107retrostationQThe style of the cinematics jars, but they’re quality.QDon’t get into a fight. Unlike you, they’re armed! QNo invisible limbs for you, with all that jumping.W
hile EA is painted
as the bad guy of
the industry at
least once a year
for some reason
or other, including
for playing it
safe, let’s not forget that it’s been
responsible for greenlighting some
unique, memorable titles over nearly
four decades. Games such as Dead
Space, Unravel, Titanfall... and this.
Mirror’s Edge is a game we’ll never
forget for all the right reasons.
Mirror’s Edge defied convention in
several ways. The story concerns a
city some time in the future, where
everything is clean, peaceful, and
comfortable – but all this luxury comes
at the price of a brutal, totalitarian
government. Your character, Faith, is
a ‘runner’ who delivers info in person
to avoid the ubiquitous communication
monitoring. Dystopias were nothing
new in games even in the noughties,
but this dystopia was bright and shiny.
Purposefully eschewing the browns and
greys that were in vogue in videogames
at the time (and arguably are even
now), yours is a playground of pure
whites, vibrant reds, and sharp blues
that leap from the screen.
Although it uses a first-person
perspective, this is no first-personshooter. There are enemies, and there
are guns, but those aren’t ultimately the
important bit. What you’re really doing
is clambering up, running along, sliding
under, and bounding over pieces of that
clean, crisp environment in as fast and
stylish a manner as possible. Oddly,
perhaps, the developer, Swedish studio
DICE, was (and still is) best known for
the Battlefield games. Released in the
same year as titles such as Far Cry 2,
Fallout 3, and Resistance 2, a game like
this was a revelation.
To return to the guns, though: Faith
can disarm enemies and then use their
weapons against other opponents,
but this is generally best used as a
last resort. You only get whatever
ammo is left in the gun, and larger
weapons actually provide a significant
disadvantage, severely limiting your all-
important movement. Get your hands
on a monster like the Heckler & Koch
G36C assault rifle and Faith won’t even
be able to run. A ‘no guns’ run isn’t
justpossiblein thisgame,it’spositivelyencouraged. The odds are intentionally
stacked against you, constantly pushing
you to show your parkour prowess.LEAP OF FAITH
While wallruns and death-defying leaps
are standard for getting from A to B,
the game’s true magic makes itself
known during each of the many chase
sequences. Even with the aid of the
optional ‘runner vision’, which highlights
the next preferred handhold or object
to jump from in red, a flawless run is
immensely satisfying. Hurling yourself
over a fence to avoid a group of armed
guards, bullets singing past as you leap
from rooftop to rooftop, bouncing from
one obstacle to the next as a helicopter
starts to chase you, and then bursting
through a door to safety – all done on
the first attempt – remains a genuine
thrill to this day.
To make the most of the joy of rapid
movement through the staggered
environments, Mirror’s Edge also
included time trials with online
leaderboards (which still remain live at
time of writing, though the top spots
sadly appear to have been hacked). The
controls are a little rough around the
edges by today’s standards, truth be
told – especially when compared with
the refined system in the PS4 sequel,
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst – but things
never feel unfair.
There are no whispers of a new
Mirror’s Edge, but the time feels right
for another, and we’d love to see it.
Dying Light is the only game series
that took up the first-person parkour
mantle, and Faith should return to show
the kids how it’s done.Every month we celebrate the most important,
innovative, or just plain great games from
PlayStation’s past. This month, it’s time to stretch
our virtual legs, take a run up, and enjoy the
sunshine with some ferocious freerunning
Parkour life
Mirror’s Edge
CLASSIC GAMEA ‘NO GUNS’ RUN
ISN’T JUST POSSIBLE,
IT’S POSITIVELY
ENCOURAGED.