Mirror's Edge

"“A great platformer, with even greater flaws”"

When Mirror's Edge made its debut, the gaming world was intrigued. The game was unlike any other that had ever been seen; no HUD, beautiful graphics, and gameplay that took the concept of “platforming” to a new level. After the demo was released, the mania seemed to reach new heights, and by the time commercials of the game started appearing on TV, I decided that I had to go out and rent it. (I'm cheap, I'll admit it) After finishing the game, I feel… ambiguous. I'm really not sure where I stand. On one hand, Mirror's Edge is truly innovative, and presents a LOT of awesome ideas, on the other hand, the presentation of the game is at times, very flawed.

Story (5/10)

When a game boosts such amazing gameplay, I'm not one of those people that say, “well, the gameplay was awesome, so **** that story crap. No, I actually expect much more out of the script. Games like Portal can get away with this, because it felt very fitting to the game's overall presentation, but if Braid can get me with not only its addictive side-scrolling, time-bending gameplay, while also telling a beautiful story, then I expect Mirror's Edge too do the same. Unfortunately, it just… didn't.

Mirror's Edge takes place in an unnamed totalitarianistic ruled city where all information is heavily monitored. Years before the game‘s beginning, riots erupted in protest of The City‘s harsh regime, and a group of “Runners” were formed. The job of the Runner clan is to transfer confidential information from one place to another, whilst avoiding the watchful eye of The City's police force. You play as Faith Conners, one of such Runners, whose parents were killed in the riots. The background story had some potential, but when the game begins, the whole thing becomes one big cliché.

When Faith's sister, Kate (a cop,) is framed for the murder of a politician, Faith sets off on an adventure to rescue her sister… and that's where the I lost interest. The story is obviously not the focus, as it is executed horribly. The plot twist are predictable and uninteresting, and the dialogue sounds like something pulled from a bad 90's cop drama. The game's ending is sudden, and emotionless; I felt cheated. However, the game ends with several questions left unanswered, and is definitely a sequel-ready title. Note: After you beat the game, wait for the dialogue during the credits. It made me crack a smile, as it showed some of the positive effects the “Runners” had towards the society. It was actually the only interesting story-related bit in the whole game.

Graphics (8/10)

The in-game graphics are gorgeous. The City is presented as a pristine, almost strict, landscape. The buildings' main colors are white with little splashes of green, blue, yellow, and red. The isolated color effectively portrays how small Faith is compared to the immense, sprawling city. The character models are all very realistic, with all of Faith's body parts moving very naturally, though the mouths of NPCS' seem to be out of sync with the dialogue.

My biggest complaint are the animated cutscenes. The game's developers were obviously pressed for time, so instead of having all of the game's graphics be the same style as the in-game graphics, they opted for cheap, tacky animation. The animation is badly directed and when the anime-styled characters move, it at times looks ridiculous, and sometimes even boring. In addition, since the cutscenes are shown in third person POV, they really took me away from the experience of “being” Faith. If the animation was done more effectively or not at all, this category would be a perfect 10.

Gameplay (7/10)

AH HA! This is where Mirror's Edge gets it right…kinda. As a Runner, the main thing you will be doing in this game is… running. To make the game more realistic, Faith's tale is played from a first-person point of view, with no HUD. Faith has no HP and will die if she is hit/shot several times in a row, or if she falls off a high building. When you die (and you will die… many, many, times) you are respawned at the nearest checkpoint. Most of which are evenly distributed throughout the game's levels.

The level design itself it atrocious. Especially the indoor sectors (i.e. the atrium), which feel crowded and unmanageable. Also, the paths that can be taken when outside are not very diverse, making the game feel very linear *bleh.*

Mirror's Edge is essentially a platformer, so throughout most of the game you'll be running/jumping/sliding/climbing. Actions such as jumping, climbing and grabbing are all performed by using the Left Bumper, while the Left Trigger is used to duck and slide. The Right Bumper will make Faith do a complete 180, and the Right Trigger will have Faith attack, but we'll get to that later.

When it comes to actually progressing through the game, you really shouldn't have that hard a time. Places where you should go are indicated by red objects (caused by what is called “Runner Vision”) if ever lost, just look for red, and you should be fine. If there are no red objects within sight, the player can also press the B button, which will automatically point Faith in the direction she needs to go. Pretty challenging, huh?

Now, back to fighting. Most of the game, you will and should avoid the enemies that try to attack you. However, at times you will be forced to fight (they will be indicated by Runner Vision.) Faith has no primary weapon so you can punch, kick, or steal the gun of your enemy. This can be executed by approaching the enemy, and pressing the X button. This will cause time to freeze. If standing close enough to your attacker they will take a swipe at you, and their gun will be highlighted in Runner Vision, if you press Y at that time, Faith will execute a ninja-like disarming attack. As you progress the need for slow motion will end, as you can react quicker. However, if you miss, you're screwed. The enemy will rebound strike you and, as you stagger backwards, will unload on you. If you miss the first time, you can expect death. The game itself really should just have been focused on platforming, but instead the combat was tacked on to “liven things up,” which unfortunately disrupts the game's “free-flowing” feel.

However, when it comes to long distance shooting, the enemy AI is obnoxiously stupid. You can literally walk up to a cop who has his gun out, and every single shot will miss you. The one exception to this is the snipers. Though hardly difficult, they do present a bigger challenge.

Sound (7/10)

The voice acting is just plain bad, and the dialogue doesn't help “I just spilled my Joe all over the keyboard!” Fortunately, the game's music is perfect. A large portion of Mirror's Edge is just the sound of Faith's heavy breathing, and her feet slapping against the ground. The game's theme (which is presented several times in-game) is beautiful and eerie, and the chase scenes are perfectly accentuated by the blood-pumping, fast-paced techno beats.

Length (4/10)

One of the game's largest complaints was the short length. Experienced gamers will complete the story mode in 6-8 hours, where the more clumsy newcomers will finish it within 8-10 hours… and some people actually paid 50 bucks for this, hah!

Extras (7/10)

After you beat the game, a “Hard” difficulty setting is unlocked which provides some extra challenge. Also an Online add-on allows players to race the “ghost” of other players, on challenge boards (pretty much, it's an online time trial). This can be very fun at times, though the challenge board can be difficult to access.

Replay Value (7/10)

Essentially, if you like the game, you'll play it again on the Hard Mode. However, players on the fence will more likely decide not to fumble through Faith's awkward adventure a second, or third time.

Overall Presentation (6/10)

PROS;

+ Cool, innovative, platforming
+ Great soundtrack
+ Beautiful in-game graphics

CONS;

- Horrible lack of story
- Clunky “tacked on” combat
- Bad voice acting
- Awkward level design
- Short length

All in all, if interested in Mirror‘s Edge, rent it. Though the game could have been truly great, its many imperfections brought down the overall experience. However, with some heavy adjustments, DICE might able to create the perfect sequel. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

~D_A_N_C_3

(The overall score is not based on an average)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/21/09

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