Mirror’s Edge is a first-person action game set in a future society run by a totalitarian dictatorship that monitors citizens extensively. The city has a clean appearance, with bright cold, tone graphics, primarily white with orange undertones. Players take control of Faith, a female runner who relays information by moving across the city’s roofs while all other kinds of contact are watched. She grew raised on the streets alone after her mother died during the November Riots, and her father abandoned her soon after. She was tutored as a child by a man named Mercury, who saw her breaking in and was amazed at her abilities. She must find a means to release her sister while pursued by federal officials.
The emphasis is on freedom of movement based on parkour concepts. Although the game route is mainly linear, the controls are primarily context-sensitive, and Faith must link together maneuvers to create a fluid flow of movement, whether by sprinting up walls, slipping beneath fences, jumping, vaulting, or climbing, using pipes, ramps, or items as zip-lines. The camera, which rotates or bobs up and down depending on the speed, and the prominent visibility of her arms, legs, and torso add to the emphasis on movement. The game is also mostly HUD-free. When Faith is hurt, the colors in the city fade. To aid the player in this fast-paced movement, the game employs Runner Vision, highlighting environmental items that occur to Faith as possible escape routes. Reaction Time, a type of bullet time can be used in difficult situations to slow down the pace without losing momentum.
Even though Faith must generally flee from agents who pursue her on foot or from helicopters, she can confront them with melee combat or disarm them to take and handle their weapons. There are ten chapters, and the game occurs outside and within buildings. The story is developed through animated films between missions rather than the game engine. In addition to the regular story mode, there is a time attack option with segments of stages where the quickest times are shown as red runners acting as ghosts. Hidden messenger bags can be collected while playing to unlock extras.
