Mirror's Edge Catalyst Reviews
Catalyst is at its fleet-footed best when it barrels forward and sticks to the rooftops, but it never manages to fully shake the cookie-cutter corporate nonsense its rebellious heroes claim to despise.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a blast to play, but the story doesn't quite keep up
The staples of Mirror's Edge remain refreshing and unique in the first-person genre in 2016, but Catalyst's attempts to keep up with the open-world Joneses don't always jive with its design strengths of movement and momentum. On top of that, muddy-looking console versions and a lame story filled with unlikable characters doom Mirror's Edge's return to fall short. I was so happy this game was being made, but in the end I'm just as disappointed in how it turned out.
At its best, Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a joyous flight across the rooftops of a gorgeous city, with a grace that belies the weight to Faith's movement, but DICE seem to forget this on a few occasions, dragging it down with combat that brings the free running to a halt. It's a fantastic game at times, but just as with the utopian setting, there are problems that lie breath the surface.
At its core, Catalyst's expansion to an open world is a misfire. While side objectives like time trials, dead drops and an entire asynchronous multiplayer functionality make for a longer playtime, it comes at the expense of refinement. Catalyst's direction feels like the opposite of what people have been quite explicitly asking for since the original game came out. As a result, while its breathtaking leaps and adrenaline filled ascents are great in their own rights, Mirror's Edge feels like it has spent the last eight years standing still rather than moving forward.
Catalyst introduces significant structural and design differences that don't fit with what made Mirror's Edge so special. Those decisions turn a tight, streamlined thrill ride into an overstuffed and undercooked bummer of a reboot. If another Mirror's Edge comes our way eight years from now, hopefully its designers will look back to the original game for inspiration and avoid the urge to fill it full of videogame clutter.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst seems to suffer from the exact same shortcomings as its predecessor. It has a weak supporting cast, a forgettable story, and it simply doesn't know how to engage its players on a narrative level.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst continues in the series tradition of being a divisive game. If you loved the original Mirror's Edge, you will likely love Catalyst as well. On the other hand, the same issues that some people had with the first game are still present in Catalyst. This doesn't feel like it's going to win over any non-fans of the franchise. Yet, I wouldn't say that is a bad thing. Mirror's Edge Catalyst knows exactly what it is, and more importantly what it is not. It is a stylish platforming game that just so happens to be in the first-person perspective; it is not a shooter, and it is not for everyone. The change to an open-world map was a huge gamble, but it paid off. This is a more-realized version of the original Mirror's Edge, and is a fun game in its own right.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a gorgeous game that nails the free-running experience that fans want, but lacks an interesting narrative, compelling combat, and a fast travel system that will likely leave many fans disappointed.
DICE's reboot of a flawed modern classic fixes old problems while introducing new ones all of its own.
Having more missions like that to look forward to ever since finishing the story and those frustrating 13 hours is a reward of sorts, right? If you're a fan of the original Mirrors' Edge, this will probably be a no-brainer, but Catalyst would be an easier recommend even with the clunky controls if it had been sold cheaper, perhaps as episodic content. As it stands, this is mostly for fans, and even then, I caution the inevitable frustration that will surely come from running through a city literally made of glass.
Catalyst is not a flawless reboot, but it remains a very deep experience, filled with well-designed quests and interesting secondary activities; most of all, the game takes advantage of the environment in a clever way, making it strongly interactive for the players.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you can look past the weak story and the dull characters, Mirror's Edge Catalyst has some of the best gameplay mechanics on the current gen by far.
But it's been quite the journey, as Mirror's Edge Catalyst is one of the toughest reviews I've tackled in some time. It was so hard to acclimate to the changes and suffocating AAA mentality after the original was near perfect, but I think once people get over that initial shock, they'll come to adore it in spite of that.
Catalyst is as close to a definitive version of a Mirror's Edge game as we're likely to get, despite retaining some of the first game's issues.
DICE may have failed to address all of the problems of its predecessor, but it completely re-captured what Mirror's Edge was all about. Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a great way to bring new fans–and old fans alike–back into the world of Faith Connors.
First person parkour is just as much fun in Catalyst as it was in the original. The new combat is a noticeable improvement, and the open world makes this a much longer experience than its predecessor.
The wait for a follow-up to Mirror's Edge was certainly a long one, but now that Catalyst is finally here, we can say the wait has so been worth it.
Having had a great chance to digest the experience of Mirror's Edge Catalyst, I'm left with an open-world experience that doesn't sit on the crutch of weapon-driven combat, and instead lends gamers with a robust parkour system that is extremely rewarding and satisfying, all of which is set in a city that is truly worthy of a screenshot at every turn. It's a story that is touching, powerful and will have you invested in its characters. Mirror's Edge is back and it is here to stay.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst's unique take on first person parkour is something that no other game or series manages to deliver. Due to this, even when it stumbles, it's easy to look past its faults, simply because it's so damn unique and novel.