One could argue that the graphics aren't meant to be dwelt upon, and though the presentation is mostly good enough, I can't help feeling that it could have been made much more interesting while still retaining the benefits of its simplified aesthetic. While the rooftop and subway areas look impressive, the office and sewer areas look downright bland. The design style serves to highlight the underlying geometry of each area, making it easier for players to see the interactive possibilities. Visually, Mirror's Edge has a realistic yet highly simplified look, relying on bold colors, clear lines, and sharp angles. The plot, which involves a political assassination, some double crossing, and a former wrestler named Ropeburn (not an important character, but still quite memorable), barely held my interest, but it furnishes plenty of opportunities for Faith to run from one area to another, sometimes chasing after enemies but more often being chased or shot at. Mirror's Edge puts players in control of Faith, one of a small group of "runners" (read: parkour practitioners) tasked with delivering physical messages between various revolutionary groups fighting against an evil totalitarian regime that rules the city. It's a shame then that it stumbles and falters so consistently, due to some unforgiving gameplay and poor design choices. (The opening chase scene in Casino Royale provides a good example of this.) Sure, there's a flimsy plot thrown in as well as some disposable hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, but ultimately Mirror's Edge is all about the parkour, and it's in this respect that the game truly distinguishes itself. WTF Being attacked by a former wrestler named Ropeburn.Īt the risk of oversimplification, I'm just gonna come right out and say that Mirror's Edge is essentially a first-person parkour simulator-parkour, for those who don't know, being the art of navigating through an environment as quickly and fluidly as possible. LOW Harsh gameplay that frequently brings the action to a screeching halt. There are few landmarks by which to find your bearings rather, you dutifully follow the red mist that leads to your next chosen mission, which is a bit of a missed opportunity in such a good-looking, urban open world locale.HIGH The exhilaration of fluidly navigating across multiple rooftops. The futuristic city is, with its acres of white surfaces and swathes of glass, eminently stylish, but it is also indistinct. It’s possible to barge past most guards, but some of the main missions require you to clear a room before you’re allowed to move on. The overblown lunges and sideswipes render these fight scenes almost comedic. Unarmed combat is painfully awkward in the first-person perspective. At its best, Catalyst replicates the feel of those YouTube clips of Ukrainian crane-runners, combining athleticism, grace with formidable danger. Most objectives are timed (deliver this USB stick to a lady standing beneath that bridge, for example) and so it becomes a game of reactions as you tap the appropriate commands to overcome each incoming obstacle, like Guitar Hero played on a crane. As Faith sprints between objectives, leaping over obstacles, sliding under beams, charging through doors and, later, swinging between platforms using a rope, play finds a punchy rhythm. Still, the free-running works far better than you might suppose. The wheeling sky has a certain nauseating effect. one button, for example, allows you to break a fall by launching Faith into a tumbling roll. This is parkour played out in first person, with all of the wobbly camera work that entails.
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Giddying, too, as veterans of the 2008 Mirror’s Edge – to which Catalyst is a long-awaited sequel – can attest.