EA was on a roll near the end of the 00's. Among their most unique games is Mirror's Edge: first-person daredevil platforming galore. Players control Faith, the female protagonist, as they traverse dense cityscapes and escape peril via generous application of parkour.


What is immediately eye-catching is the visual style. Strong primary colours stand against backdrops of almost pure white to create a sterile-looking but simultaneously vibrant landscape. Red particularly takes center stage as the main component of Runner Vision – even with the option disabled, a large chunk of objects and scenery are bright red in order to lead the player through the game’s gauntlets.

The clear sunny mornings, afternoons and evenings in the nameless city provide fantastic backdrops as well as opportunities to showcase the finely detailed lighting system in place. Lastly, full-body awareness is important in a game all about parkour and it thankfully delivers as Faith’s animations are convincing and satisfying – even if some character textures are on the low-detail side.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2565130018
On a Ryzen 9 3900X, 64GB RAM, 1070 Ti, Windows 10 system, this title runs smoothly and without any hitches at 1440p resolution and a locked 60fps. Do take note that you might find the field of view somewhat narrow for the action. Additionally, alt-tabbing may freeze or crash the game, and resolutions beyond 1080p degrade the UI quality.

Sung by Lisa Miskovski, Still Alive is an absolutely incredible anthem of such prominence that many other in-game tracks seem to build up to it. Whether you’re enjoying calming ambience or pounding pursuit music, if there’s one way to boil down the entirety of the soundtrack, it’s that it’s just shy of perfect – a few awkward transitions are its sole blemish.

Next, a collection of satisfying foley also cover just about every facet of extreme parkour plus a few implements like beating down people. When it comes to voice acting, it’s generally solid but far from stellar as some characters either speak in a monotone or are given awkward lines to read out.


In the lore, a Runner’s parkour abilities let them deliver sensitive data to clients without being spied on by the totalitarian regime. Quite the shame that so little of this premise is explored throughout the story. Our main character, Faith, barely completes one delivery before having to save her sister from a framed murder, and also avoid getting murdered herself by trigger-happy private security and law enforcement.

So, the core of the game is platforming. Faith’s move set as a traçeuse includes vaulting over obstacles, sliding under others, wall-running, rolling and much more. These abilities are mighty useful when it comes to navigating the dense urban high-rises of the city. It bears to keep in mind that she needs some run-up to build momentum from a standstill, and that all her moveset is contextual. Sometimes this works weirdly, so you vault over a railing when you needed to springboard off it, or jump straight to your death versus wall-running. She’s also graced with rather unwieldy hand-to-hand combat moves for the occasions where simply trying to run won’t work out.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564004483

It’s not all rooftops that you traverse throughout Mirror’s Edge. Malls, subway stations, a massive drainage system, offices and plazas are prime locations to run and jump in. While the levels still instruct you to reach a certain destination, most of them – especially the early stages – offer plenty of alternate paths and techniques.

This variety of locales is most welcome, especially as you go through several setpieces per stage. Little can compare to sliding down the side of a building as a helicopter opens fire, shards and sparks falling past you in a blur. When the level design and platforming click together, it’s a genuinely brilliant experience.


But nothing good lasts forever. For every awesome escape and climbing sequence, there’s another where the pace skids to a painful stop. Sometimes you’re forced to fight firearm-totting enemies, not because it’s explicitly needed, but because you can’t climb a pipe or turn an agonizingly slow valve when you’re riddled with bullets.

Disarms are one of the quickest take-down moves on your foes, but the timing window is unreasonably tight and you’ll sooner get rifle butted or shot for trying. Notably, it is possible to complete the game without ever firing a gun, which is good because shooting’s rather boring and unsatisfying, not to mention carrying weapons slows you down and prevents parkour.

Those aforementioned valves are suspiciously common as obstacles. They take way too long to be opened or closed and one of the later levels is just filled with these things in the middle of a chase sequence! That same level also has the most frustrating indoors climbing sequence imaginable.

You don’t have an obvious path to take even with Runner Vision, and your fiddly-yet-solid move set suddenly feels inadequate when Faith just wouldn’t grab that sodding ledge. Needless to say, with very few exceptions, being stopped to fight enemies and parkour in claustrophobic spaces turn this game into a major test of patience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564005723

I must say, as much as the later levels can easily reach the lowest lows possible, they bounce right back with some incredible moments once more. Climbing a deserted atrium is easily one of my favourite parts of the game. Likewise, running from foes who can actually keep up with you is so thrilling that you will wish these fellas were around for more than literally two levels.


The story ends on a bittersweet/tone-deaf note after around four hours for a first playthrough. This can be cut down to an easily achievable sub-two hours. A game focused on momentum and running really fast (most of the time) greatly benefits from some form of time-attack, and here we have not one but two flavours of it! Run through the story stages while trying to beat the par time, or tackle bite-sized altered versions of them.

Past that, replayability is limited to collecting bags hidden throughout the game. These unlock concept art, development trivia and music tracks to enjoy on the main menus. Completionists and record chasers have a fair bit more to do, provided they can bear with the mid-game slog.


Even when the action crashes to a halt more often than desirable, Mirror’s Edge is as thrilling to play through as it is beautiful in its minimalism.

[h1]“We exist on the edge, between the gloss and the reality.”[/h1] EA was on a roll near the end of the 00's. Among their most unique games is [b][i]Mirror's Edge:[/i][/b] first-person daredevil platforming galore. Players control Faith, the female protagonist, as they traverse dense cityscapes and escape peril via generous application of parkour. [h3]“Runners see the city in a different way…”[/h3] What is immediately eye-catching is the visual style. Strong primary colours stand against backdrops of almost pure white to create a sterile-looking but simultaneously vibrant landscape. Red particularly takes center stage as the main component of [i]Runner Vision[/i] – even with the option disabled, a large chunk of objects and scenery are bright red in order to lead the player through the game’s gauntlets. The clear sunny mornings, afternoons and evenings in the nameless city provide fantastic backdrops as well as opportunities to showcase the finely detailed lighting system in place. Lastly, full-body awareness is important in a game all about parkour and it thankfully delivers as Faith’s animations are convincing and satisfying – even if some character textures are on the low-detail side. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2565130018 On a [i]Ryzen 9 3900X, 64GB RAM, 1070 Ti, Windows 10[/i] system, this title runs smoothly and without any hitches at 1440p resolution and a locked 60fps. Do take note that you might find the field of view somewhat narrow for the action. Additionally, alt-tabbing may freeze or crash the game, and resolutions beyond 1080p degrade the UI quality. Sung by Lisa Miskovski, [i]Still Alive[/i] is an absolutely incredible anthem of such prominence that many other in-game tracks seem to build up to it. Whether you’re enjoying calming ambience or pounding pursuit music, if there’s one way to boil down the entirety of the soundtrack, it’s that it’s just shy of perfect – a few awkward transitions are its sole blemish. Next, a collection of satisfying foley also cover just about every facet of extreme parkour plus a few implements like beating down people. When it comes to voice acting, it’s generally solid but far from stellar as some characters either speak in a monotone or are given awkward lines to read out. [h3]“The flow is what keeps us running, what keeps us alive.”[/h3] In the lore, a [i]Runner’s[/i] parkour abilities let them deliver sensitive data to clients without being spied on by the totalitarian regime. Quite the shame that so little of this premise is explored throughout the story. Our main character, Faith, barely completes one delivery before having to save her sister from a framed murder, and also avoid getting murdered herself by trigger-happy private security and law enforcement. So, the core of the game is platforming. Faith’s move set as a traçeuse includes vaulting over obstacles, sliding under others, wall-running, rolling and much more. These abilities are mighty useful when it comes to navigating the dense urban high-rises of the city. It bears to keep in mind that she needs some run-up to build momentum from a standstill, and that all her moveset is contextual. Sometimes this works weirdly, so you vault over a railing when you needed to springboard off it, or jump straight to your death versus wall-running. She’s also graced with rather unwieldy hand-to-hand combat moves for the occasions where simply trying to run won’t work out. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564004483 It’s not all rooftops that you traverse throughout Mirror’s Edge. Malls, subway stations, a massive drainage system, offices and plazas are prime locations to run and jump in. While the levels still instruct you to reach a certain destination, most of them – especially the early stages – offer plenty of alternate paths and techniques. This variety of locales is most welcome, especially as you go through several setpieces per stage. Little can compare to sliding down the side of a building as a helicopter opens fire, shards and sparks falling past you in a blur. When the level design and platforming click together, it’s a genuinely brilliant experience. [h3]“Did you just do what I think you did?!”[/h3] But nothing good lasts forever. For every awesome escape and climbing sequence, there’s another where the pace skids to a painful stop. Sometimes you’re forced to fight firearm-totting enemies, not because it’s explicitly needed, but because you can’t climb a pipe or turn an agonizingly slow valve when you’re riddled with bullets. Disarms are one of the quickest take-down moves on your foes, but the timing window is unreasonably tight and you’ll sooner get rifle butted or shot for trying. Notably, it is possible to complete the game without ever firing a gun, which is good because shooting’s rather boring and unsatisfying, not to mention carrying weapons slows you down and prevents parkour. Those aforementioned valves are suspiciously common as obstacles. They take way too long to be opened or closed and one of the later levels is just [b]filled[/b] with these things in the middle of a [b]chase sequence![/b] That same level also has the most frustrating indoors climbing sequence imaginable. You don’t have an obvious path to take even with [i]Runner Vision[/i], and your fiddly-yet-solid move set suddenly feels inadequate when Faith just wouldn’t grab that [b]sodding[/b] ledge. Needless to say, with very few exceptions, being stopped to fight enemies and parkour in claustrophobic spaces turn this game into a major test of patience. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564005723 I must say, as much as the later levels can easily reach the lowest lows possible, they bounce right back with some incredible moments once more. Climbing a deserted atrium is easily one of my favourite parts of the game. Likewise, running from foes who can actually keep up with you is so thrilling that you will wish these fellas were around for more than literally two levels. [h3]“I will move fast, I will move slow, Take me where I have to go”[/h3] The story ends on a bittersweet/tone-deaf note after around four hours for a first playthrough. This can be cut down to an easily achievable sub-two hours. A game focused on momentum and running really fast (most of the time) greatly benefits from some form of time-attack, and here we have not one but two flavours of it! Run through the story stages while trying to beat the par time, or tackle bite-sized altered versions of them. Past that, replayability is limited to collecting bags hidden throughout the game. These unlock concept art, development trivia and music tracks to enjoy on the main menus. Completionists and record chasers have a fair bit more to do, provided they can bear with the mid-game slog. [h3]“Oh, I'm still alive I'm still alive...”[/h3] [i]Even when the action crashes to a halt more often than desirable, [b]Mirror’s Edge[/b] is as thrilling to play through as it is beautiful in its minimalism.[/i]