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Fun fact: you won’t see a single smile in this entire eight to 10-hour story campaign (more if you fill it out with sidequests) until Faith finally cracks a grin in the post-credits scene. Literally everyone in Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is sullen at best or angry at worst, and without a shred of humor or levity it becomes a huge downer. Running is supposed to release endorphins that make people happy, but Faith Connors and her friends don’t seem to take any joy in being off-the-grid mailmen in the city of Glass’ Big Brother-ruled future. Catalyst is hardly a bad game, thanks to the strength of its movement systems, but everything else about it is so uninspiring that I get sad when I recall my initial reaction to its announcement. It’s one of the biggest letdowns of my gaming life, then, that playing through this half-prequel, half-reboot was an exercise in enthusiasm-draining disappointment. In fact, I was so excited for its revival I actually cheered when Mirror’s Edge Catalyst was confirmed by EA. The 2008 first-person parkour platformer struck me as bold as it was beautiful, and it remains a game I revisit every year or so. IFanzine Verdict: A giant leap forward for platform games on iPhone, Mirror’s Edge merges slick, intuitive touch controls, fast and furious action, and jaw dropping visuals to exhilarating effect.I consider myself one of the original Mirror’s Edge’s biggest fans. However, searching environments for hidden items and embarking on speed runs gives plenty of scope for multiple playthroughs. While at a mere 12 levels, which can be blazed through pretty quickly, the running time is disappointingly brief. The storyline feels tacked-on, and takes a distant backseat to the platforming action. That said, Mirror’s Edge isn’t without its flaws.
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Guiding our heroine through this platforming paradise truly does offer up an abundance of heart-in-your-mouth moments, be it chaining together a dazzling combination of moves, going toe to toe with gun toting baddies miles above terra firma, or making a vertigo inducing leap by the skin of your teeth.Įven on my now prehistoric 2nd Gen iPod Touch, Mirror’s Edge performs incredibly well the visuals are absolutely breathtaking, controls consistently responsive, and the action moves along at a fair clip with no real slowdown to speak of. And leaping from building to building, scaling walls, vaulting over obstacles, sliding under others, brawling with cops, one-upping rival runners, and dodging hails of bullets from the police choppers that roam the skies is incredibly exciting. The goal of each level is to get from A to B in one piece. When timed right, these attacks can be incorporated seamlessly into an unstoppable dash, never interrupting the game’s turbo-charged momentum, and look absolutely stunning. In addition to acrobatics, Faith can also pull off an array of lightening fast hand-to-hand combat moves, including disarming and neutralizing foes in one fluid motion, a Matrix style slo-mo kung fu kick, and a bone-crunching sliding tackle.
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This allows for a clutter free display (no healthbar or irritating directional arrow on show here either) and a control scheme that, once you get the hang of it, feels remarkably intuitive and well suited to iPhone. Rather than rely on the sometimes clunky combination of virtual d-pad and action buttons, instead you maneuver your lithe protagonist through environments with flicks and swipes of your finger on the screen. Level 1 kicks off with a brief tutorial which takes you through the basics of traversing cityscapes by utilizing a dizzying blend of parkour, free running and other awe inspiring, gravity defying stunts. The side-scrolling, pseudo 3D action unfolds at breakneck pace. Cast as Faith, a courier gifted with near superhuman acrobatic prowess, and thrust into a glistening future where a rag-tag team of freedom fighters are perpetually ducking and diving a totalitarian government and the trigger happy local law enforcement, the player is rarely given opportunity to draw breath for the extent of the game’s running time.