Mirror's Edge

"Mirror's Edge; A Gamer Reflects"

Like most people who bought the game, I initially played the demo for Mirror's Edge and was blown away by the fast pace, stunning graphics and intuitive controls that this game had to offer. Rarely have I bought a game on release date, but this is amongst the 5 that I have (at the time of writing). To be brief, I'm not sure whether I'm impressed or otherwise.

My first impressions of the game were similar to that of Portal and I genuinely expected something quite similar in all characteristics, a game that doesn't overstay its welcome with a demandingly long story like Blue Dragon and something brief enough to play again on a lazy afternoon. Similarly, it has additional features aside from the main story which serve to pass the time and justify the price tag that comes with a game with such a short story mode. At time of writing, after 1 afternoon of playing, the story is essentially finished.

The story starts in the same area as the demo and adds or removes absolutely nothing, you begin in the training grounds and have to weave in and out of the obstacles, learning all the various maneuvers and controls before you can start pushing through the chapters. You're introduced to the main characters and the plot slowly unfolds through a series of skipable cinematics (Both consisting of in-game graphics and a cute cartoon style). The story is as half-baked as, say, Army of Two and although the story takes a twist or two, the characters are never really built up enough in such a short amount of cutscenes to make either the story or the plot twists within it particularly interesting.

In terms of Gameplay, the game plays much like the demo, with some slow paced puzzles like the "Air Vent" puzzle found in the demo, where you have to actively think where to go and stop to think of the safest path (Thankfully, these are always found when you're safe from enemy fire and have all the time in the world). The rest of the game consists of either fast paced chase scenes where your route is normally blindingly obvious and it's simply a matter of getting there in one piece/as fast as possible, or the less favourable combat. Actually, let's make a brief comment on the combat.

Whilst it's not altogether bad, it does need a bit of cement to fill in the cracks. Having disarming sequences ranges from being overpowered (A one-hit blow most if not all of the time) to being damn right impossible to perform (Enemies that come in groups of two or more will tear you apart before you can disarm them) and the combat system seems to fall and stand by these merits as the rest of it tends towards a series of sliding and flying kicks. The idea sounds cool, but it became clear that the Y button (the disarming button) would become my best friend against enemies when I tried to perform a Wall Run --> Kick maneuver and spent 5 times trying to get the blasted thing to work. That said, unless you use guns, you'll be avoiding combat as much as possible in favour of using those God-given legs of yours to sprint and wall run to safety.

As far as difficulty goes, the puzzles aren't too difficult if you get into the mentality of the game, the acrobatics are fun and usually not too much of a strain and you're only REALLY going to have problems if you try for the Test of Faith achievement (Do not use guns) due to the glitchy combat.

It seems almost criminal that EA can expect us to pay full retail price for one afternoon of a main story, well, almost. There is one thing that's being forgotten and that's the time trials. This is where the Xbox Live community gets its kicks and people compete for the best times worldwide. 24 time trials in total and each one requires extreme skill and practice to get the top rating (In game rating, 3*'s) which demands you to find the optimum route through a race course of rooftops, ziplines and pipes. The potential for these trials are extreme and already within the first day we are seeing people toppling the 3* ratings by a good 10 second gap. The upsetting part is that this segment of the game probably holds more play time than the story, probably a LOT more in fact.

Overall, my reaction is quite split, I expected more of the actual story and was hoping for a more intuitive combat system. Regardless, the game is still fun and can warrant a buy if you feel you'd have sufficient fun with the Time Trial modes. If you just want the achievements and to complete the story then you can get a good haul in a weekend of play time as most of the achievements are dead simple. This game will most likely be recognised for its strengths once the price has fallen and the faults which made this gem into a stone may be overlooked and the true value of the game appreciated. For £40, the game bears a steep asking price, but it's a lot more solid and fun that some of my most recent plays/purchases. A recommended game to play, especially if you enjoyed the demo, even if you have to rent it.


+ The Most Genuine Fun Since Portal Was Released
+ Fast Paced Fun
+ Enjoyable and Challenging Puzzles
- Lack Luster Story
- Flawed Combat System
- Frightfully Short

Rating: 7.8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/08

Game Release: Mirror's Edge (EU, 11/14/08)