Electronic Arts DICE, Xbox 360 & PS3 (14/11/08)

These days imagining a future of surveillance, oppression and persecution can often mean just opening a newspaper; though the dystopian world offered by Mirror's Edge is a lot more enjoyable. EA Dice's title pitches players into the role of Faith, who is part of an underground cult of runners, and uses parkour-style moves to spirit subversive messages around an oppressive, totalitarian city. Mirror's Edge certainly takes a giant leap forward in terms of game-play and graphical appearance, yet ultimately it falls just slightly short of making a perfect landing.

The plot revolves around Faith's sister being accused of murdering a promising mayoral candidate in the city, which plunges the player into a quest to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy. One of the most staggering aspects of the game is its overall look. An ice white cityscape acts as your playground, with glass skyscrapers shimmering in the afternoon sun. The stark buildings are punctuated by blocks and patches of colour which not only looks stunning but also link toward the unusual game-play mechanics (special praise should also be given the audio design, which truly immerses the player in the living, breathing city).

Mirror's Edge takes the ethos of a platformer, but flips this to a first-person perspective. Faith's arms flair around as she leaps for that illusive jump and her legs kick up as she sprints, while vibrantly coloured structures mark points of interaction against the white, greys and blacks of the future city. Despite taking a while to acclimatise, the control system proves fairly intuitive and mastering its intricacies enables players to tackle the obstacles at speed, which is really where the game comes alive.

Traversing huge chasms, sliding under pipes and bounding up structures in quick sequence is simply a pure rush.

Unfortunately, the downside of this is some inherent frustrations in the player's flow being hindered, blocked or stopped outright by a missed jump or overly confusing puzzle. Pushing a button can activate runner vision which points Faith in the direction she needs to head, but in reality a successful run is all about trial and error and this can be frustrating, though when it all strings together and you fly over those obstacles; the hard work is all worth it. Unfortunately, when running is not an option, combat proves rather less inspiring, guns feel unsatisfying and often ineffective, which is annoying, but also perhaps quite fitting. After all, there are plenty of games available which offer 'gun porn', but that is not what Mirror's Edge is about.

The single player campaign can be beaten in about six hours, but a time-trial mode (including online leader-boards) does add additional playing time to the package. The main story ends with a cliff-hanger and EA has already stated that there will be additional properties in the series (perhaps unsurprisingly considering its liking for franchises), so with luck, the next time players enter the world of Mirror's Edge they will be delivered the classic experience they deserve.

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