Recast Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time as a first-person action
game, set it in what appears to be a bleached-out version of Vancouver, top it
off with an unsurprising Orwellian-style narrative, and you have the recipe for Mirror's Edge,
one of the year's most eclectic new IPs.
You play Faith, an attractive woman with a tattooed
right eye. Faith is a "Runner," a rooftop-hopping, sneaker-wearing acrobat.
She's one part Cirque Du Soleil performer and two parts New York City bike messenger.
Her job: to discretely transport information for people who don't want the
omniscient government prying into their business.
You'll spend much of the game sussing out how to
get from one rooftop to another or trying to figure out how to escape from
seemingly exit-free situations. By whiting out the city and marking specific
objects with color—you should head for anything red—the developers
do a terrific job of always keeping you moving in the right direction.
By far the game's most refreshing aspect is its
pacifistic leanings. In a move that the Call Of Duty crowd will find appalling,
fighting is actually discouraged. You can swipe an enemy's weapon, and briefly
wield it to fire on enemies. Or, in a curiously empowering moment—one
unprecedented in gaming history—you can also simply toss it aside and
move on with the game.
Beyond the game: Speed Runs challenge you to
get through each of the game's levels as quickly as possible.
Worth playing for: Skimming along rooftops,
making daring leaps, and dodging and disarming guards can induce a Zen-like
state.
Frustration sets in when: You wind up in a room with
no apparent way out. (Tip: If you see a gun lying about, pick it up and use it
to shoot out any nearby glass walls. There. We just saved you about an hour of
misery.)
Final judgment: The story and dialogue are
clunky at times. And there are many situations where you'll be utterly
perplexed as to where to go next. But overall, no game this year looks, or
plays, quite like this one.