Just Run
When the original Mirror's Edge was released in 2008 it was the realization of a then novel idea; first person action centered on traversal instead of combat. The days of every blockbuster game being a World War II shooter were about to fizzle out and modern military shooters were about to take the reins of the first person perspective.
For some, Mirror’s Edge was a beacon of light sent to stop this militaristic gaming future. Something they would be able to hold up and say “Hey! Games don’t have to be murder simulators to be a success”. This faith was, of course, a little over zealous but Mirror’s Edge did represent EA – a huge publisher – and Dice - a major developer - taking a risk with one of their major releases.
Despite garnering some hardcore fans, many felt it was clunky and flawed serving best as a neat proof of concept. No matter how fans or critics felt about Mirror's Edge it didn't meet sales expectations and a sequel seemed unlikely.
Yet, five years on from the original's release EA announced a sequel and now, eight years on, here it is as Mirror's Edge Catalyst. During the time between the first game and this one, a whole new indie landscape has cracked open. First person projects no longer have to focus on traditional combat scenarios and a game like Gone Home can become a commercial success without even an inkling of guns, fights or bad guys. The original Mirrors Edge may not have created this world but it contributed to it and, despite its financial shortcomings, a world now existed where a sequel could make sense.
Catalyst retains the originals focus on free traversal as its main action. You still play as Faith, a "runner" who delivers illegal goods and sensitive information by hand away from the prying eyes of the corporations who run the world. Faith no longer runs from point A to B in linear levels she explores the large open city of Glass completing side missions between structured, level based story missions.
Faith's movement feels instantly familiar and after a few minutes you'll convince yourself that it's the same as the original although it has definitely gained some fluidity. Faith is able to run, slide, and jump at full speed all around the city and after an hour or so the occasional slip or trip will feel as natural as a perfectly executed wall run. I mean no one's perfect. Catalysts biggest strength really is the way it feels. Running through Glass is so satisfying that it deserves to be explored and I almost never fast-traveled to mission locations. As you run it feels fast, it feels precise and it feels challenging yet you rarely falter. It feels like you can do anything your mind sets on and it feels amazing to do it.
Faith now has an ability tree which unlocks more advanced maneuvers as you progress through the game. For new players to the series the ability gating seems like it builds at a good pace allowing you to learn new skills at a comfortable pace early enough that you'll actually get to use the majority of Faith's abilities throughout a good chunk of the game.
This is a welcome addition adding a sense of character growth to Faith however, some of the abilities that are locked were standard features in the first game. For returning players this will certainly lead to a few instances where - as you're learning the ropes again - you'll attempt an 180 degree with the quick turn button only to realize it doesn't do anything and promptly get a face full of shingles or steel or whatever it is evil future conglomerates use for roofing materials. This lack of abilities early on can prove frustrating as side missions are not gated by abilities. When attempting one of the various timed side missions I kept failing over and over, I scoured the environment for an alternative path but on every attempt I was well out of time. In the end I realized I was climbing up a pipe on the side of a building and it turned out that one of the upgrades allows you to climb pipes faster. Without the upgrade I would never beat the mission in time. Allowing me to try the mission without the upgrade was a real waste of time and don't even think of trying the time trials without all of the movement abilities unlocked because your friends' times will trounce you relentlessly.
The city whose rooftops you call home is Glass, a sprawling maze of white gloss, pristine glass, and ultra-modern accents. Glass is a stunning architectural marvel that complements Faith's abilities and makes Catalyst a truly unique experience. At various points throughout Catalyst the developer will present a pause in a mission on a rooftop or at the edge of a crane and giving the opportunity to look out across the vista they’ve created and every single time it is impressive. Running through the city between missions, every water tower or billboard is an opportunity to create your own look off and I found myself exploring the city just to see what the offices in a nearby tower looked like or snooping around apartment to see "just how many bedrooms are going to be in that apartment if it has its own waterfall". The city is breathtaking and as you run through it every neon fire escape or waterfront rooftop penthouse feels unique and grandiose. Glass is a rural recluse’s nightmare and a modern artist’s perfect blank canvas. It’s Faith’s canvas for traversal and it’s a joy just to exist in.
Catalyst's structured story missions create interesting areas for Faith to really put her skills to the test, unfortunately Dice occasionally focuses on combat sequences that really slow down the pace of the game. In the original Mirror’s Edge Dice hedged their bets and allowed Faith to take guns from enemies and engage in fire fights, something that was hardly entertain and only useful to get rid of enemies as quickly as possible so you could return to running. Thankfully they have completely removed Faith’s ability to use guns – stating that all guns are biometrically locked to their owner – replacing it with a hand to hand combat system that mostly relies on Faith throwing her momentum into opponents or countering their punches. The system works best when knocking one or two opponents into a wall or over a railing as you fly past them allowing Faith to maintain here heat-pounding pace forward but you’re sometimes presented with combat areas that devolve into Faith running in circles and rebounding off a wall to jump kick an enemy. Rinse and repeat until they’re all down. This breaks up what could be break neck escapes and infiltrations adding a monotony that flies in the face of what makes the game fun.
The best missions in the game feel like puzzles you’re solving on the fly. Finding the right path through a building feels like active decision making yet it always seems to work out allowing you to feel like the natural runner that Faith is supposed to me. One of the best mission types finds you navigating the inside of a giant supercomputer outfitted with trip lasers that will notify security if you run through them. Faith can slow down and methodically avoid them or blast through and make a run for it. There are a number of side missions like this and they are a true stand out putting the best Mirror’s Edge Catalyst has to offer on display.
Catalyst exists as a successor to Mirror's Edge but its story is a prequel and re-imagining wrapped into one leading to some confusing story elements. If you weren't plugged into EA's marketing machine during the lead up to Catalyst's release the changes to existing characters and Glass itself go unexplained and they clash with the story elements carried over from the first game. From the start Faith wants to get a painting from the calm yet violently calculated mob leader Dogen. That painting is the arm tattoo she sports in the first game. Sounds like a straight forward set up for her to get the tattoo at the end and lead into the story from the original but most other aspects of the story counter that. Faith’s sister is a completely different character, the fascist government of the first game is now an oligarchy of families posing as companies, and the world itself doesn’t feel like a possible future but instead just a sci-fi fantasy. These strange contradictions seen side by side with what seems like foreshadowing create a weird dissidence that force you to just forget what you know from the first game and assume that none of it really matters, which doesn’t help give the story a feeling of importance.
Catalyst’s overarching plot is a pretty lack luster parable for socialism, the rise of the middle and lower class against the 1% and all that. Its corporate oppression, a blind distracted lower class, an “open the sheep’s eyes” terrorist group, and a reluctant neutral protagonist thrust into the middle of it all. It’s all pretty run of the mill but this generic story is bolstered by a stellar, female focused cast. Most of the main characters are women and there are basically no plot points about them proving that they can do a man’s job or being out of place as a woman in their situation. They’re women because half of the population is women so why wouldn’t they be doing what they’re doing? It’s extremely refreshing and with the way it’s presented I would believe that they didn’t even notice it during production. Glass may be an oppressive city of corporate slavery but at least no one cares about your race or gender.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a game that feels great and looks spectacular. The best thing it has to offer is just existing within it, moving within it, and living within it. Faith feels great to control and moving aimlessly through Glass can feel like a better adventure then many other games offer. Unfortunately, Catalyst struggles within its own structure. The story isn’t fulfilling and missions occasionally focus too heavily on combat. Many of the issues from the first game have been addressed yet some reappear in a different form. No more guns yet combat areas still show up. It doesn’t feel like Dice “lost the script” but maybe a few pages fell out. They helped create a landscape where games could be a little less traditional and less combat focused yet they fell into some of the same trappings and trends they helped to buck. Despite these issues the wonder of Glass and the amazing feeling of controlling Faith never get old. There will always be another building to climb or route to run.
