Lets just ignore the combat, because to be honest, it's wank. I won't go into the story either, most of it is throw away and I've forgotten a lot of it anyway. What I love and what I remember is the running. In Mirror's edge it takes time to build up to speed. And if you stop, you have to build that momentum up again. It gives the movement a sense of weight and purpose. Staying on the move is essential but also the challenge.
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| In the future cities will be owned by Apple. |
Mirror's Edge is set in a near, dystopian future. Your character travels along the roof tops of a apparently Utopian city trying to avoid oppressive law enforcement. The city is beautiful; gleaming whites and mirror smooth glazing and, best of all, it's your playground.
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| I took this shot just before I fell to my death. |
Traversing the city is a thrill. Your momentum is all important. You jump, slide and roll your way from roof top to roof top, not stopping, continually moving onwards. The first time you string a series of athletic moves together is pure gratification of the sort comparable with completing your first cryptic crossword. You feel satisfied and immensely clever (at this point I think I should legally point out I have never finished a cryptic crossword, I am not clever enough). At heart Mirror's Edge is just one big puzzle, a maze to leap around in. Soon you're traversing the cityscape like a cat, creating your route effortlessly on the move and feeling achingly smug because of it. It's frantic, fast and elegant. And all too brief. Those moments are fleeting, not because its too difficult or the game too short, but because it actively takes those moments away from you!
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| I took this screenshot just before I fell to my death... I'm a bit crap. |
When your free to move though, free to travel from A to B by the best means you can find it is a rhythmic treat. I wish more games were like it (the good bits anyway) and involved the same stylish and graceful Parkour.
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