Maybe I'm biased, I do think the original Mirror's Edge is one of that generations most interesting titles; A genuinely innovative game with deeply enjoyable gameplay whilst also being a total visual feast. The story is ultimately forgettable, but the game works wonders where it matters the most.
All of the above is true about the sequel, prequel, reboot: Mirror's Edge Catalyst. That's not to say a worthwile host of characters following an intriguing plotline wouldn't have made this a better title, it absolutely would, but instead we're stuck with a vanilla lead, Faith, and a bunch of the usual suspects - the quirky hacker, the father figure mentor, the teammate who doesn't really like you but will almost certainly come around by the end. The first couple of hours are actually interesting enough, there's an unknown history and tight bond between Faith and Noah (the previously mentioned father figure mentor) that is almost immedaitely dispatched. Noah is subsequently treated worse and worse by the writers as the game goes on and the final story mission sees Faith displaying silly superhero level acrobatics.
But when you're out in the city of Glass, a place aptly named thanks to all the glass, traversing the rooftops feels incredible. It's fast, kinetic, and a newly added FOV slider will help quell some of the motion sickness. The open world feels like a completely natural choice for this series.
If you're familiar and comfortable with the gameplay in the original game, you'll fit right in here. Some of the movement options are locked behind a skill tree (the roll being the most unforgiveable exclusion), this is definitely a mistake, but you can, and should, unlock the important stuff so early into your experience that it matters very little.
Some of the time trials that you'll find hopping around the city are tough, but 99% of them are between 60 to 90 seconds and all of them super enjoyable. The first trick is figuring out the fastest route, the second is perfecting it. It's such a shame that the leaderboards (about to be closed, anyway, as of December 2023) are full of impossible times to beat. I'm not talking 'get good' impossible, I mean glitched and cheated impossible.
I've seen a lot of criticisms thrown at the combat here which is so massively improved from the first game. Faith won't be picking up guns this time but her moveset is wider (most importantly, a dash function!) and it feels way more intuitive to kick ass this time around; this is about as close to a first person Matrix combat style that you're gonna get. Enemies react a little slowly sometimes which can look a bit goofy, but transitioning from a springboard to a wallrun to a kick in the face of some government grunt is always satisfying.
The game is so artistically distinct, the bright white cityscape punctuated by primary colours as you fly across the concrete jungle, I think it should be celebrated.
Obviously Mirror's Edge isn't for everyone, if the idea of a first person parkour game puts you off then don't even bother. For me, Catalyst felt just right to play with just the right amount of main, side and collectible content.
All of the above is true about the sequel, prequel, reboot: Mirror's Edge Catalyst. That's not to say a worthwile host of characters following an intriguing plotline wouldn't have made this a better title, it absolutely would, but instead we're stuck with a vanilla lead, Faith, and a bunch of the usual suspects - the quirky hacker, the father figure mentor, the teammate who doesn't really like you but will almost certainly come around by the end. The first couple of hours are actually interesting enough, there's an unknown history and tight bond between Faith and Noah (the previously mentioned father figure mentor) that is almost immedaitely dispatched. Noah is subsequently treated worse and worse by the writers as the game goes on and the final story mission sees Faith displaying silly superhero level acrobatics.
But when you're out in the city of Glass, a place aptly named thanks to all the glass, traversing the rooftops feels incredible. It's fast, kinetic, and a newly added FOV slider will help quell some of the motion sickness. The open world feels like a completely natural choice for this series.
If you're familiar and comfortable with the gameplay in the original game, you'll fit right in here. Some of the movement options are locked behind a skill tree (the roll being the most unforgiveable exclusion), this is definitely a mistake, but you can, and should, unlock the important stuff so early into your experience that it matters very little.
Some of the time trials that you'll find hopping around the city are tough, but 99% of them are between 60 to 90 seconds and all of them super enjoyable. The first trick is figuring out the fastest route, the second is perfecting it. It's such a shame that the leaderboards (about to be closed, anyway, as of December 2023) are full of impossible times to beat. I'm not talking 'get good' impossible, I mean glitched and cheated impossible.
I've seen a lot of criticisms thrown at the combat here which is so massively improved from the first game. Faith won't be picking up guns this time but her moveset is wider (most importantly, a dash function!) and it feels way more intuitive to kick ass this time around; this is about as close to a first person Matrix combat style that you're gonna get. Enemies react a little slowly sometimes which can look a bit goofy, but transitioning from a springboard to a wallrun to a kick in the face of some government grunt is always satisfying.
The game is so artistically distinct, the bright white cityscape punctuated by primary colours as you fly across the concrete jungle, I think it should be celebrated.
Obviously Mirror's Edge isn't for everyone, if the idea of a first person parkour game puts you off then don't even bother. For me, Catalyst felt just right to play with just the right amount of main, side and collectible content.