Mirror’s Edge is a first-person platformer set in a dystopian futuristic city.
Great Characters
Great Graphics/Art
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Story & Themes
Mirror’s Edge takes place in a futuristic dystopian city ruled by an oppressive government. Faith is a Runner and courier. She gets from place to place using parkour, also known as free-running; because the game is in first-person perspective, this can make for a somewhat dizzying experience. The focus of the game mechanic is not combat, but rather platforming—Faith must jump from surface to surface, slide under objects and along zip lines, and leap over obstacles both outside and inside buildings.
Faith comes from a family that has long struggled against the totalitarian government; her mother was killed when she was a child during a protest. Her job is to deliver messages while avoiding government surveillance.
After running a mission, Faith discovers her sister, Kate, standing over the dead body of the incumbent mayor—a man who has promised to challenge the totalitarian policies of the city. It is clear that Kate is being framed for murder, but Faith must find evidence to clear her sister’s name. It slowly becomes clear that Faith cannot trust her supposed friends, some of whom have joined up with the government to protect themselves in the recent crackdown on Runners.
Although Faith is finally able to rescue her sister from the government’s clutches while simultaneously destroying some of the computer servers that aid in the government’s surveillance efforts, the end of Mirror’s Edge is ambiguous. Faith and Kate disappear, and the government crackdown continues with even greater force.
Save Points
Levels are long, but there are multiple savepoints per level.
Heads Up!
Violence Enemies and helicopters shoot at Faith. There is minimal blood and no gore. Although Faith can deal with enemies using violence, it is fully possible to play Mirror’s Edge without engaging in direct combat. Most of this optional combat is done by hitting, kicking, or knocking enemies off their feet in order to disarm them, but Faith can also pick up a gun at times. However, picking up a weapon slows her down considerably, and she cannot reload—once she has run out of bullets, she must discard the weapon.
Strong Language Mild swearing is present (e.g., sh*t, d*mn, and h*ll).
Conversation Starters
- Do you think Faith is right to fight the oppression present in her city? If this were real life, she might be labeled a terrorist or worse—at what point is “terrorism” actually the right thing to do?
- Did you ever pick up a weapon? Do you think using a weapon was justified, or would you have preferred to complete the game without violence? Did the use of violence have more impact since it was used so rarely?
- Would you be okay with living in a police state like Faith does if it meant everyone lived fairly comfortably? What statement on this idea do you think Mirror’s Edge intended to make by having Faith continue to fight the police state despite its comparatively decent standard of living?
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