Mirror's Edge is a first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Windows version was also released on January 16, 2009.
The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and is powered by the Unreal Engine 3 with the addition of a new lighting solution, developed by Illuminate Labs in association with DICE. The game has a realistic, brightly-coloured style and differs from most other first-person perspective video games in allowing for a wider range of actionssuch as sliding under barriers, tumbling, wall-running, and shimmying across ledgesand greater freedom of movement, in having no HUD, and in allowing the legs, arms, and torso of the character to be visible on-screen.
The game is set in a society where communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime, and so a network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance. During an interview with EA Europe Patrick Soderlund at Videogamer, he confirmed that a sequel to Mirror's Edge is in production.
Gameplay
Mirror's Edge aims to "convey the strain and physical contact with the environment", according to senior producer Owen O'Brien, and to instill a freedom of movement not yet seen in the first-person genre. This is achieved not only with the exercise of parkour, but also by tying camera movement more closely with character movement, such that the rate at which the camera bobs up and down increases as Faith builds up speed while running and the camera spins when she rolls.
Mirror's Edge features a realistic first-person view and hand-to-hand combat.Also, the arms, legs, and even torso at times are prominent and their visibility is used to convey movement and momentum, such that Faith's arms pump and the length of her steps increase with her gait, and her legs cycle and arms flail during long jumps.
With such a heavy focus on movement, it is imperative to maintain momentum, which is done by a fluid flow of actions, creating a chain of moves. Failing to string these moves together results in a loss of momentum, which can mean that Faith falls off or short of an object if a certain level of momentum is required to traverse it. Controls are simplified by being context-sensitive; the "up" button will cause Faith to traverse an obstacle by passing over itfor example, by jumping, vaulting, climbing, or grabbing set pieces like zip lineswhile the "down" button will cause her to perform other maneuvers like slides or rolls, or simply crouch. In order to assist the player in creating these chains of moves, the game employs a system called "Runner Vision", which derives its name from its purpose: to depict the environment the way a runner would see it, instantly recognizing escape routes. It is a highlighting system that emphasises environmental pieces useful for progressionlike pipes, ramps, and enterable doorswith the colour red as Faith approaches, though it does not always indicate the best route. Further along in the game, the number of these visual hints is reduced to only indicate the end goal, though the player can opt to turn off this hint system entirely. It will also be used to create puzzles in which the player must figure out how to combine the highlighted set pieces into a chain of moves in order to reach the target. Another means of assistance to the player is a system called "Reaction Time", which is a form of bullet time that allows the player time to plan where to go next without losing momentum, as well as making the timing of jumps and disarms easier.
Although the player character can hold weapons, O'Brien stressed that "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." Gameplay in Mirror's Edge will focus on finding the best route through the game's environments while combat takes a secondary role. In fact, on the E3 'Gameplay Walkthrough' O'Brien says that going through the game without shooting a single enemy unlocks an achievement, "Test of Faith" Consequently, guns may be obtained by disarming an enemy, but when the magazine is empty, it will need to be discarded. Additionally, carrying a weapon slows Faith down and the heavier the gun, the more it hinders her movement, which introduces an element of strategy in determining when to trade agility for short-term firepower.
To increase the longevity of the game, there are 3 packages (bags) hidden in each level for the player to find to unlock extras, as well as a time attack mode where the player will try to complete small portions of a level as fast as possible. Online leaderboards as well as red "ghost runners" allow the player see their fastest routes or the routes of other people on the leaderboard.
Plot
Mirror's Edge takes place in an unnamed city where a totalitarian regime monitors its citizens through invasive surveillance, tracking all forms of electronic communication in order to reduce crime and quell any challenge to its power. An upcoming mayoral election seeks to retain Mayor Callaghan in power to keep the government's control on the city, though a new favoured candidate Robert Pope promises to bring change. The Eurasian protagonist, Faith Connors, is a "Runner", a person trained in parkour, to stay out of sight and to use rooftops and other means to help deliver physical messages between revolutionary groups within the city. Faith along with another Runner, Celeste, were both trained by Merc who also provides radio support for the two.
Faith is a runner and the main character in Mirror's Edge. The game's logo imitates the shape of the design around her right eye.Faith receives a call for help from her sister Kate, a police officer, at the offices of Pope, and finds that Pope has been murdered, clutching a piece of paper with the name "Icarus" on it. Kate tells Faith to find out more and to report anything to her superior, Lt. Miller. Faith finds a former Runner named Jacknife who identifies that Pope's head of security, a former wrestler named Ropeburn, may have more information, but does not divulge any more. Faith reports this to Lt. Miller, who arranges a meeting with Ropeburn; Faith attempts to listen in, but Ropeburn discovers her and attempts to kill her. Faith gains the upper hand, and hangs him over a rooftop, attempting to gain information, but before she can, Ropeburn is killed by an unknown assassin. Faith gives chase to the assassin, discovering the assassin works for a private security firm that the city relies on heavily for its armed forces, and that the firm is training its own form of Runners in order to capture or kill the other Runners in the city. She regains the assassin's trail to a tanker and is able to corner the assassin, finding that it is Celeste. Celeste states that she has changed sides due to "Project Icarus" to avoid being constantly hunted by security forces and to be able to live her life. Fearing that she will be arrested if she is caught with Faith, Celeste escapes from Faith and disappears.
Mirror's Edge is set in a gleaming, clean city.Merc tells Faith that Kate has been convicted of Pope's murder, and arranges a spot where Faith can ambush the convoy that is taking her to prison. Faith is able to successfully free Kate, telling her to flee to the lair where Merc is waiting while she lures the police away. After avoiding her chasers, Faith returns to the lair to find it has been attacked, Kate having gone missing and Merc near death. Merc is able to tell Faith that Kate has been taken to the Shard, a skyscraper that is home to Mayor Callaghan as well as the city's centralized surveillance databases. With the help of Lt. Miller, who feels Faith is the city's best hope for change, Faith is able to make her way to the server rooms and destroy the servers, unlocking access to the roof. However, during this, Miller is suddenly cut off, and a shot is heard. There, she finds that Kate is being held at gunpoint by Jacknife. Jacknife explains that Project Icarus is a plan created by Callaghan to eliminate all the Runners in the city and to stop the uncontrolled flow of information, and that unlike Celeste, who took part in it only to stay alive, Jacknife was involved in it all along as a driving force. Jacknife attempts to escape with Kate in a waiting helicopter, but Faith follows and grabs onto it; she is able to jump into the helicopter and send Jacknife plummeting to his death. As he falls, stray bullets from his gun hit the helicopter and cause it to spin out of control. Kate falls to the edge of the rooftop, and Faith jumps out just in time to avoid falling to her death. Kate begins to fall from the rooftop, and Faith leaps out and saves Kate from falling. Faith helps Kate up as the helicopter crashes below. The two hug and the camera begins to zoom back to show that they are atop a skyscraper overlooking an entire city. During the game's end credits, an announcement states that both Faith and Kate are now wanted criminals but have gone missing, while urging the citizens of the city to avoid electronic communications until the city can repair the faults with the Shard's servers. The announcement also emphasizes that further questions are now being raised about the Runners, suggesting that Project Icarus is well in motion.
