If you want a fast paced, adrenaline pumping game that doesn’t require you to be an ace shooter but one that incorporates great graphics and running and jumping to save your own skin, then Mirror’s Edge is the game for you. This is a one of a kind game, which to my knowledge has never been made before. Welcome to the very first, first person running game. Don’t bother to fight back, shoot, just stay in the flow and keep running and complete the mission at hand.

Let me begin first with some background on the game. You play the game as Faith, a kick ass ‘runner’ who delivers packages and messages by running throughout the city – seemingly modeled after New York.  When her sister gets framed for a murder she didn’t commit, you find yourself being chased and on the wrong side of the law as you attempt to clear her and your name. A game that features a strong woman who is also as cool as hell, we are always happy explore a game with. Why should Lara Croft be the only femme fatale? As Faith you jump from roof top to roof top, jump onto water pipes or use them to jump from Point A to Point B. This is not a game about how many bad guys you can shoot to survive. This game is about were you can jump, crawl and run while avoiding getting shot at.

 

As you run and jump all over the city, all you see is your legs, feet and arms moving – unlike FPS games where all you typically see is your gun and hands shooting at people. The game play is hard and addictive. When the game starts you go through a tutorial, this is a must! You can skip it if you like but you will not be able to figure out the game since there is too much going on. Being that this is a first person perspective, the controls can get a little loose as it is easy to miss your jump mark or while running through a hallway you can easily run into a wall or back yourself in a corner. The way running and hitting your marks works is you need to stay in a flow. Your marks are highlighted in a fire engine red. so when you are looking for your next mark whether it is a railing off of a roof or a door you are going to kick in, it is going to be red.  It is challenging once you find where you need to jump, run, or climb to as it needs to be done in one constant motion. If you stop you will loose momentum and you will not clear the jump or be able to have enough power to climb up a railing or drain pipe. This can make it difficult while you are trying to dodge being shot at and having enough momentum to clear a gap between two roofs.

The graphics and sound track are great, as it draws you into the game making it very intense all the way through. The story line is extremely strong and takes many turns even right in the middle of a challenge, which makes me wonder if the writers from the Bourne movies were involved in the writing. Shooting and fighting actually will slow you down and make the game harder. My only big gripe is the camera angles. At certain points while running, the screen gets very jumpy, similarly like in Hi-Def action movie sequences, it can be very hard to follow. It is easy to miss your mark or over run the edge of a roof.

Overall Mirror’s Edge is great for those who are into FPS games, even if it technically isn’t a shooting game. Even those who are new to the genre may find this fun and exciting. It’s not a war game or game that requires you to wander around killing zombies in the dark. At the core is a heroine who is running for her life in world of fantastic graphics and in an ingenuous game.

Conclusion:

The Good: The physics of the gameplay is unlike seen before. Musical score keeps the adrenaline pumping. Run Faith Run.

The Bad: After a few hours you may need some Dramamine. First person running, along with the graphics can give you a bout of motion sickness.