Gamesplanet Review Round Up: Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Still alive, at least for now!

So it's been a long time since we last saw Faith free-run her way over rooftops in Mirror's Edge, hard to believe it's been exactly 8 years since she was last seen on our screens and now she's back in the brand new Mirror's Edge Catalyst which is a prequel and/or reboot depending on how you look at it. This is a game that's been highly anticipated for years and now the game is finally out in the wild how is the gaming fairing up with the critics?

We can keep our feet firmly on the ground to find out, though if you have wings feel free to soar into the sky for a bird's eye view!

Let's start with Digital Spy that awarded the game 4 out of 5 stars, Mirror's Edge Catalyst does what the original game did so well and that's a focus on the free-running aspect, it's almost like breathing air - it feels natural and responsive (apart from when you'll mess up, thankfully though you have easy checkpoints which make even the clumsiest of mistakes easy to recover from. The free-running is what the game does best, and the times when you are forced to fight an army of guards are among the more tedious moments the game has to offer. The game also brings back time trials which some people really enjoyed from the original, this time there is more a social aspect to them and you're free to compete with players around the world (even create your own time trials for others to beat). A word of warning: the time trials are incredibly addictive and play on that whole 'one more time' mentality.

Next up to give the game some critique are the folks at ShackNews, story is important part of many games these days (except maybe Tetris, but those blocks have a story too!) so it might come as a surprise that the game doesn't focus an exceptional story. Every emotional twist, and gut-wrenching punch is glossed over as if it doesn’t even matter, so the story lacks real weight. It’s a bad trait that many games have started suffering from in the past few years, and I’m sad to see Faith Connors story fall between the cracks, especially after how much criticism the original game received for this exact same thing. Still the game has other avenues and let's be honest some games you don't need a deep story to enjoy it, you're in it for the adrenaline fueled rush you get leaping from rooftop to rooftop in the gorgeous city of Glass. Mirror’s Edge isn’t about the story, it’s about the immersion: the thrill of running, free, across the glass paved rooftops of a massive city. And that’s okay, because that’s exactly what the original Mirror’s Edge was. The game received an impressive 8 out of 10, even if the game stumbles in a few areas it's just as thrilling as the original ever was.

IGN meanwhile was a little unforgiving when it comes to Faith's latest adventure. Mirror's Edge Catalyst features a semi open world in which players can explore the rooftops and complete various side quests to help out others, some might be a simple retrieval and others may require you to find a person. Quests which may build up your XP which allow you to further upgrade your character with upgrades such as grappling hooks, better combat abilities and more! They gave Catalyst a 6.8 out of 10, not that it was all bad news though since the combat was highly praised with the various changes/improvements made to the game and removing Faith's ability to use a gun from the original is something that suits who she is as a character. Punches and kicks can be varied by mixing in directions, allowing you to throw a Holly Holm-on-Ronda-Rousey kick to the side of a helmeted foe’s skull. Landing one of those makes me feel powerful as his protective facemask shatters and he stumbles into one of his buddies, injuring the bad-guy bystander as well.

Finally we look at what Destructoid has to say on the game. Giving the game a high flying 8.5 out of 10 they praised the, especially on the combat system which like the original focuses on movement mixed up with punches and kicks galore, The traversal attacks, which basically grant Faith greater striking power if she doesn't stop moving, is a very cool concept. Oftentimes I'd divine new ways to take out foes in my path while running away. The game is definitely longer compared to the original and can clock you up around 10-15 hours depending on your play-style, you're also going to spend longer if you go after every single collectible like a Batman: Arkham fan trying to track down those Riddler trophies (never again!). You can even just run around the city and use it as a playground admiring the landscape of every building and rooftop the city has to offer. Multiple times in the past few days I've popped it in just to mess around and find new routes, and I can foresee plenty of rainy evenings doing just that.

Seems like a mixed bag for this latest title from EA DICE, while some are really loving Faith's return others are a little bit disappointed by her return. Either way you look at it fans of the series will certainly feel at home and get an enjoyable experience which will please both newcomers and old veterans to the franchise.

I've personally enjoyed what little time I spent with the game, though it's got a few problems and doesn't seem to improve much on the original it still does what it aims to do - provide a fast paced free running game with plenty of platforming mixed up with some great action pieces.

Purchase Mirror's Edge Catalyst today for 25% off!

• Craig Bishop