A first-person parkour game, Mirror’s Edge was released last year by Electronic Arts in an effort to improve their public image by publishing more innovative games. And innovative is certainly a moniker that suits this game, with it’s first-person running and climbing action.
It’s been a long time coming, but I recently got around to finishing Mirror’s Edge and I’ve summed up my thoughts in this review. Initially I didn’t intend to buy it due to the limited activation based DRM, but the trailers swayed me into the buyer’s camp… but was it worth it? Read on to find out.
The Outer Shell
What DICE has managed to do with the Unreal Engine 3 technology is incredible. The only other game I can recall that had such a unique look and feel in spite of the overly common engine was 2K Boston’s BioShock. Its distinctive style certainly sets it apart from other games.
Apart from the unique atmosphere, Mirror’s Edge is also a beautiful game to look at. It may not quite be a Crysis or Far Cry 2, but DICE has managed to deliver some stunning scenes nonetheless. The environments are well-designed and reinforce the dystopian sci-fi setting of the game, whereas characters are detailed and move with surprising realism. But it’s the lighting and bloom effects that make the game’s world a sight to behold and had me stop several times during my play through just to admire the view.
Mirror’s Edge presents an eerily empty – and clean – cityscape, nearly void of colour and life. A city that is almost as oppressed as the people who live in it. And you’re in the middle of it, running across rooftops and cranes, sliding along cables and jumping between buildings at dizzying heights. The PhysX support introduced in the PC version helps make the world come alive. The way fabric interacts when you shove soldiers through it or when bullets zip through sheets of covering looks very realistic. This combined with excellent use of light and shadow make Mirror’s Edge one of the more beautiful games released last year.
The sound is certainly no less impressive, with a soundtrack that seems made for the game in a way few soundtracks are. Mirror’s Edge reminds me of Unreal Tournament in that regard, both games with a soundtrack you’ll never forget, because they integrate so well into their respective games. The remaining soundbites are good, but not outstanding. However, the voice acting is definitely among the best in the business.
PhysX support is a nice extra touch for those with (semi-)recent Nvidia video cards. I’ve never seen plastic sheets tear this realistically when throwing enemies through them, in a game. It’s such an incredibly simple effect and yet I found myself trying to kick, punch and shove enemies through fabric whenever I could, just so I could see how it would tear up. It’s one of those little nuggets (like the silky smooth animation) that spice up the game world and make it feel more solid and realistic.
Mirror's Edge pushes the Unreal Engine 3 technology to new heights
Gameplay
Mirror’s Edge was an attempt at crafting a new genre with an innovative game, and in that regard DICE certainly succeeded. The running and climbing flows well and is easily controlled, but not so easily mastered. This aspect of the game was clearly fleshed out well, along with the excellent system for melee combat… with a wide variety of moves such as blocking blows, grabbing weapons, sliding and flying kicks, and so on.
There is no doubt in my mind that this portion of the game was well-crafted and certainly worth the price of admission, even if it only took 6-7 hours to hit the credits. It may be a short game, but it’s an intense short game that makes you feel like you got your money’s worth when you’ve reached the end. But that is only if you fully appreciate the running and climbing experience – and there are certainly plenty of criticisms to be leveled at the gameplay in spite of the excellence of its basic components.
At times Mirror’s Edge feels too linear, presenting open environments suggestive of a game that grants you freedom, where there really is only a single route to follow. Yet occasionally the game’s lack of focus is actually frustratingly confusing, when the usual red elements to indicate the path fall away and the next move is not immediately obvious.
This usually happens exactly when a more difficult wall-run & jump sequence is required to advance through the level. Less dedicated players could well be browsing the internet for walkthroughs at certain points, in spite of the mere 7 hour length. Still, if you think things through carefully, then none of the ‘environmental puzzles’ are all too difficult in the end, just not as painfully obvious as a bright red marker on a stark white wall.
Pacing is not one of Mirror’s Edge’s strong points either. One moment you’ll be sprinting across rooftops, desperately trying to get away from your pursuers. The next you’re suddenly slowed to a crawl in a deadly firefight. You’ll most likely just want to ignore the, poorly implemented, shooting segments and run on through, but this more-often-than-not means certain death.
The animated cutscenes do not help the storytelling...
Story
The storyline is an engaging, if a little cut and dry, bit of dystopian fiction. Your sister is framed for a murder and you spend the game trying to clear her name, but as the story unfolds it broadens its scope and has you facing off against the oppressive government itself. The overall story isn’t very surprising, but some of the plot twists along the way aren’t quite so obvious.
And while the presentation through 3rd-grade American-animation sequences is weak, the story itself is of decent enough quality to remain gripping. Overall the bits of the story that are told using the in-game engine are far more impressive and it is obvious that Mirror’s Edge would’ve benefited if all of its storytelling were done by means of the in-game engine.
The developers seemed to have realized this as well, because towards the end of the game the cartoon sequences die off and more of the story is told through in-game sequences. It feels more appropriate being briefed on events on-the-go, with occasional encounters with important characters thrown into the mix.
DICE and EA have stated from the beginning that Mirror’s Edge was intended to be a trilogy and this shows in the progression and climax of the story. It does have a proper beginning, middle and end, but it also becomes part of a larger story, the outline of which can already be seen in this first installment. My only hope is that they’ll drop the animated cutscenes for future games in the series.
Time trials are an added challenge, but don't stay entertaining for very long
Replayability and DRM
Mirror’s Edge does not take long to finish and it’s heavily scripted and very linear (much like the Call of Duty series). This means the level of replayability for the campaign is as close to none as is humanly possible. There is nothing new to find, except for better routes through existing levels, which most gamers will not find particularly exciting.
This is actually one of Mirror’s Edge’s worst failures, because at the end of the game I found myself wanting more, but not being able to find it. The ending of the story is where it starts grabbing you – and then it suddenly lets go like a cliffhanger for a TV show at the end of a season. There is no reason to play through it again and all that’s left to be done is wait for part 2.
Okay, so there is more in the form of a Time Trials mode. This allows you to try and set the best possible time on a wide variety of parkour maps. These scores are published on the internet, so you do compete with other people in a way, but there’s no direct multiplayer. The Time Trials doesn’t really add anything fresh to the game either, because the maps are based on those you’ve already explored in the story mode.
Unfortunately, Mirror’s Edge is one of the last few games published by Electronic Arts with their draconic limited activation-based SecuROM DRM implementation. EA has released a tool with which to deactivate machines for safeguarding activations when you uninstall the game, but it still doesn’t prevent loss of activations due to hardware breakdowns, viruses and the like.
I intended to boycott the game because of the DRM, but in the end I’m glad I didn’t. It’s an excellent game that was well worth playing through, especially if you get it for the price it currently goes for (roughly 20 euro). With the poor replayability the likelihood of reinstalling it 3 times is low anyway, but the deactivation tool helps put the mind at ease.
If you initially held off on this game because of the DRM, then you really should go out and get it. This one is worth having.
Impressive
Pros Cons + Outstanding level design, both in form and function - Occasionally a frustratingly linear experience + Spectacular graphics and a stunning soundtrack - No multiplayer + Well-implemented running, climbing and melee combat gameplay - Ranged combat is poor, but optional + Dystopian sci-fi story that has potential - Animated cutscenes detract from the story being told + Time trial mode for increased replayability - Short singleplayer campaign of a mere 6-7 hours + Excellent price point - DRM: SecuROM with (renewable) installation limit.
Reviewer Score: 8.5
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