In both of our recent podcasts, I’ve mentioned my love for Mirror’s Edge. I threw out blurbs about its experiential properties and overall visual design, but unfortunately, there just wasn’t time during the debut podcast to get much more into it (given the circumstances), and, by the second episode, I just thought we shouldn’t tread over too much ground that we covered in the first. However, I would still like to elaborate on my feelings about Mirror’s Edge and how it pertains to games more generally, so here goes.
Mirror’s Edge’s unique visual design is immediately apparent, but its nuances aren’t really clear until you get into the meat of the experience (and maybe not even until after the first playthrough). The visuals employ strong silhouettes and primary colors — if something is red, it’s a destination and/or conduit to where you want to go or need to be, and you’ll probably want to do it quickly. Light blues are encountered at points just after a number of more intense action sequences, something I appreciated more as I worked my way through the game.
A lot has been made over the last 70 years about the idea of the “gaze” in art criticism as applied to photography and film, the most commonly known permutation of this being the “male gaze” (which I won’t go into too much here). Essentially, a “look” is a bare, agenda-less gathering of visual information; a “gaze” is a view from a specific emotional and psychological basis. In Mirror’s Edge, the world is shown to us as Faith sees it, not as the average passerby would. Faith’s world is one of black and white, of little meaning, save for her path. Color defines what Faith believes to be important, and maybe even defines what’s real to her. This dynamic is often subtle, or easily missed outside of the immediate gameplay implications. One less obvious example would be Faith’s sister, whose uniform is a much deeper blue than the other police you encounter throughout the game. Faith finds comfort in her sister, and the mild color difference in her uniform allows players to get this sensation through more than just plot.
Or, you know. That’s how I’m reading into it, anyway.
There are a number of complaints out there about the game’s difficulty, but Mirror’s Edge is rewarding (at least most of the time) in part because it can be difficult. There are frequent sections of the game that require deliberate timing and planning, and the satisfaction of achievement often comes from the failed attempts it took to get where you need to go. And the first person view attached to an actual character model (rather than the typical camera with arms), with its exaggeratedly visible struggle to achieve which mirrors your own, involved me in a way that few other games have. I didn’t feel like myself, in Faith’s world. I felt like Faith. And in Mirror’s Edge, the immersion produced by the gameplay helped the story carry more resonance than it otherwise would have.
As I’ve mentioned before, the game has flaws. Occasionally the game is so exacting and unforgiving that it starts to feel very mechanical, rather than feeling like a game of subtle mechanics, obscuring forward momentum amidst a string of curses and rants about the familial heritage of such and such designer. I know at least one person who stopped most of the way through the game at a very specific part because it made him hate existence as a concept. This is a problem.
Maybe the game would have been well served by the play-testing regimens Bungie employed for Halo 3′s multiplayer; determining where people most often looked or headed toward during a chase sequence or jumping puzzle could have given the level designers feedback that could have made certain sequences feel more organic. It could also have provided feedback regarding how close should have been close enough to accomplish the various grabs and jumps that feel especially frustrating. It’s also unclear at some points where you need to go while people are shooting at you, and these moments feel more like an obscenely arbitrary adventure game puzzle than the action game I thought I was playing. Points like this are where the combat breaks down; the “combat problem” is actually a level design problem.
Even with these issues, though, it all comes back to the experience. Running across a balcony, jumping over the edge, sliding down a 45 degree glass incline, struggling to pull to the left so you’ll launch at just the right angle to grab a ledge over a 30 foot gap, all while a helicopter is chasing you, shooting at you, missing you as run too damned fast and agilely to be caught…that’s what the game is. And it is incredible for it. I didn’t play it to fight security guards. There were plenty of games last fall that had all the shooting I could ask for. Mirror’s Edge was the only true breath of fresh air in big budget development last year for me. So go buy it, damn it.
It is a game I am happy to have in my collection. I enjoyed it. I didn’t mind the trial and error thing. If I die than I will get back to try again. I wish it sold more to help stir more IPs in the making since this obviously could make them cut back on chances with new properties.
I tried it, but I really couldn’t get into it; it got really boring after a while. Looking forward to reading more reviews here, since I haven’t been on 1up since the split…
How about adding a ranking/rating/score system into the posts. Grades? I don’t know what you would call it, but a ratings visual would be nice… Just a suggestion…
Awesome write up. Mirror’s Edge was one of my top games from 20080, and I still feel it is overlooked for all the wrong reasons, in which you state pretty much all of them. I hope more people start picking this game up and giving it the love it deserves, so we can see the sequel it deserves.
Excellent reading about a great game.
And please no grades. Words are more efficient.
Keep it up!
Damn you Bill, damn you to hell.
The grades are the worst part of the review process. I hate them with a passion. If you can’t get a feeling for what he thought of the game just by reading the words, then you need to read it again. Not hating on you, but really, the last thing this site needs is graded reviews.
I gotta play this game. All the talk about it reminds me of when Bioshock came out. Loving the podcasts.
Keep on keeping on.
Ah, someone else who loves the game! That makes me happy on the inside.
I have to disagree with one point though. The game did not make me feel like Faith. It made me feel like me. I did not become Faith so much as Faith became me.
This gets to what I love about the game so much. Video games are often about empowerment, and Mirror’s Edge empowers me. Sure, the puzzle rooms can be annoying, and the combat can be frustrating, but nothing beats the feeling I get when I do it right. ‘Visceral’ is not strong enough.
I think it is interesting how different my experience was from most. For one thing, I turned off the “Runner Vision,” which aided in the immersion. For another, combat did not bother me. I avoided it most of the time, and when I could not, I basically just stole a gun and shot shit up. I know I am supposed to be a runner, but damn, when I am staring down the barrels of no less than six cops, I am not going to get acrobatic. I picked up assault rifles and machine guns and showed the cops my history. I even sniped from time to time.
This did not bother me so much, partly because it did not happen that often. Also, I found the sections where you are running from the cop-runners absolutely thrilling.
Anyway, I seem to be writing a second review here. There is more on my site (click my name). Regardless, I loved the game, and I am happy to see it getting some love out there.
I head that, I loved the running aspect of Mirror’s Edge. In fact, I think the time trial’s were my favorite part of that game.
Ugh… I still have yet to play this game. Loved the demo and didn’t care too much of what the critics have said. Hopefully Gamefly will send my copy next.
Just a comment on the CSS formatting: in my opinion you need some padding space around your text, specifically left and right, but maybe a bit at the top too, the way it touches the sides is …..not right.
Anyway, keep up the good work, waiting to get Mirror’s Edge on the PC myself.
An excellent review, you articulated particularly well what the strengths of the game are while fairly noting the flaws. I loved the game, but even if I didn’t I’d be hard pressed to ask why after reading this.
I think your mention about the intentionality of the art design, and when it works, the level design are especially important. In fact, even stepping back further and just highlighting the intentionality of the design in this game overall is very important. From the colors in the environment and how it has an aesthetically beautiful and functional nature, how doves and mice guide your path but you seem to never catch them, you always need to run faster, from the marks of the runners gone before that tell you that you are not alone, despite what it seems, and more of course. This game is an intentionally designed rewarding experience and it seems like you noticed too.
So anyways thank you for your review, I look forward to seeing more writing from you.
I’ll post again later (at work), but I just wanted to share your love of Mirror’s Edge. The art design alone was enough to win me over; the free-running aspect, however, is mind-blowing. There is no other game out there that provides the same “feeling” as ME.
The combat, as far as I’m concerned, is broken. There are too many problems with too many elements that it be overlooked – all that being said, the game doesn’t suffer (too) much from it.
Still, it feels like the only people who play-tested it were those who put it together.
Wormdundee: “Damn you Bill, damn you to hell.
The grades are the worst part of the review process. I hate them with a passion. If you can’t get a feeling for what he thought of the game just by reading the words, then you need to read it again. Not hating on you, but really, the last thing this site needs is graded reviews.”
Sorry bro, it was a suggestion, and i don’t think you should try to start anything negative over here. Most people are here for the guys that lost their jobs at 1up, so keep it positive.
I just bought the game on Steam this weekend.
Right now I’m on the 6th chapter and I’m loving nearly every moment of it. “Nearly” because there were two or three places where for some reason it seemed Faith insisted on not grabbing a pipe or ledge I freakin’ knew was within her range, which made me replay those sequences over 10 times each and, by the time I managed to get through them, it felt more like blind luck than actual skill that helped me. Still, definitely a fantastic game and a great PC port (Not that I’d expect anything less from Dice, what with them being primarily PC developers and all).
i have to say the game is great, i hope they (game devs) do more games like this. the style and visuals are breathtaking and the world that the game exists in is a great back drop for the game. I’m really glad i picked this one up and will never trade it in, i honestly feel like i could pick this up in a year and fall right back into the world and love it even more.
Latenightgamer
Wow, no score?
Nice. ;P
I actually kind of like scores, but I certainly enjoy the lack of their presence, as well.
I suppose I personally like scores because I can sum up my general opinion on a game and reward ones I think are good and blam ones I think are bad with a sort of status.
But really, I want people to pay more attention to the written content.
Anyway, I’m waiting for Sony to drop the PS3 price — once they do, this is near the top of my list of games to try out.
Could you consider spacing your lines differently? The text seems very uniform and I lost my place a couple times. Just a suggestion.
I really like your thoughts on the color aspect. I’ll probably buy this when I see it for cheap… I have heard it’s pretty short so I don’t want to pay full price for it.
I just picked it up when it was released for PC last week, and loved it so much I played through in one sitting. I can understand the gripes about the combat, but there’s only two spots in the whole game (both on the ship) where you’re required to fight anybody; the rest just require a keen eye and a clever mind.
I do think they threw a few too many opponents at you in 3 other spots, but for the most part it worked well. I’ve got some issues with the game on non-fundamental levels, but not everybody can make a Half-Life 2.
I just finished off Mirror’s Edge, and I think that given some more time, DICE will begin to craft levels that take total advantage of the experiment they’ve put together. I think Mirror’s Edge challenges a lot of people in ways they didn’t expect. A lot’s been made about the battle system, but like others, I stuck with it because the game is special and different.
In many ways, I feel the same way about Mirror’s Edge that I do about the prequel to my favourite game of last generation, Zone of Enders. I thought the basic concepts of ZOE were extremely well done, and by the second game, Kojima and Konami crafted a game that took full advantage of the feelings people experienced in the first game. My hope is that DICE shows that same kind of care to build a game that takes advantage of their engine, and judging by the DLC, I think they’re sort of on the right path.
Thank God! Scholarship in video games has surely not gone the way of so many others. Well done my good man.
I gotta disagree with you on this review…the worst thing was the pacing and this kind of game is just made for pacing. I got bored the 3rd or 4th time I picked it up. However, in your defense, I could have ADD. There you go.
As for scoring/grading…the lack of it is really refreshing! My one suggestion is to keep the writing tight. Not necessarily short, but very to the point (without sacrificing personality). So count my vote for no scoring.
Is scoring even a question here? I read this as a bit of criticism, maybe even a blog post, not a review. Hm.
I didn’t read this like a review and I think that changed what I got out of it. I read it as a blog entry or just a slice of criticism (just like Mike). But I completely agree. I’m on my way through Mirror’s Edge a second time and wondering if it’s my favorite Game of 2008. There is just so much to love. I also find the frustration somehow a positive aspect to this game, especially after finishing the good, but not great Prince of Persia.
“I didn’t play it to fight security guards.”
I was surprised how little shooting I did. I was about halfway through the game when I realized that I hadn’t actually taken a shot at anyone yet, it just never occurred to me. Even after that, whenever I was forced to fight some guards, I would always focus on what wall I could use as cover or what path would let me circle around behind them; I never thought of shooting them. While I don’t think the game made me feel like Faith specifically, it did make me feel like a Runner.
What you said about color and gaze is really interesting, gives new meaning to the term “first person perspective.” We’re not just seeing the world through Faith’s eyes, but seeing the world as she sees it. Makes me want to play through it again while thinking about that.
Hey guys. Fixed the CSS, so it should be a LOT easier to read now. I recently decreased the font size on a whim, which resulted in the cramped text. Also, this wasn’t really a review. I feel like it’s a little late for reviews at this stage for Mirror’s Edge. It’s more along the lines of criticism. I suppose someone could call it a blog if they wanted to, but I feel like that signifies something more pulp-y and less considered, and that isn’t the kind of writing we want to do here. Take that as you will. I’m glad to see that some of you seemed to dig it.
I really liked this game as well. It seemed to me, the feeling I got when I succeeded through a section was more rewarding that the tough parts were frustrating. It’s easily one of my favorites from the past year.
I really hope DICE makes a sequel. I think the universe created in the game would be great for an open world type game. Freedom to get to your next objective would be awesome. Probably too much to ask for, but you never know.
I’m playing Mirror’s Edge on PS3 and was loving it until Chapter 8 when the damned thing has locked my machine up 4 times. I can’t get past the vent at the top of the atrium. Other than that, great game.
I’d been watching this game for a while and only just picked it up on steam. While I’m only a few hours in, it definitely does some interesting things;
The ‘gaze’ as you refer to it is an especially interesting implementation, and proof that a UI can be contextualized thematically without having to project holograms from one’s chest (Deadspace was clever at integrating the UI into the world, but it was ultimately a pretty cheap trick).
As an interactive designer, I am especially sensitive to how games implement their interfaces; the first point of interaction. Before we even experience gameplay or story we have to translate the tools given to us by the designer, if they are unclear this immediately affects our experience.
The crew at DICE have done an amazing job at bringing the UI away from HUD conventions by moving it into the world and making it relevant all while using what I understand as a universally decipherable set of tools.
There are problems with flow, and despite being early in I fear where the story is headed, but this game is doing brave things above and beyond its gunless gameplay.
I love this game too, it is in danger of becoming my favourite game ever. Particularly I like the way many of the interiors are themed all in one colour, the colours just look so gorgeous it is pure pleasure just to drink them in.
Regarding the difficulty of some of the jumps, I think it is probably not helped by using a console controller. Playing on the PC using a mouse I have really not had any difficulty with any of the jumps. If ever there was a game which needed a mouse, I think this game is it, and although I have got a PS3 I made sure to wait for the PC version for this reason (also anti-aliasing).
Regarding another criticism you mention, not knowing where to run while being shot at is only a problem the first time through, and something I have found with this game is that my enjoyment has not diminished at all on the second play-through, and I expect I will replay it countless times due to the sheer excitement and immersion and awesomeness it provides.
And I, for one, DID play Mirror’s Edge to fight security guards. Because combat and gunplay coupled with agility and acrobatics is, in my view, a vastly different and vastly superior proposition to fighting as, for example, a ludicrously hulking walking tank in Gears of War, and it is a combination which should not be dismissed out of hand. Part of what made Crysis so fun was being able to run around and leap on roofs as part of the combat. And for me, disarming guards and using their own guns against them is never, ever going to get old.
I bought Mirror’s Edge and intend to play it some day soon. I know this wasn’t meant to be a formal review but it would be cool and different if you guys did your reviews like this, without scores. After reading this article I think I will view Mirror’s Edge differently (in a good way) when I finally do play it.
Nice article. Makes me want to play this game even more. Hopefully I can scrape up the cash to get it for PC soon (why no demo yet?).
Regarding the scoring issue, though this article in particular is clearly not a review, I would prefer NOT to have scores. There are plenty of other places I can get scores and too often they lead to unnecessary arguments (e.g., “This game got a 10/10, but…but no game is perfect!”, “How can [casual puzzle game] and [epic hardcore rpg] both get the same score?”, “You gave this game a five/nine, you are clearly a hater/fanboy”, etc…).
I can’t wait to get this game. Wanted it when it came out but no monies
Also, are you guys going to open up a forum here? Or is there already one (?)?
That’s a good point, about seeing the world as Faith sees it and not necessarily how it actually is. It potentially adds another layer to the game’s visual design…not only as tool to help the player navigate and perceive the game world but to provide subtle insight into the character whose eyes the player is looking through.
What a coincidence, I was actually going to go out and get the game today. I really liked the demo, but didn’t have the money to get the game at the time. Hopefully they will take a hint from Burnout and release some free DLC to revitalize the game if sales don’t pick up.
I’m about half way through Mirror’s Edge, and I think I’ll appreciate the game more after reading your write-up. Thanks!
I bought it on day one.
The design is awesome, the city looks really sharp due to the stark white design (which also hides some pop-in problems that plague other games). I LOVED the rooftop running portion of the game. If the entire game was rooftop puzzle solving this would have easily been my game of the year.
The game takes a dive when you go to the interior of buildings and you’re forced to fight armed guards. The combat just kills the game. I’ve heard a lot of people defending this game, but I don’t know anybody who thinks this kind of combat is “fun”.
If the whole game was 8 hours of running on rooftops it could have been my game of the year. Instead, I was so frustrated by the interior parts of the game that I traded it to gamefly for 30 bucks.
I’m happy with what I paid for it, 30 bucks after trade-in (plus a free yellow bag), and I’ll be very interested in the sequel.
I agree with this article.
I bought it on release, and finished it the next day. That’s not an indictment on the length (although it is admittedly a tad short), but a testament to my love for the game.
Sure, it’s not perfect. Much has been made about the combat’s intentional suck-factor, and there’s more than a few instances that demand precision that the perspective/control scheme simply can’t fulfill. But it’s still one of my favourite experiences of 2008.
Anything worthwhile tends to be somewhat polarising – and the fact that opinion on this game varies so wildly and STRONGLY speaks volumes.
That excellent write-up just earned you guys home page status. That used to belong to Gamepolitics, which is still great, don’t get me wrong. I’m just feeling like it’s time for a change. You won me over. Your perspective on Mirror’s Edge was enlightening to say the least.
I am still astounded how divisive opinion is. It really is a love/hate thing. I still can’t get a good read on the game (I don’t actually own a system that carries the game). By reading this bit, it sounds like a gestalt. You get it or you don’t. At this point, when I pick up a 360, I’ll get this as well, simply out of curiosity.
It seems like the general opinion of games journalists about Mirror’s Edge is that of “it had promise, but it didn’t live up to it”, and I’m so glad to read something like this. In my opinion one of the greatest and most overlooked parts of the game was the time trial mode.
When you start a time trial portion, it will start you at a random part of the map, and will funnel you through check points in a really interesting way. Sometimes the check point can be clear on the other side of the map, and you have to really think about your obstacles before getting to your destination. It makes you look at the world differently, and in a sense, teaches you how to play the game better.
I beat the game on normal, played through all of the time trial stuff, then was able to play through the game again on hard, and beat it without killing a single guy.
[...] a very black, white and red world. But as you continue to play as faith, you notice, as Aegies from eat-sleep-game.com says, that what is red is important to faith, and is only their so you can [...]
I thought the world of this game, almost as much for it’s tech as anything else. What Dice did here is commendable, and I look forward to seeing some of the fundamentals of Mirror’s Edge transplanted to other games. I sit playing Battlefield: Bad Company and wonder what it would be like to run from a tank while it plows through building walls while I leap from a table to a blown out wall, only to drop a mine behind me…you see where I am going…
I finished the game in two days. There were parts where i got so mad i could break the controller in two. I especially love the boat mission. Chasing after Cell was fantastic. Also the sound of the bullets smashing into the concrete next to you adds even more adrenaline to the overall rush.
The only problems. Having to stop to think about how to get on the other side, however the elevator jumping in The Shard is cool because the enviroments is still moving around you.
Don’t do mission on roofs in nighttime, at least the one i played sucked.
Narrow spaces with small platforms to jump on. I hate the ventilation systems in this game.
What i want in the next Mirrors Edge: Rob a bank and run from the cops.
I’m also a big fan of the game. I really hyped it up a lot in my head before it came out, but I feel it delivered enough for me to be satisfied. I was so obsessed with innovation this past year and mirror’s edge was one of my favorite innovative games. I agree that the combat was a big problem and I hope that they improve it or at least put much less emphasis on it in a sequel. Anyway, just like you said, the experience is what really carried the game for me.
You deserve mega props for saying something new about the game, with the psychological use of colours the game designers did. Especially, how Faith’s sister cop has a stronger blue tint to her uniform.
[...] and visual design departments (read an interesting interpretation of the visual aesthetics at eatsleepgame.net). I’m not a reviewer, so I won’t try to convince you to buy the game. If you’re [...]
Mirror’s Edge…..
THUMBS UP!!!
Interesting article. I personally loved the game (oddly enough I liked it the most at the platforming puzzles) and I now have some new insights to look into when I replay the game.
Mirror’s Edge was one of the best games of the year. Yeah, the combat was extremely frustrating in a few spots, but the rest of the game more than made up for it. I loved almost everything about the game. I loved the art style, the main character, the theme song…. No game has ever made me feel the way that Mirror’s Edge did. I actually felt like I was Faith, and I saw the world through her eyes. To be honest, I can’t understand the negative reviews and poor sales that the game got. I can’t wait for a sequel!(Hopefully)
Just finished Mirrors Edge this weekend. I went back to it after a long break to play other games I purchased since. Mirrors Edge is possibly one of the best times I have had with Video games. When the closing scene finished and the theme song (Still Alive) came on, I got chills. This will be one of those times that when I hear that song in the future it will instantly take me back to this time. In my opinion, Mirrors Edge is one of the most underrated games of 2008. I am now even considering buying it on 360 as well, so I can play through it again and get the achievements (i am a bit of a gamerscore whore). If you are on the fence, thinking of getting it, or have played the demo and liked it, I completely recommend it. Renting it may be the way to go if you have doubts but make sure you finish the game. As a complete experience it is up there with the best of them.
Nice article – I guess I missed this when it was first posted, oops!
It’s not often that I can say I truly love a game, but I can say it about Mirror’s Edge without hesitation. It really is something special – definitely my game of 2008, (with Fallout a close second), and certainly one of the most interesting and exciting games I’ve played in the last five or six years.
Interesting thoughts about the use of colour as well. You really notice the contrast between the vivid primary coloured building sections and bleached white trees and streets. It’s something I thought about a lot when I was playing the game, but I never thought about it that way.
I have to agree, there is so much that is great about Mirror’s Edge – it’s ashame people have a tendancy to get hung up on the difficulty spikes. Sure they’re frustrating but if you soldier through them there is a wonderful experience to be had. I had a slightly different take on the game, here’s my two cents:
First Cent – The Review
http://blog.teboda.net/2008/12/review-mirrors-edge.html
Second Cent – The Rant
http://blog.teboda.net/2008/12/stop-being-so-english.html
This game is very fun and i am always trying to push this title on all my friends. But the only thing that is getting to me right now is the freaking time run’s in under 5 minutes i am come on! i know i can do it but it is making me really mad right now.
I’ve finished this game about 10 times and play time-challenges.
First time finishing the game, yeah, there where time’s i wanted to jump into the game and curbstomp Faith. But then i realized my stubborn self wanted to play through the difficult parts the way i wanted or thought it should be done. And that’s just a wrong way to play any game.
But now every time i play it its like i’m in heaven. Crystal white with pure color’s and people shooting at me. I get to slide of glass giants with a chopper trying to perforate every square inch of my virtual manifestation. And all this in my architectural dreamworld.
This game causes me to have gameboner that interrupts my bloodstream.
new ps3 owner here
i know im late to the party but i wanted to run my ps2 till its wheels fell off
with its current 19.99 price tag is definatly going to be in my collection
Mirror’s Edge is a PHENOMENAL game and easily one of the top 10 this generation. Possibly top 5. It is one of those rare games that becomes a true SKILL after practice practice practice.
If you finished the game, and didn’t get the ‘Pacifism’ Achivement. . .
You played it wrong. (IMO of course)
how to get to sleep, sleeping problems, sleep insomnia, sleep…
[...]Articulating my love for Mirror’s Edge « eat. sleep. game.[...]…