In 2008, “Battlefield” creator EA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (or “DICE”) left their comfort zone to produce a game not featuring military weaponry and online cooperative multiplayer, but a girl performing “parkour” (a holistic training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training where individuals aim to get from “point A” to “point B” in the most efficient way possible while using only the human body and the surroundings). I rented the game known as “Mirror’s Edge” on day one, but didn’t own, let alone finish it until many years later. Thanks to mixed feelings following the original mostly due to stellar gameplay being hampered by a weak story and a linear world, I found myself semi-excited about the latest release in a series that appeared dead for years.
Did I Complete “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst”
“Mirror’s Edge” looked to focus not on the single genre of platforming as seen in games like “Super Mario Bros.”, “Sonic The Hedgehog”, “Sly & Cooper” and more, but introduced an entire gaming audience to a new world of movement unlike anything seen before – becoming something of an inspiration for games like “Dying Light” many years later. “Catalyst” takes up where the original left off from a gameplay perspective and slightly builds upon that foundation, opening up the game’s world, retelling the story gamers witnessed years ago (and that’s not just referring to its predecessor). The player is put in the body (through a controller, of course) of Faith Connors – a parkour-loving revolutionary runner/courier who carries physical communiqués around “The City of Glass”. The game is played completely from a first person perspective rather than third person like almost all platformers; giving it a distinct vibe and feel not seen in other games featuring a lot of running and jumping.
Similar to my experience with the first “Mirror’s Edge”, my plans were to finish the story and enjoy the extras offered like “time trials” and collectibles (be it typical or those based around optional missions). After ten or so hours, the unbelievably long, though skippable credits rolled and left me with the opportunity to explore the city with only the aforementioned side missions and collectibles to pad my playing time. The near two hours of attempting to find the same sense of accomplishment I had mixing all of these playable options with the story’s progression just wasn’t there and couldn’t keep me playing this one just like the original.
Did “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst” Live Up to the Hype?
For many, “Mirror’s Edge” was the “Game of the Year” for 2008. For others, it changed the way they perceived first person perspective video games. And for people like me, it reminded me how a great concept can suffer from execution not well thought out. Sadly, its successor suffers from the same fate. As the name suggests, “Catalyst” is the retelling of Faith’s origins; yet the game itself feels incredibly familiar for players who experienced the first game. “Mirror’s Edge” looked to take platforming to another level by simply putting the player in a first person perspective rather than the typical third person, behind the character view as seen in similar 3D platformers.
And unlike other first person games, Faith’s hands, arms, and legs are showcased time and time again rather than her being a simple invisible moving mass that is able to leap and grab onto objects. “Catalyst” continues this trend in grand fashion thanks to the flowing physical art form the game is based off of – creating an exhilarating thrill when the player is given the chance to take Faith from one point to another with the only fear of missing a drainpipe that seems too far away, or jumping a little too soon to span a gap no sane person would attempt to cross five to ten stories in the air. The feeling of sailing off a ramp, landing on a rooftop (hopefully tumble rolling instead of sticking the landing), wall running before doing a 180 degree spin to grab a bar and swing into an area to begin another exhaustive sequence is absolutely what “freedom” should feel like in a game like this. Equipment like the grappling hook has been added to Faith’s inventory; making for faster traversing in the certain areas that allow it.
One of the biggest reasons for this newfound ability to keep the flow is the world itself. Unlike the previous “Mirror’s Edge”, “Catalyst’s” environment is set in an open world. While in movement (especially when the game shifts to night and the bright neon purple colors reflect off of everything), The City of Glass looks just as gorgeous as the world in the original game. Sterile white buildings and interiors surround the player while splashes of yellows, blues and reds vibrantly penetrate the eyes and senses unlike anything seen in video games that attempt to create the same feeling of being in a world held under the thumb of an oppressive regime.
Unfortunately, standing still shows just how stiff and to a certain extent muddied some of the textures that make up the world and its inhabitants can be; thus taking away some of the visual impact that the original never lost even as gaming’s seventh generation came to a close. The open world also hinders “Catalyst’s” performance. Beyond cutscenes there aren’t any moments of loading across this massive city unless the player sends Faith careening to her temporary death or fails a mission/delivery/time trial. This lack of in-game loading causes frame rate drops that become noticeable while in motion. Loading also becomes frustratingly long when something disappointing happens like not perfectly timing that death-defying leap.
Putting Faith in an open world definitely has its advantages and disadvantages that become obvious very quickly. The City of Glass’ design, though odd from an architecture standpoint, is perfect for someone moving from rooftop to rooftop at an alarming rate. The sense of freedom when it comes to getting from place to place is exactly what the original game promised, yet couldn’t fully deliver thanks to its structure and linear nature. Yet, creativity beyond what Faith can do when on the move is certainly lacking. Side missions are nothing more than exaggerated time trials where the player is given the task of taking an item from one area to another under a strict time limit. There are some character-driven side quests that are unlike anything else provided such as the “GridNode” sequences that prove to be well-thought-out puzzles for Faith to traverse, but they are few in number especially compared to the copious amount of time trial-esque moments that litter Glass.
Combat has been changed as well, but stating it is “for the better” would be a lie. Gunplay is gone from Faith’s perspective as she can no long handle weaponry like she did in the original; forcing her to either utilize her hands & legs to fend off the four types of adversaries (everything from simple bulletproof vest-wearing guards, to gun-totting shooters, to shockwave blasters a la Shocker from the “Spider-Man” franchise, to heavily armored martial arts masters that can knock Faith backwards with a single strike), or run. If Faith can’t run (an actual option as there are way too many of these “you must fight” moments seen throughout the game’s latter half) she is forced to mix strafing and sidestepping to land strikes. Gamers can get creative with the combat by running and jumping off a nearby wall to takedown an opponent or even kick someone into a railing to send an enemy comically over the edge like some kind of campy “B-movie”. What appears to be a step in the right direction when it comes to handling combat in this series becomes anything but as everything feels uncoordinated and uncharacteristically rigid that’s made even worse by the moments where Faith can’t do what she does best – run.
And this is the toughest enemy in the game
Two of the main factors in how well the player performs when it comes to traversing the world, completing missions and being effective in combat are “Runner’s Vision” and the game’s “skill tree”. Runner’s Vision makes a return from the first game, but with a new twist featuring a snake-like line moving throughout the world to guide the player down the path of least resistance. While this modification feels somewhat intrusive and limiting, it almost becomes a necessity to play the game thanks to the world’s openness and lack of landmarks that allow for the gamer to know exactly where Faith should go. Runner’s Vision can be turned off, but it’s hard to believe one could make it through the game without it.
With the completion of missions, side missions and attaining collectables reaching well into the triple digits in number comes experience points that can be used to purchase moves, combat abilities, and even some type of armor than helps stop Faith from getting shot by enemies as long as she’s on the move. While certain pieces of equipment are locked until the story progresses, movements that were automatically in Faith’s repertoire (such as the tumble roll landing) in the original game are locked until the player gets enough EXP. Without a knowledge of some of these moves might hurt the player’s progression if he/she doesn’t plan ahead or, more than likely, doesn’t know exactly how effective things such as turning in midair or disabling enemy communication devices can be. The skill tree wasn’t a necessity in the first game and doesn’t help being a part of “Catalyst”.
Yep, grinding
Just like its predecessor, “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst” does nothing to add to a long list of games, TV shows and movies telling the tale of a totalitarian government featuring a group of people trying to overcome all odds even through the simplest of means – in this case, delivering a bunch of stuff and infiltrating multiple avant garde buildings. The worst part about the narrative isn’t just the fact it features cliché after cliché thanks to multiple stereotypical characters (even in the future hacking geniuses are extreme introverts who refuse to go outside) hindered by troupe usage to unbelievable levels, or that it has one of the most insulting endings this side of “The Order 1886”, but also how little it does to explain the relationships between characters and the lore constantly mentioned throughout. We never find out what Faith’s parents fought and died for, why Faith is in debt to another character (let alone the depths of her relationships with a majority of the main characters and even the NPCs that apparently remember Faith before her imprisonment of two years and still believe in her abilities), or even how one pivotal character survived what should’ve been a sure death. This lacking storytelling does nothing but make an already weak story even weaker by feeling like it’s running on autopilot two-thirds of the way through by doing every predictable moment possible. And not to spoil too much, the final boss battle is almost just as bad “The Order 1886” as well.
While “Catalyst” improves upon some of the original game’s promising facets, there are so many flaws that make this reboot a disappointment beyond the gameplay.
Should You Play “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst”
“Catalyst” is so much like its predecessor it’s incredible. The ability to run in freeform throughout an open world feels unlike almost anything else on the market. But when things slow down the game falls apart in grand fashion. The story is uninspired and does nothing to flesh out the world and its characters any more than the original game did. The lack of things to do in Glass after trying out the various side missions make for a very repetitive experience after the story concludes. And things that should’ve been improvements like combat are anything but. “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst” is, sadly, not worth the near decade-long wait; let alone a full price tag.
