Title: Mirror's Edge
Format: iPhone
Release Date: 25th August 2010
Publisher: EA
Developer: EA
Price: 0.69p (0.99¢)
Size: 100MB
Mirrors Edge on home consoles was a mixed bag at best. The core gameplay was a solid idea but it was hampered by awful combat sections and a boring story. So how will its iPhone adaption compare?
Presentation & Story:
This game costs 0.69p but looks as good as anything on the app store especially when you concider it was released in 2010. it doesnt quite hold up to its PS3/360 counter part but isn't far off. The animation is silky smoooth, and super fluid. The leed character "Faith" transitions between running, sliding and jumping without any noticable hiccups. The colours are bright, bold and really pop out of the screen. You can only really appreciate the game in motion however. The screens here don't do the game justice at all. When you start playing you can tell a lot of work has gone into making this game stand out from the mixed bag of graphical quality you find in mobile gaming.
As for the story I've never played a game that needed one less. if you want you can read the loading screens that fill in the story but I found myself skipping this so I could jump back into the action. From what I gleened it is unimaginative and boring. This was the big mistake with the console versions, the story just detracts from the gameplay so it's best to just ignore it and enjoy the game for what it is.
Gameplay: This is where Mirror's Edge really stands out on it own. The core gameplay is so simple but makes one of the most addictive iOS experiences I have played. There are only a few commands that you need to worry about. "Run", swipe your finger to the right. "Jump", swipe your finger up and "slide", swipe your finger down. It really couldn't be simpler but as you start to master these controls you will find you're able to do wicked wall runs, wall jumps and attack enemies. You actually get a real jolt of satisfaction when your able to finish a level without having Faith run into a wall or get knocked over by the cops. Likewise it will really erk you when you don't get a perfect run in a level and that will keep you coming back until you can master each course and look like a pro doing it.
Final Thoughts: Mirror's Edge is a short game. Even for an iOS game it only clocks in at a few hours and you could probably run through the entire game in an hour if you didn't die once. Having said that you will keep coming back to this game as it is super addictive and there are things to unlock here so the completists will be happy. For me this is way better than the home consoles version, it's refined gameplay and the change in view point from first person to side scrolling platformer was a smart move by the devs. This is definitely a game for the casual and the hardcore alike and aside from the "who gives a damn" story and disappointing length this is a great game for any iPhone owner.
Final Rating 8/10 email: [email protected] twitter: rubberduck1986
