Mirror’s Edge for iPhone/iPad reviewed

Mirror’s Edge is an action game that features gratuitous amounts of intense parkour and free running. As a “runner” named Faith, you traverse the tops of skyscrapers and sneak through ventilation shafts all in the name of sneaking information around an ultra-modern yet dystopian urban society. Already a hit on the PS3, Xbox 360, and on the PC, a side-scrolling version of Mirror’s Edge was developed for both the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch. But how does it look and feel with only simple touch gesture-based controls?

What you get

Death-defying leaps are only the beginning

In both the iPhone and iPad versions of Mirror’s Edge, you get a decent amount of game for the cost. There are 14 levels to run through and explore, of which the first two are introductory training levels. The game is also chock full of bonus unlockables and 28 “badges” (read: achievements) to search for and earn. Earning badges will also unlock various wallpaper graphics, of which there are 20 in all. Finally, all the levels can be re-played to search for missed items, as well as speed run challenges. There is also a best times leaderboard.

I’ll also point out that while I played most of the game on an iPhone 3GS, I also tried out the iPad version. It was pretty much identical to the iPhone version, only scaled-up to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen. The only exception is that the iPad version also includes a multiplayer mode.

Controls

The controls for Mirror’s Edge are a mixed bag. Everything you do is executed through various touch-based swiping gestures. For example, swipe forward or backward to have Faith run in that direction, swipe up to have her jump, and swipe down while she is falling to land safely in a tuck-n-roll maneuver. Generally, these movement commands are fairly intuitive, though Faith can sometimes feel sluggish and unresponsive, resulting in some frustrating falls off of buildings or into pits.

Hand-to-hand combat is your only defense

Combat controls are also supposed to be fairly intuitive, but I found them to be inconsistent and frustrating. In some missions, Faith must run past security guards. She has no weaponry, so combat is mostly knocking down the guards with various kicks. For example, swiping down while running will have her slide-kick them over, or swiping the direction she is running during a jump puts her into a mid-air kick. These generally work as expected, but it’s easy to over- or under-jump and miss a guard, resulting in taking a few hits.

Gameplay

Most of the levels in Mirror’s Edge can be divided up into two types: on top of skyscrapers and inside of industrial facilities filled with guards. Both of them have you run through the level, jumping over obstacles and pits while wall-running and swinging from ledge to ledge. The early levels start off easy enough, with two training missions that walk you through the controls and get you acclimated to the goals of the game.

The opening tutorial introduces the controls

The early levels are also straight-forward and typical of platformers: just run right and jump over pits. But as the levels progress, levels become more vertical and maze-like. In order to help, the game graciously has a system that helps point the way. Obstacles are shaded red to indicate you are going the correct way; as you pass, they fade back to their standard coloring. Overall, the running part of the levels, especially when wall-running and leaping from skyscraper to skyscraper is extremely fun and satisfying.

To contrast the skyscraper levels are the interior missions that feature Faith sneaking about industrial facilities that resemble overly elaborate parking garages. While these levels are still very open and still offer plenty of opportunities for gymnastics, these levels are more maze-like with ventilation ducts and elevator shafts to scurry through.

Cheap, frustrating deaths occur too often

These levels also introduce basic combat against armed guards that must either be engaged, or avoided by running past them. Unfortunately, I found the combat to be extremely frustrating at times, and came to dread every time another “interior” mission would come up. While a single guard every now and then isn’t a problem to dispatch, the game often would throw two or three guards in a row, with another two in the background that are untouchable by Faith, yet can still riddle her with bullets. Often times, you’ll knock out the first guard, only to have the second or third kick you to the ground, and continue to knock you over every time you get back up. Fortunately, damage you take fades away after a few seconds—and should you get K.O.’d, each level has several checkpoints you will respawn at.

Graphics & Art

The cityscapes are colorful and detailed

I really enjoyed the art style of Mirror’s Edge. It carries an almost minimalist vision of a city, and uses color well. Sometimes the world looks almost surreal, painted odd hues such as a light orange or pale blue. The graphics looks pretty good on both the iPhone and the blown-up version on the iPad. Polygonal models of buildings and obstacles look sharp and not too blocky, and textures are crisp and well-made. All of this gives a very satisfying visual impact and makes the scenery fun to run through.

Character models are also pretty good. They are slightly polygonal, but good textures and fluid animations make up for it. Faith’s running and jumping animations are fairly realistic-looking all things considered, and are smooth. The game itself also runs smoothly, and rarely suffered from a drop in frames per second.

Audio

The game’s soundtrack is appropriate and adds to the ambiance well. No individual track is really all that memorable, but in an action game, they really don’t have to be. Skyscraper levels are melodic, and infiltration levels are fast and furious.

Sound design is also on par. The sound effects are what you would expect: Faith has a set of gasps and grunts as she lands and takes damage, footsteps echo while running down a hall, and kicking a guard square in the face makes a nice meaty “pow” sound.

Characters & Story

Mirror’s Edge focuses itself as primarily an action game, and goes extremely light on the story. In fact, the story itself is pretty much limited to reading scrolling text during the pre-level loading screens. These vary from “Pirate Radio” broadcasts, intercepted government messages, or official newscasts. These were better than no story at all, but I felt that an animated or even a comic book-like cutscene would have been much stronger than scrolling text.

Story text is rather difficult to read

While these news messages add some nice flavor to the game, unfortunately I found them to be very hard to read. They scroll in perspective, similar to the famous text-based introduction to the Star Wars movies. Unfortunately, these constantly-shrinking letters are hard to read on an iPhone, and they are fuzzy and a bit distorted on the iPad version. This is compounded by the fact that the letters don’t contrast well with the background, and there is an added “glare” right in the center of the text window that makes things even harder to read. A simple standard text message would have been better.

What story I could glean from squinting at tiny scrolling letters was a typical story of governmental suppression, defiance, and a conspiracy plot that you get to help thwart. It felt extremely lackluster, and while I know the point of the game was to enjoy swinging through a concrete jungle like some modern feminine Tarzan, ultimately I didn’t really care if Faith could finish her mission or not. Sorry guys, but I felt a bit cheated by having nothing more than Star Wars text to keep me going.

Summary

In general, Mirror’s Edge for iOS devices is a decent platforming action game. The running and jumping part is fun, the visuals are good, and there are enough secrets to unlock to make level replays a rewarding experience. Unfortunately the game is marred by its sub-par and frustratingly clunky combat system that makes dealing with hostile guards more of a pain than exhilarating. Also, the text-based story screens are cute, but were poorly designed and could have benefited much more with some sort of visual cut-scene. For about $5 for the iPhone/Touch version and $10 for the iPad version, though, it may be worth it to experience the death-defying leaps.

Pros

• Fairly intuitive touch gesture-based controls
• Fast-paced action
• Running and jumping over buildings is fun
• Impressive stylized visuals adds character to the cityscapes

Cons

• Clunky combat is frustrating
• Hard to read story text during loading screens
• Lack of cut-scenes to add story makes the game a bit bland
• Many easy and frustrating deaths