Life on the Edge: A Mirror’s Edge Review

In this day and age of gaming, every developer is turning to violence to sell their title. Not to mention the gorier and bloodier the game, generally the better it does. How rare is it to see a game that actually rewards you for not shooting anyone throughout the campaign? This is exactly what Mirror’s Edge is; rather than having a dark atmosphere with a big muscleman as the main character, we are given a very bright city to traverse as a petite woman by the name of Faith. However, taking such a bold leap in the opposite direction of the norm, does Mirror’s Edge make the grade?

The story in Mirror’s Edge is pretty cut-and-dry, but it’s hard to find a game that has a story that ignites the imagination into a blaze of wonder; the last game to do that for me was BioShock. To be honest, the game’s storyline somewhat reminded me of The Matrix mixed with a sprinkling of Minority Report. It did keep me entertained and motivated to continue onto the next chapter. Despite that, the lack of a thrilling storyline definitely hurts Mirror’s Edge in the end, but it definitely does not make or break the game.

Where Mirror’s Edge really shines (literally) is the atmosphere. Having spent a lot of my current gaming life in a barren wasteland, an undersea utopia that is falling apart, and zombie-infested towns, a nice change was just what the doctor ordered. A bright, vibrant, and immaculate-looking city awaits you in Mirror’s Edge. When I first started playing, even in the tutorial, all I could say was “wow”—it’s such a twist on the styles of games we play now, especially in a first-person perspective. I would find myself, in the calm moments of the game, exploring every nook and cranny just to see everything I could. On the other hand, the character models all look a little funky, especially the heavily-armored enemies—not to mention Faith’s hands look very “man-ish.” If you can get past that and the fact that the animated cut scenes look a little like the Esurance commercials, you’ll be in for a delightful surprise.

When reading about Mirror’s Edge, you will hear that either the controls are too touchy or that they are perfect; in reality, it’s somewhere in between. There are points where you think that you can do no wrong, you’re leaping across giants gaps, sliding under poles, and wall-running without fault—and then all of a sudden, you hit a regular vault and find yourself in an intimate relationship with the ground, 30 stories down. While this won’t happen all that often, you’re sure to run into it occasionally, and it will make you angry, especially if your last checkpoint was a long ways away. While it is far from perfect, it should be noted that the controls are devilishly simple to grasp and you will become a master at the game by the time the last chapter rolls around.

Runner’s Vision is cause for a lot of grief with gamers and critics right now. Some have said that there’s not enough to keep you from going off track: this is somewhat true, but very rarely will you wonder where you are. The other side of the argument is that it takes away from the free-flowing, go-wherever-you-want nature of the game. If that’s your beef, there is a way to turn Runner’s Vision off. If you do find yourself at a loss for where to go, a handy “press this to focus on your goal” button has been included. Never will you find yourself saying, “Where am I supposed to go?” in frustration.

If you’re looking for a game with a lot of violence, then you should look into one of the many other new games on the market right now. However, if you’re looking for something that puts a refreshing twist on familiar gameplay, then you’re in luck! Mirror’s Edge is one of those games that will probably end up having a “cult” following, but will never break into mainstream because many people just don’t want to try it out. In the end, it feels like one of those movies you go into thinking it will be fantastic and come out thinking that, it was good, not great, but definitely worth your time and money.