In an industry that can sometimes be rather guilty of “whitewashing” and portraying women as hyper-sexualized pieces of eye candy, Mirror’s Edge took a very mature and socially conscious place. Something that also sets Mirror’s Edge apart was the presence of a strong female lead of colour. The use of guns was also permitted, but the opportunity to obtain one was quite rare and their considerably limited ammo made them near useless in such a fluent and chaotically fast-paced title. Although fighting was possible, you would usually just get the shit beat out of you. Instead of encouraging violent confrontation, your mission was to actively (and rather acrobatically) avoid it. Even by today’s standard, the original Mirror’s Edge was a very unique and different gaming experience. When considering the fact that DICE is known almost solely for its work on the Battlefield franchise, you can imagine what a shock the release Mirror’s Edge was. In her pursuit of the truth she enters a world of conspiracy, death and betrayal. This, coupled with the increasing police aggression against runners, forces Faith to search for answers. Our hero, 24-year old Faith Connors (voiced by Jules De Jongh), is such a runner.Īt the point we join the story, Kate Connors, Faith’s sister and a member of the “City Protection Force (basically the Police), has been framed for the murder of Robert Pope, a local politician that is known for challenging the government and is, coincidentally, a close friend to the Connors family. Runners are basically hired ninja-like couriers that deftly traverse the city via rooftops and skyways (a discipline most of us would know as “parkour” or “free-running”), physically delivering the sensitive packages that their clients wish to hide from the prying gaze of the totalitarian government. With the increasing lack of digital privacy, those who wish to communicate sensitive information have turned to the “runners”. Much like the “frog in boiling water” anecdote, the unnamed city’s residents have slowly been duped into comfortable lifestyles that distract them from the digital prison that has gradually been built around them.
Mirror’s Edge takes place in a dystopian future where the Orwellian government has full control over the media and is monitoring every form of electronic and digital communication.
So without further ado, let us jump into this time travelling vortex known as a retrospective and turn back the clock to 2008… If you haven’t had the pleasure of playing the original Mirror’s Edge, or you’re just looking for a nostalgic kick, then this article is undoubtedly for you. But in truth, this game is a lot more than that, and to describe it so simply would be doing it a grave injustice. Just to recap, in short, Mirror’s Edge is a first-person title where you use your cat-like “parkour” skills to manoeuvre past a wide and varying range of death-defying obstacles.