Mirror's Edge

Set in a near-future city, the game follows the story of Faith Connors, an underground parkour courier who transmits messages while evading government surveillance. To progress through the game, the player must control Faith from a first-person perspective and complete a series of levels that involve performing a sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres, including jumping between rooftops, running across walls, and sliding down zip lines. Inspired by chase scenes featured in Casino Royale and the Bourne films, Mirror's Edge features hundreds of first-person animations to convey Faith's movement and interactions with the environment. Although the game is powered by Unreal Engine 3, a new lighting solution, which is able to reflect colors and create a lot of soft shadows, was created to give the game a unique art style. The game sold more than two million copies worldwide and won Adventure Game of the Year at the 2009 Interactive Achievement Awards. Retrospectively, the game has grown in esteem and developed a passionate fanbase due to its unique style. To progress through the game and its storyline, the player needs to complete a series of levels that involve performing a linear sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres. Faith's arms, legs, and torso are prominent and their visibility is used to convey her movement and interactions with the environment. Her momentum is an important aspect of the gameplay, as preserving it through multiple obstacles allows the player to run faster, jump farther and climb higher. To help players chain moves seamlessly, the game employs a navigation system, called Runner Vision, which turns certain objects in a bold red color as Faith approaches them, allowing the player to instantly recognize paths and escape routes. Although the player can perform melee attacks and disarm opponents, using weapons is generally discouraged as they slow Faith down and hinder her acrobatic abilities. For example, carrying a weapon that is heavier than a pistol prevents the player from being able to jump and grab ledges.