Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 03 December 2008 04:06
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 3
Runner’s Vision is Faith’s tool to help her around the city, without RV to highlight in red the possible escape routes, the player would be floundering from time to time. Despite the vertigo inducing setting, Mirror’s Edge does have an open world feel, and the possibilities of traversal feel endless. If it was not for RV there would be many more deaths-by-plummet than there already is.
RV is not a complete hint system – there is a hint button to get an idea of where Faith must head, and RV throws up the odd Red Herring from time to time as well. This is good, as it feels very much like you are in charge of Faith’s directional choices.
On minute Faith will be exuberantly leaping from roof top to zip line, bounding over crates and up drain pipes and then the next she will be stuck in a room looking around for a way out. Mirror’s Edge sometimes plays out like Portal, sometimes like a weapon less antithesis of the Rainbow Six games as Faith sprints from a hail of projectiles.
The otherworldly sound track, the garish, blinding presentation and storyline create a unique and new universe to explore. With some further refinement, Mirror’s Edge could be the beginning of a all new sub-genre of game, the First Person Platformer.
7.5 wall runs out of 10