Mirror's Edge Review
A bold leap that doesn't nail the landing.
by Nate Ahearn
November 11, 2008 - Just a few years ago Electronic Arts wasn't exactly known for taking chances on fresh ideas with new intellectual properties. This holiday season has already seen one stellar release from the mega publisher in the form of Dead Space and now we have the company's second attempt at establishing a new videogame franchise. It comes to us in the form of Mirror's Edge.
Mirror's tells the story of Faith, a runner in an unnamed city almost completely devoid of personality thanks to the overbearing totalitarian government that rules the region. Faith's job is to deliver important pieces of information to an underground network who still live with a modicum of freedom. She uses her considerable acrobatic abilities to outrun, out-leap, and out-swing "Blues" (cops). Throughout the game players learn that Faith's sister, Kate, has been wrongly accused of murder. Faith must clear her name.
Click above for our Video Review of Mirror's Edge (HD Available).
The story isn't quite as involving as it reads. Characters are fairly uninteresting with few emotional ties to the player. It doesn't help that all of the cutscenes are presented in a style that's reminiscent of Esurance commercials which instantly hurt my ability to enjoy them. Luckily the story doesn't last long as the game clocks in at less than six hours and even less on your second time through.
Thankfully the world itself is interesting to roam through, at least for awhile. After some time you realize that the architecture of rooms and rooftops starts to look redundant, but the art style and overly simplistic color scheme help to accentuate the idea of an over-bearing government. So while the art style helps to up the presentation values, the architecture of the game space is entirely too limiting for the style of game that Mirror's Edge should be.
Running and leaping off of rooftops and sliding under pipes is the star of the game. No doubt about it. So why not open up the entire city for players to roam around in? As it is Mirror's feels entirely too constricting with only a few branching pathways to reach the same end goal. Getting to that final point is where Mirror's Edge shines the brightest.
Light at the end of the tunnel.
Playing as Faith, players have a small – but still impressive given the three-button control scheme – set of moves that can be pulled off. She can wall run, swing on poles, parachute roll out of long jumps and do a number of other moves that are styled after parkour. It's not quite in line with the spirit of the sport, but it's similar and can be very fun when you hit a good rhythm of ups, downs and running on vertical surfaces.
The feeling of movement and leaping through the air is accentuated by little nuances on-screen. You'll see Faith's legs kicking during a long jump, her hands slamming into doors as she breaks through and all of this is accentuated by camera movements and motion blur on the side of the screen. All of those pieces come together to produce the best feeling of movement and momentum that I've gotten my hands on in a videogame.
Of course Faith can't be running all the time; eventually players will have to confront small squads of policemen and other characters. How you do this, is up to you. It is possible to never use a gun in the game (there's even an achievement and trophy for it) but chances are you'll want to disarm one of the bad guys and make use of his firearm at some point. The only problem comes when you engage in the hand-to-hand combat that's required for a disarm. The collision detection is off at times, punches and kicks are very redundant and to perform a true disarm you'll need to slow down time and wait for that brief window when the weapon flashes red to snap it out of your assailant's hands. Combat is much clunkier than it should be and because of that Mirror's Edge becomes a slightly one-dimensional experience.
Guiding Faith on her journey of leaps and bounds is something called Runner Vision. Essentially the feature highlights environmental pieces that you'll need to interact with to progress in a bold red color. If you see something in the world that's red (other than Faith's gloves and shoes) then that's where you need to go. Only problem is that sometimes it doesn't show you exactly how to get to your destination. But if it did it would likely feel too much like hand holding (which it still can from time to time) so it's good that there's some puzzle element to the game. Thankfully Runner Vision can be turned off at any time.
Click above to watch Insider's Video Head-to-Head (HD Available).
After you're done running and jumping your way through the nine chapters that the campaign presents, there really isn't much else to do in Mirror's Edge. You can up the difficulty and play through the campaign again or try your hand at a lengthy list of unlockable time trials. That's about it. There's no true multiplayer though there are leaderboards built in to each time trial. You're never in direct competition with other people, which lessens the excitement, but the structure of the trials is still decent for what it is.
The technical side of the graphics occasionally shows off the power of the system but can be disappointing as well. There are frequently aliasing issues and breakup around doors and on the edges of character models and buildings. Some surfaces are impressive with divots and scarring while others look a little bland. Faith's character model is well-detailed; it's just a bummer that we only get to see it twice during the game.
The soundtrack fits perfectly with the world that Mirror's Edge is trying to deliver. Everything from the sounds of the world to the tracks that play as you streak through the city fit in very well. The voice acting could be stronger, but there are no moments when Faith or any of the supporting characters sound cheesy or unbelievable.
Closing Comments
Mirror’s Edge is a classic example of some awesome ideas that just didn’t pan out the way that was originally intended. The list of moves could be more expansive -- maybe by adding a fourth button to the mix -- and the world feels entirely too constricting for what could be a huge open city. Couple those gripes with some unappealing combat and a sometimes buggy design and Mirror’s Edge falls short of my expectations. The ideas are there for a very cool experience, and I truly hope that a sequel is spawned, but this first attempt falls just a bit short. Click here to read through Insider's Head-to-Head between the different versions of Mirror's Edge.
9.0 Presentation
The game delivers the feeling of running and jumping better than any other first-person game. Menu designs work fine, as does the art. If only they had picked a sleeker style for the cutscenes.
8.0 Graphics
Some edges and doorways look better than others. Environments can be repetitive with regard to architecture. PS3 version looks just a bit better than 360.
8.0 Sound
Soundtrack works great, as do the effects. Voice acting could be stronger for the sake of the story, but it’s not bad.
7.0 Gameplay
Some great ideas that don’t pan out that well. At its best when running and jumping. At its worse when looking for alternate routes, exploring or fighting.
5.0 Lasting Appeal
After beating the super-short campaign mode there really isn’t much to do unless you’re into shaving seconds off of your trial times.
7.3
Decent OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
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