“Mirror’s Edge” Returns With Faith Fully Restored
The first Mirror’s Edge has a special place in my heart, as it was the very first PS3 game I purchased. Running around the city as I climbed high buildings and dove narrow drops, it was a first-person experience I had never witnessed in a video game before. Finally, after years of waiting, an origin story of Faith Connors is coming in the form of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and if the E3 demo was anything to go by we are in for one jaw-dropping adventure.
Before going hands-on with the game we were treated to a presentation, as we learn about Faith and her fight to change things about the City of Glass. Corporations have the power, and the people are forced to be watched at around every corner, with those resisting vanishing without a trace. As the heroine of the story Faith must juggle between her tasks as a cat burglar, delivery woman, and a fighter for the resistance. Like in the first game she will leap the tallest of boundaries and take on those who are keeping the concept of freedom a false hope.
After the presentation we were given the chance to try out Mirror’s Edge Catalyst on the Xbox One for 12 minutes. The demo began with a short tutorial, reintroducing ourselves with the control scheme of the game. It took a little bit to get comfortable playing, as I was more accustomed to the PS3 layout, but once I got used to it I had Faith running up walls, rolling out of air vents, and zip-lining between buildings. Once the tutorial was done we had the option of either roaming the City of Glass or trying out three of the missions: a speed run, a drop-off with mixed combat, and a hacking scenario that had you climbing high and placing your emblem on a billboard. As there was about eight minutes left of the demo, I could only make time for the speed run and the drop-off missions.
The speed run had me a bit confused at first, as I accidentally kept running in the wrong direction. Once my stupidity wore off I was finding it very easy to leap up high spots and slide under low pipes and crevices. However the right-stick was still just a tad bit sensitive, so there were times I made a mistake or two during the mission that involved me plummeting to my death. For the drop-off mission I fought my way through crooked cops and SWAT members, as I evaded their enemy fire and tackled them to the ground and knocked them unconscious. Trust me when I say there’s nothing more awesome than watching Faith dropkick an officer through a window to his high-flying death. In one instance I was able to pull off one of Faith’s finishing maneuvers, which had her shatter a SWAT member’s helmet and rag doll him to the ground.
Running on the Frostbite 3 Engine Mirror’s Edge Catalyst looks gorgeous, almost photorealistic. You can easily get lost just wandering through the City of Glass, it’s so breathtaking. As the game runs at 60 frames per second the movement of Faith and the others is incredibly fluid, which could be a problem for those who have motion sickness. (If they can set this game up for the Rift and Project Morpheus, gamers would lose their minds, as well as their lunch!) There are no words to describe the beauty of this world, albeit behind this beauty lies a darkness that is trying to choke out humanity to its very last breath.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will be hitting the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 23, 2016. Get your running shoes ready, because players everywhere are about to go for one hell of a sprint.
