Developer: EA DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
RRP: £9.99 (Origin) or
£3.99 a month / £19.99 a year (Origin Access)
Released: 9th June 2016
Available on: Origin
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 12 Hours
In the city known as Glass corporations control everything, by all accounts these corporations rule the entire world. Every movement of the populace is monitored, analysed and stored for future use and the general populace pay no attention. At one time people did care and attempted to stand up for their rights but they were beat down and broken. What remains of those dissidents lives on in the form of the Runners. Runners carry the information and items for people who want to don’t wish to be monitored or traced, running across rooftops and through building sites in order to ensure that don’t get caught. Of course not every run goes according to plan…
Did that intro seem familiar? It should, because it’s a rehash of the one I posted for my review of the original Mirror’s Edge. You may be asking why I’ve brought attention to this, and the answer is that I wanted to reflect the game itself. For a while I was unsure of whether this game was a prequel or a reboot. I knew it couldn’t be a sequel because had EA confirmed that before the game came out. Based on a few story elements that are different (ie some of the new characters that exist and some that are absent entirely along with one being confirmed dead where in the first game they aren’t) my best guess was to call this release a reboot.
As it was in the previous game Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a First Person Platformer set in a semi open world. You, the player, take on the role of Faith, who has recently been released from juvenile hall.
Notice that I said that the world you run around in is ‘semi open’ this is because most of the map becomes accessible to you as you progress through the games story. So far so standard for most open world games I know. However the areas of this world are quite small making the whole game feel quite crowded and that’s before you start thinking about all the content that tends to fill up these kinds of games, but we’ll talk on that in a moment.
Of course, any game with an open world needs to have a map system of some kind, especially one such as this. Well Mirror’s Edge Catalyst has got you covered there, not only do you have a map, you have a map you can rotate and angle. You have no idea how often I would accept a mission and then immediately look at the map to try and figure out my best route. This might actually be my favorite in-game map I’ve seen so far, which is not a thing I ever thought I would say.
Annoyingly the backstory for why Faith ended up in Juvenile Hall (where you start the game) was put into a separate comic. Since I run a comic book store, as I have mentioned a few times, I got the chance to read this under the guise of ‘research’. However many people don’t know that the comic exists and will end up wondering why we just start in Juvenile Hall. Basically, I just think that separating a fairly important portion of the story to the game was a cheap cash-grab from EA.
The default controls for the mouse and keyboard have the middle mouse button (or mouse wheel) as the light attack. I found that quite confusing at first, wondering why they didn’t assign that to the left mouse button. However as the game progressed I discovered that the left mouse button was set to be used for heavy attacks, which are used far more commonly once they’ve been unlocked.
The melee combat system is more extensive than in the original Mirror’s Edge adding in directional attacks and having the enemies you face adapt to your moves. One thing that is notable in its absence is the gunplay, which felt very out of place in the original Mirror’s Edge, and that’s a good thing. This isn’t a First Person Shooter after all.
As you progress through the game complete missions and gather collectibles you’ll gain experience points (Xp). Once enough Xp is earned you’re given an upgrade point which can be spent to unlock additional skills in either combat, movement or gear.
Missions come in few varieties, main storyline, side quests, deliveries (which have several variations in themselves) and time trials. Along with this the later game allows the ability to play user generated content as well as create your own.
As you run you build up a ‘focus shield’ that protects you from projectiles. This shield depletes quickly once you stop moving, go too slow or take damage. Unlike in the previous release you now have a visible, although not intrusive, health meter that sits besides your focus shield meter.
The game has kept its unique aesthetic, which looks wonderful in the Frostbite 3 engine, and has even has a few areas that really change up the games colour palette.
So is this a game I recommend? Is it actually any better than its predecessor? Actually yes it is. The main storyline would probably last about eight to ten hours, however the side quests and optional missions make the game feel more substantial. It’s just as enjoyable… nay, its better than its predecessor in nearly every way.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Vector
Mirror’s Edge
Jet Set Radio
