars, and ledges that can be jumped from or to depending on the situation.
The cooler colors are used more to light the various areas in something other than white. These colors sometimes offer guidance to the player, but generally are only used in indoor areas where jumping is at a minimum.
The lighting in Mirror's Edge is quite stunning. Whether you're indoors or running along a roof top, the shadows and light work together to create stunning visuals and really pick up the pieces that were dropped by having a minimal color palette. The graphics in Mirror's Edge simply work. They fit the setting and serve to put the player into the mindset of being a Runner in this environment.
The animations are also top notch. Being able to see Faith's hands, arms, and legs really allows the player to feel like he is that character. When Faith somersaults for a landing, the view goes through the appropriate movements as if the player were also somersaulting. Given that the majority of this game takes place racing along rooftops, gamers with a fear of heights may want to stay away. Wall jumps make use of the quick turn ability that snaps your view to your next immediate jump location. Faith raises her arm to bust open a door and keep her momentum going strong. The edges of the screen will also subtly blur when Faith runs, really conveying an excellent sense of speed.
Coming up just short on a jump shows Faith struggling to pull herself up to the ledge. Should Faith miss her mark and plummet down to earth from the top of a building, be ready to go along for the ride. Falls from up high result in a screen that shakes more violently the further down you fall all the while wind rushes up around you. Right at the moment of impact, a sickening splat is heard just as the screen goes black. Is this completely unnecessary? Yes, but it only serves to pull you more into the character.
There are only a handful of issues with the game's visuals. Objectives and direction are not always clear, even with the Runner Vision at the player's disposal. A "hint" button may be used that shifts your view in the general direction of where you need to end up, but there are times where the objective is obscured and the means to reach that area are no clearer than they were before. Secondly, the Blues and security guards are all generic. When the player begins taking on foes that wear face masks, a feeling of déjà vu starts to rear its ugly head.
Another black mark against the title comes courtesy of the cut scenes that occur between levels. While the stylized animated visuals are unique, they should not have been used to progress the story along. For a game that prides itself on having a unique first-person experience, transitioning to a third-person view for these scenes is completely unnecessary. The real crime here isn't that the scenes are told in a third-person view, but that the visuals themselves are largely dull. Colors come off as muted, and features on both the characters and environment are dull and flat. The scenes are certainly unique in their approach, but pale when stacked up against the visuals found during gameplay.
Audio
The audio, much like the controls and the visuals, is simple but effective. The player always knows when Blues are on her tail by the heightened and suspenseful music, or from the pitter-patter of their feet as they give chase. The music in the game is comprised of subtle trance beats. Louder, more intense music generally means that Faith's fighting or running skills are about to be put to the test.
Dull thuds go hand in hand with an on-screen visual indication of a hard landing. The sounds of guns puncture the relatively tranquil experience. Once you hear a gun, it soon becomes second nature to find a shady spot or to try and out run your attackers. The voice acting comes across clearly to the player, and emotion is clearly conveyed through the actors. It is because of this solid acting that the player is able to tell how a character is feeling even when their on-screen actions cannot be seen.
The main theme for Mirror's Edge is entitled "Still Alive" by Lisa Miskovsky. The lyrics to the song work on so many levels for this title. The song can be viewed as a commentary on the struggle of the city and its violent past. Despite how much the old city has been silenced by the surveillance and extreme crackdown on crime, the old city is "still alive." It is merely waiting for the right moment or person to start chipping away at the fake utopian exterior.
The song could also be the anthem for both Faith and her sister, Kate. For all of the hardships the two have faced over the years, the fact that they have persevered is a testament to their strong will. The last obvious connection for the song is for Faith herself. The song could be her personal anthem that keeps her going from day to day, even when the odds often seem to be completely against her. Undoubtedly, the song is very open to interpretation and will have different meanings to different people.
Summary
While Mirror's Edge is quite the enjoyable experience, it is far from perfect. Clocking in at just around six hours, the single player experience is very short for a full-priced title. I'll be honest and say that I don't feel Mirror's Edge is worth $60 if you are looking solely for an engaging single player title. However, toss in hours spent with the Speed Run and Time Trial modes and paying $60 for the title is more than justifiable.
It is a fantastic title that offers up one of the best and most unique first-person experiences in recent memory. Even with its flaws, Mirror's Edge certainly deserves more than a passing glance.
Mirror's Edge was developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published by Electronic Arts. To learn more about Mirror's Edge visit, DICE, Electronic Arts, or the Mirror's Edge home page.