We've got Faith... do you?
Whose bleedin' bright idea was this eh? Platforming hasn't worked in first-person games since Joseph Turok first fell repeatedly into The Bottomless Pits Of Foggy-Coated Dinosaur Doom on N64, and even with the power of next-gen hardware, there's no reason they should work now. Right?
The Edge of originality
Wrong. With Mirror's Edge, Battlefield developers DICE have proved that, while yes, a behind-the-eyes viewpoint and platforming gameplay are an odd fit, it can be done – and ruddy well, too. You've just gotta have faith...
And funnily enough, Faith is the name of Mirror's Edge's acrobatic heroine. Coincidence? To continue the (rather tenuous) analogy, we'll say not... but regardless, she's a memorable lead for a game which, on the whole, reignites the belief that originality in gaming might not quite be dead after all.
Get your timing wrong and plummet to your doom. Get it right and it's acrobatically satisfying free running that would make the Prince of Persia jealous.
For such a cutting edge game, Mirror's Edge is actually, rather strangely, built on old-fashioned gaming principles. It's platforming is of the sort Mario abandoned long ago – in it's most basic form Mirror's Edge is pretty much straightforward, momentum-driven run-and-jump parkour; get your timing wrong and you'll plummet to your doom. Get it right and it's instantly, acrobatically satisfying free running that would make the Prince of Persia jealous.
The environments themselves are spectacular. Much of Mirror's Edge takes place atop stark white skyscraper rooftops, set beneath a blazing blue sky – and in honesty, that's when Mirror's Edge is at its best. Carving lines between sterile piping and power generators, leaping chasms between buildings, launching yourself clean off fifty foot-high cranes and stretching last-gasp for ledges (and at one point early on, even the landing struts of a hovering helicopter) is both visceral and empowering. But occasionally Mirror's Edge mixes it up, too, with neon-lit underground tunnels, plush building innards and even a fast-moving train. It's never less than breathlessly chic, and effortlessly cool.
Hit n run
Sadly, combat in Mirror's Edge can't claim to be of the same high quality. It's ironic given DICE's FPS roots, but gunplay here feels imprecise and unforgiving. There's precious little of it, however, and the few times you'll find yourself needing to take on enemies you're far more likely to employ slow-mo disarms with a well-timed button press during Runner Vision. Faith also has some swish melee moves on the R trigger which work best at high speed – but for the most part, Mirror's Edge is all about running away from trouble.
A simple change of pitch and intensity of beat heighten tension and propel you forward, even before gunfire begins to erupt around you.
And there's such a sense of urgency to it. That's perhaps the standout thing about Mirror's Edge – it feels like gaming's version of a chase film, with perhaps the year's standout sound design. Such is the quality of audio in Mirror's Edge that it creates panic even in the sterile, totalitarian environment; a simple change of pitch and intensity of beat heightening tension and propelling you forward, even before gunfire begins to erupt around you.
As a story, Mirror's Edge is hardly Oscar-winning stuff, but as a context, it works – and twinned with the soundtrack you'll be desperately legging it away from 'the blues', soaring across the cityscape and balletically bob-weaving between bullets on the way to uncovering the conspiracy that has your big sis framed for murder. And when you're done with the plot, you can return for speed runs and time trials, which offset the somewhat short sub-10-hour playtime.
Stylishly must-play
Unflinchingly next-gen to the naked eye but decidedly old-skool in its gameplay, Mirror's Edge has no right to work as well as it does. Short, sometimes frustrating and likely to cause not a small amount of motion sickness, it's still one of the year's mostly empowering, fast-paced and stylishly must-play titles. Faith rewarded.
GAME's Verdict
- Fast-paced, slick and empowering first-person platform play.
- Stylishly sterile visuals.
- Possibly the best, most panic-creating sound design of the gaming year.
- Over far too quickly.
- Surprisingly poor gun combat and a couple of especially infuriating jumpy bits.
- Can cause motion sickness - you've been warned!
Review by: Mark 'Sprint N Slide' Scott
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Review Published: 19.11.08