Mirror's Edge's direction and laser-focused vision betrays its old age. In an era of gross, gritty, grey blobs in an ever poorly aging effort to strive for peak graphical fidelity, Mirror's Edge offers a genuinely breathtaking and blinding (literally at times) splash of color in a muted, bleak industry. But enough gushing about a remarkably good looking aesthetic approach for a game from the ugliest console generation, how does it play?
Mirror's Edge is deceptively grounded and punishing. This isn't Assassin's Creed or Dying Light. Sure, there's some leniency in inputs and grab points, but execution is the name of the game. You would be excused for thinking the game is confusing or slow, but that's because the fluidity comes from execution. Like all good games with a focus on speed, speed is a reward, not a "mechanic". Levels are designed with a great offering of opportunities for player expression, but the meticulous and tight design does choke that a bit at times, leaving some areas feeling more set-piece-y than others. The combat is also quite awful, with the parry/disarm window being a touch confusing at times.
All in all, a gem in the grey goop of the late 00s.
Mirror's Edge is deceptively grounded and punishing. This isn't Assassin's Creed or Dying Light. Sure, there's some leniency in inputs and grab points, but execution is the name of the game. You would be excused for thinking the game is confusing or slow, but that's because the fluidity comes from execution. Like all good games with a focus on speed, speed is a reward, not a "mechanic". Levels are designed with a great offering of opportunities for player expression, but the meticulous and tight design does choke that a bit at times, leaving some areas feeling more set-piece-y than others. The combat is also quite awful, with the parry/disarm window being a touch confusing at times.
All in all, a gem in the grey goop of the late 00s.