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Mirror's Edge: a conflicted game about perfection
Dexter345 | 6:41 PM on 04.09.2009 12 comments




As the "games as art" debate rages on, and as one on the side that games can be art, I have taken to attempting to find meaning in some of the games that I have played recently. After some thought, I came to the conclusion that Mirror's Edge, the beautiful-but-frustrating first-person platformer, is a game focused entirely on a single idea: perfection. There is just one tiny problem: the narrative and the gameplay are completely at odds with one another.

Before I go any further I'd like to clarify one point. I am not arguing that Mirror's Edge is perfection, just that the game's main theme is about perfection. While I think the game is fantastic, I am not blind to its flaws.

In case you haven't personally played it or read much about it, Mirror's Edge takes place in a fictional dystopian city where crime is a distant memory and everybody's communication is monitored. If you've read 1984 or Fahrenheit 451, then you already have an idea about the main theme of Mirror's Edge: while ultimate government control can create the illusion of perfection, the actuality is that life in the dystopia is far from ideal.

This manifests itself in Mirror's Edge pretty plainly, as the opening narration by protagonist Faith explains that the city used to be dirty and full of life, after which the player is plunked into a sterile world that, while beautiful solely due to the contrast to many current generation muddy-paletted games, is clearly lacking in soul. Not far into the game, the player sees that the clean, white look is indeed simply a facade, as Faith traverses through dingy back alleys and corridors housing the occasional--but blatant--rat, an unquestionable symbol of uncleanliness.

What this all points to is the theme that perfection is unattainable, and anything that looks perfect on the outside is certainly imperfect when one takes a closer look. That in itself is an entirely reasonable theme, and were the game based entirely on the narrative alone, there would be no issue. Alas, our preferred medium has another component to it: gameplay.

And the gameplay provides an entirely different view on perfection. In order to successfully navigate the city, to come to the next part of the story that reminds the player that perfection is a lie, the player must play perfectly.

Beginning a jump a split-second early leads to death. Slightly mistiming a disarm leads to death. A small difference in angle could spell the difference between landing safely on a crane and falling hundreds of feet to the street below. The gameplay not only punishes mistakes (quite brutally, at that), but it encourages perfection.

Outside of the main story, there are time trials and speed runs, challenging the player to complete entire levels or smaller courses in under a set amount of time. These not only require the player to find the best route, but to execute the route perfectly as well. Additionally, there are various Achievements that require perfection. For example, "Test of Faith" asks that the player completes the entire game without shooting an enemy, forcing reliance on hand-to-hand combat and parkour flight, a task much more difficult than the alternative.

Why are the story's theme and the gameplay's theme so conflicted with one another? Were the two developed independently, by two teams with different views on perfection? Was the discrepancy dismissed for the sake of making a fun game whose message is irrelevant? Or am I just reading too far into it all?



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12 comments | showing # 1 to 12

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Maxpower's Destructoid Blog
You're reading too far into it :p

Nah, I really enjoyed reading that, even though I've yet to play the game, and on top of that, I do parkour. Shame on me.
Samit Sarkar's Destructoid Blog
Great article, man, and I totally see it from your point of view. Also, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are two of my favorite novels. I love dystopian fiction -- Brave New World is another one of my faves!
Doomsday Forte's Destructoid Blog
I rented this game, and sadly I didn't get too far in it. I will say that there are plenty of parts where you must be picture-perfect to succeed, and sometimes things aren't obvious. God damn sewers. Yeah. It was kinda neat to take things through on a first-person perspective, and I didn't get nauseated from the experience, as difficult and confounding as it was. Yeah, holding B only made me look in which direction my objective was, which didn't help when you're surrounded by fences on all sides. =P

I saw part of Casino Royale the other day, and I instantly made the link between Faith and the runner Bond was chasing. Man, it would be incredibly cool to do that!

...Oh, and uh, *something profound about 1984 or dystopia*. >_>
Dexter345's Destructoid Blog
Thanks for at least putting in the effort at the end, Doomsday!
Teta's Destructoid Blog
I think you are asking your self a far too deep question.
My point of view is that the perfection needed in Faith actions isn't going agains the stor yelement of an imperfect city.
It`s like a surgeon, he needs perfect movements in an imperfect world like the body wich is full of veins, and tissues, and stuff in between.
IDK
ArrestedDeveloper's Destructoid Blog
Y..You remember that part in 1984 when he goes into the slums and picks up a caked up whore and when they go to do he notices she's all gross and doesn't have teeth but does her anyway? That was awesome.
Primo's Destructoid Blog
LOL@ArrestedDeveloper

I think you are reading to far into it, but that was a great article nonetheless.
BulletMagnet's Destructoid Blog
Definitely reading too far - there have been games that demand near-perfect execution to simply succeed (let alone excel) at, and will beat the snot out of you until you get it right. Frankly, I'd say that Mirror's Edge is far from the least forgiving in that area, though it's no cakewalk either.

An interesting concept, but I don't think it holds water.
KyleGamgee's Destructoid Blog
I should play this game.
XIX Wolf's Destructoid Blog
Great Read, altohugh I agree your over analyzing it, as I believe the theme was merely conveyed through the plot, I don't think that's what they aimed for in the gameplay department.
MGSM's Destructoid Blog
Actually I think that the unwanted ''contradiction'' you're referring to is in fact a paradox they implanted on purpose in the game. And I think it is brilliantly made.
MGSM's Destructoid Blog
Actually I think that the unwanted ''contradiction'' you're referring to is in fact a paradox they implanted on purpose in the game. And I think it is brilliantly made.


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 about me

I'm a recent Master's graduate from Caltech with a degree in Chemistry. I'm currently living in Pasadena, CA, with a degree I don't want to use, trying to break into the game industry. I've been reading Destructoid since June of 2006. I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy. I've got far too many posts on the forum.

I play all types of games except realistic sports games and real-time strategy games. The former because I think they're boring and the latter because I utterly suck at them.

Games I'm currently playing:
Crush (PSP)
Left 4 Dead (360)
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)
Rock Band 2 (360)
Rock Band Unplugged (PSP)

Games that are on the back burner:
BioShock (360, need to go back and get the Achievements I missed)
Culdcept SAGA (360, the battles just take way too long)
Grand Theft Auto IV (360, it just didn't draw me in like the old games)
Ikaruga (XBLA, SO. HARD.)
Mario Kart Wii (Wii, I just never feel like playing its single player)
The Orange Box (360, just need two more Portal Achievements)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, need to complete with Luigi)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, same issue as with Mario Kart)

Games I haven't even touched yet:
de Blob (Wii)
God of War (PS2)
MadWorld (Wii)
Metal Gear Solid 1-3 (PS1, PS2)
Okami (PS2)
Persona 3: FES (PS2)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (360)
Quantum of Solace (360)
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

Games I have finished 100% during this console generation:
Aegis Wing (XBLA)
Banjo-Kazooie (XBLA)
Bionic Commando: Rearmed (XBLA)
Bomberman Live (XBLA)
Call of Duty 4 (360)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBLA)
Halo 3 (360)
Fable II: Pub Games (XBLA)
NEVES (DS)
Omega Five (XBLA)
Pac-Man C.E. (XBLA)
Peggle (XBLA)
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1 (XBLA)
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 (XBLA)
Picross DS (DS)
Professor Layton & the Curious Village (DS)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (PSN)
Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (XBLA)
skate. (360)
Uno (XBLA)
Worms (XBLA)

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