Mirrors Edge Review
Xbox 360
by Coxster

Mirror’s Edge is a first person platform game that keeps the gunplay to a minimum while offering plenty of thrills along the way as you navigate your way around the rooftops of a futuristic utopian city that is run by corporations.  Plenty of puzzles, plenty of action and plenty of vertigo – if you’re afraid of heights or suffer from motion sickness you’ll have to think twice about playing this game because Mirrors Edge has plenty of the above mentioned qualities.  This is a game that is all about refined movement, elegant in its minimalistic design and stylish in its execution.  When the demo hit Xbox Live recently, everyone and his dog downloaded it to cop a peek and see if the hype surrounding this game was justified.  The reports were mixed and it seemed clear from the start that this was a game that you either loved or hated.  With the score I’m giving this game you can see which camp I chose sides with.  Let me explain why.

Mirror’s Edge does fall back on some bad habits that come with games that are played in first person.  Jumping on platforms is harder, at times it can suffers from unnecessary linearity and can be a little uncomplicated in some parts and frustratingly overcomplicated in others.  The excellent graphics and chic production values, easy to master controls and addictive nature of timing your movements, do go a long way in redeeming Mirror’s Edge and elevate it from what could be a disaster into high-quality entertainment.  While it might sound like a less than perfect game, and it is, it is still a very enjoyable one that most experienced gamers should get pleasure from.

You play as Faith (get it leap of Faith? - oh never mind) a free running renegade on a mission to vindicate her sister and topple an evil empire before tea.  It’s a simple but still entertaining revenge story and who doesn’t like those?  Even though the story does a passable job, it is broken up by short pieces of animation.  These short vignettes keep the story moving quickly enough but because they are cartoons they divorce you from the 3D environment that you have just played through.  It’s a bizarre design choice and one I don’t completely understand as I think the story would’ve been better told through the in-game graphics, especially since all the game graphics in Mirror’s Edge are so beautiful.

Mirror’s Edge has a unambiguously European influence into its design. The graphics and locations all reminded me of something that IKEA would devise were it put in charge to design a city and furnish every office.  The oppressive skyscrapers rise like faultless sentinels in all directions, vying for position underneath a deceptively optimistic blue sky.  In the background you will see flocks of birds migrating between buildings while hefty airplanes slowly lumber across the sky.  Perched high above the city streets you can look down and see people and vehicles go about their business. It’s beautifully realised and the ambience of being so high up is only interrupted by the background sounds of the highly populated city below, just faint enough to let you know that this is city is very much alive.  It also helps remind the player that this environment is very indifferent to Faith’s political crusade making it much more enjoyable when you master Faith’s abilities and find yourself moving through the city with ease. It’s a little lonely to play as a character that lives her life by running around on the tops of buildings but it is decidedly modern and will gratify those that like the trendy minimalistic flourishes that seem to be all the rage these days.  One thing I liked about this game was that it looks like no other game on the market; it’s original and has enough modesty to still be stylish without being pretentious.

With such a gifted design it’s unfortunate that the main story will only take you seven to eight hours to complete.  I think there was enough variety and tight gameplay to justify one or two more chapters plus I would of liked to of seen a few more boss battles that required more than a disguised quicktime event to bring down.  When you stand back after all that has been said and done, the premise is good enough to keep your interest and it’s executed with enough care as to warrant another play through as the core mechanics are pretty empowering.

Once I had gotten used to controlling Faith, I was able to jump over and under all manner of obstacles with the greatest of ease and one thing that this game has is a great sense of speed. Unfortunately there are some annoying problems that do crop up, for example, some jumps require you to be pretty precise, especially when it happens to be a pipe or ladder.  If you are off by only a little bit you’ll fall to your death.  Once you adjust to the nuances you’ll manage to pull them off without breaking a sweat and it becomes second nature, but finding those sweet spots is only achieved through trial and error and can irritate rather than stimulate. Aside from those minor niggles the tech running this game is spot on and controlling Faith is responsive and accurate.

I’ve read a few reviews that talk about the disappointing combat in Mirror’s Edge but I thought it was ok.  I actually came at the conclusion that Faith doesn’t seem like someone who is out to kill anyone and since having the choice to disarm an enemy without actually killing them is in here I did so and completed the game without firing a single shot. Maybe I’m projecting my inner pacifist but it really seemed out of character for Faith to be the murderous kind.  The combat is best used at self defence so it sort of made sense to me that I would be as stealthy as possible and try not to go on a murder spree.  Not many FPS games give you such choice and I was grateful to actually have a decision.  It’s smart and allows the player to make up their own mind about the way they want to play this game.  Action nuts are going to hate the combat in this game because once you’ve expelled the bullets from a gun its discarded and you can’t pick up a gun that is laying on the floor.  I thought the combat was good, but not great.    What was great was the option to play in self defence or go on the defensive – ultimately the decision is left up to you depending on what type of gamer you are. The combat has moments of frustration as the guards and thugs are no pushovers and you’re going to need lighting quick reflexes if you’re going to progress.  Other times you can just run away from them and get to the nearest safe haven, although later in the game there are enemies who become very good at following you. 

The whole game has an almost Matrix style quality to it.   It looks like the Utopia that was built inside the Matrix, the enemies are brutally tough and when you’re running away from a squad that is hot on your heels, crashing through doors and jumping over impossible gaps – it just reminded me of what it would be like to play as Neo from the first Matrix film when he is running away from the agents.  I really liked the main character Faith and wanted to see more of her adventures but it wasn’t possible as the game is a little on the short side.  I may have already mentioned it but you’ll have this bad boy wrapped up in about 8 hours tops.  Speed Run fans out there will get a lot from the experience as each section can become unlocked and you can then race and beat your best times.  There is time trials and leader boards, so this will attract a certain type of gamer.  The parkour is handled brilliantly, although there were gaps in rails that a real parkour runner would have no trouble slipping through, maybe this will be implemented next time.  It’s a shame about the online functions of this game as they are pretty underwhelming.  I can imagine a million unique play modes that would’ve been so much fun to play online with friends.  Imagine the maps all being set high above the city streets; it would make for some very fast and furious gameplay with everyone jumping around trying to get at each other.  Fingers crossed that Mirror’s Edge does well enough in sales as to warrant a sequel (this time with more fleshed out multiplayer options) because this is a world I wouldn’t mind revisiting.

Overall:

Whether or not you will buy and enjoy Mirror’s Edge will depend largely on what type of gamer you are.  There is plenty of action on offer here but it is of a different sort than you would find in something like Gears of War or Call of Duty.  The action is more sublime and while it is solid for the most part there are one or two mechanics that could change your mind.  I particularly liked it.  I liked the design aspect, the empowering free running controls and I thought the story was decent enough too.  If you’re not a speed run fan than the replay value of this game might be brief, but for the communities that get into such things you’ve been taken care of here.  I really enjoyed Mirror’s Edge. 

It was original, looks absolutely beautiful and was quite a challenge in more ways than one.  Good use of the environment to make some tricky puzzles and the combat was kind enough to give me a choice on how I wanted to play it (80 achievement points for not killing any enemies – thank you!).  I’m not going to tell you one way or the other on whether or not Mirror’s Edge is for you, hopefully you’ll be able to make up your own mind with the words I’ve written above.  If Mirror’s Edge does sound like your cup of tea though I suggest that you do grab it because it’s quite a refreshing game that shows enough innovation to take a look.  For myself personally, I dug the shit out of it!

Have you played this game? Why not submit your own review on Arcade Horror here?

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