When we play a first-person game, we're aware that the game we're seeing through doesn't really capture a first-person perspective. In the early Wolfenstein 3D days, we couldn't even look up to the heavens above. Then came the revolution of dual analogue or mouse-and-keyboard controls, and the first-person game became something more flexible, but also impenetrable to the uninitiated. When handing a first-time gamer a copy of Halo, you're know you're seconds away from witnessing the look-upwards-and-spin dance.
It's unsurprising, then, that we're yet to really see a major attempt at a first-person adventure game - Metroid Prime series notwithstanding. After all, it often just seems easier to be able to perform complex physical maneuvers when you can view your entire body. It's this that Mirror's Edge looks to change. Mirror's Edge wants you to perform feats of physical prowess through the lens of your own eyes. It wants you to slide under obstacles and vault from building to building using only your innate sense of distance and balance. It wants you to climb over fences and disarm enemies using only the awareness of your own body.
Vertigo's Edge more like it.
Awareness of your own body. It's an interesting concept, because, of course, the body in a game isn't actually yours. Look down. If you're at your computer desk, you'll likely see your chest, waist, legs, and chair. Boot up your average shooter and look down. What do you see? Mirror's Edge aims to change all that. According to DICE, "We want to change the way that players are able to move in first person. No more restrictions, no more being blocked by simple barriers such as walls and fences. We want to enable the player to move like a real person, with the ability to run, jump, vault and slide in a way that has never been seen before in a first person game."
Mirror's Edge has you step into the shoes of Faith, a Matrix and Johnny Mnemonic inspired 'runner', whose job is to courier information and other as-yet-unknown items through a futuristic city. The government, as it always is in the future, isn't inclined to make things easy for Faith, and you'll spend a large part of the game avoiding their agents. But it's also how you deal with said agents that makes the game different along with multiplayer, the other item that would invariably make any checklist for any first-person video game would be gun-play. And indeed, it's there in Mirror's Edge. But unlike almost any other first-person game, Mirror's Edge de-emphasizes it to the point where, according to senior producer Owen O'Brien, it will be possible to complete the entire game without firing a single shot. And we'd just like to note, for the record, that it's a nice touch of irony that this Orwellian future is being engineered by a man called O'Brien.
As Faith, your goal will be to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible while avoiding enemy agents. We also hear that things get a little more complicated as the game progresses, but the basic impetus of the game is to navigate the city. This is probably an understatement of sorts, as according to EA, players are encouraged to see the city as their own jungle gym: "rooftops become pathways and conduits, opportunities and escape routes." This is a reference to the implementation of parkour, or free running, the urban sport that recently hit peak popularity with its inclusion in Casino Royale and Assassin's Creed. Parkour is best described as a way of movement dependent on athletic ability and mental awareness - simply put, to move through dense areas as quickly as possible.
Ninjaaaa kick!
The visual style - so different from the doom-and-gloom of many modern shooters - will play a large part here, with specific colours drawing attention to pathways and the actions that are enabled by certain objects. The controls are simple, but not on autopilot. There will be an 'up' button and a 'down' button, with the former triggering vaults and mantling, and the latter launching slides and rolls. Bullet time reappears yet again, but this time, it's more to give the player breathing space to plan their next move rather than for Matrix-styled shootouts. Indeed, picking up a gun in Mirror's Edge represents a conscious decision. Yes, you can shoot, but carrying a firearm will limit your movement and your speed.
Since the first footage of Mirror's Edge hit the internet, anticipation for the game has been steadily building. At this point, however, it's difficult to tell if the game will be something worth remembering in a decade's time or simply a very interesting experiment. After all, every tidbit of information so far seems to have raised more questions than it has answered. How will essentially non-combat gameplay evolve over the course of a regular-length video game? Will the game's unique movement inspire more motion-sickness than accolades? Will there be multiplayer? How linear will the gameplay truly be?
At this stage, there's still plenty that Mirror's Edge could do to disappoint. But as a pure concept, we couldn't be more interested.
Mirror's Edge E3 Trailer
Loading...
