Mirror's Edge: B-
You wouldn't think that DICE, the studio known for the "Battlefield" series, would stray so far off their tried-and-true multiplayer first-person shooter for a game that, while still first person, barely qualifies as a shooter. Nevertheless, "Mirror's Edge" turned heads earlier this year with its daring gameplay and unique style. Essentially a first-person platformer, "Mirror's Edge" breaks some exciting new ground, but it stumbles a bit too much along the way.
You play as Faith, a "runner" who travels on city rooftops to deliver packages of information in a sterile, dystopic future where most communication is closely monitored. Faith's sister, a cop, is framed for the murder of a popular mayoral candidate, and Faith spends the game trying to uncover the conspiracy surrounding the killing. Comic book-style cut scenes tell the story in between levels and they look just plain cool. The plot packs some intriguing twists and is engaging enough to keep the player interested for the duration of the 8-10 hour game.
The gameplay mainly consists of sprinting and leaping around rooftops to get from place to place. Faith can vault fences and walls, run on ledges, slide and swing on pipes and perform some midair twists that work surprisingly well in first person. The tight controls strike a perfect balance between feeling smooth and intuitive and not making neat tricks too simple to pull off as to be boring.
Little details like seeing Faith's arms and legs and hearing her grunts really immerse you in the gameplay.
Jumping around the city is a singularly exhilarating experience for the first few levels. Unfortunately, after the first few hours and the first few frustrating bottlenecks, the euphoria that accompanied the beginning of the game starts to wane. If you get stuck at a specific point, it can get very frustrating very fast, as the checkpoints are pretty hit-or-miss in terms of how far back they start. Luckily, the game doesn't just rely on the same tricks the whole way through. You'll spend plenty of time running from "blues" (cops) in sequences that are different enough to feel unique each time. Some unique environmental challenges, like dodging and jumping on top of subway trains, keep the game exciting as well.
For a game that branded itself as a rooftop platformer, "Mirror's Edge" has a few too many indoor sequences. The problem is that these spots tend to require slower, thoughtful progression, which might appeal to the puzzle-solver, but totally kills the game's sense of speed and excitement.
More competitive players will enjoy the game's race mode, where you can race through the levels on a timer, and online leaderboards show off the game's best runners.
The artistic style of "Mirror's Edge" is definitely one of the game's biggest draws. Technically very detailed, most of the world is a sterile white with splashes of bright orange and blue. Red sections show the crucial paths you need to take. The visuals represent how runners see the world around them; the only details that matter are the ones that show new paths. But like the gameplay, the novelty wears off after a few levels.
"Mirror's Edge" tries to blend fast, exhilarating first-person platforming with slow, claustrophobic jumping puzzles and doesn't totally succeed. The game's at its best when it's fast and furious, but it too often strays away from the formula that got everyone's attention in the first place. It's a unique and fun game to be sure, but in a holiday season crowded with great titles, it's probably not the safest bet unless you're really interested in its premise.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
