Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
I always wanted to play the original Mirror’s Edge on the XBox 360, but for some reason never got round to it. So when EA announced the sequel coming out on the XBox One, I was excited to finally see what all the fuss was about.
You get to play the role of Faith Connors, who has just finished a stint in juvenile for some unmentioned but probably subversive behaviour. According to the blurb, this is a prequel, so in essence I’m playing the games in the right order! Two things stand out with Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, one being the simplicity of the colours and environment, but the big one being that you play a female character, and one that isn’t endowed with gravity denying boobs, and is dressed in clothing appropriate to the characters athletic role. Yes, a positive female role model in a video game.
The game is set in some kind of dystopian future where a mega corporation controls everything (or that’s what it seems to me) and you are part of a subversive group of runners who traverse the city using aspects of urban exploration and parkour to complete missions and evade or fight enemies.
Combat is fairly basic, though when you incorporate parkour moves you can spice things up a bit. But the main focus of the game is fluid parkour. I say fluid, as the basics are easy to grasp and you’ll soon feel like you’ve mastered this French art of urban exploration. But it takes a while to truly master it, and this is what keeps you coming back time and time again.
Being able to chain together a series of moves that enables you to wall run, jump and slide your way out of trouble will always bring a smile to you face. Catalyst is built on a simple game mechanic that has a great story-line which really draws you in. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, especially as it’s a first person style game with absolutely no gun play. It is however addictive and challenging, and pretty much one of the few original games out there.
Did I mention it is also fronted by a strong female character…
Rating: M Contains violence.
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