Mirror's Edge Catalyst Reviews
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst still has fun parkour, but fails as a compelling open-world game.
It's like a giant schoolyard playground, in which players can freely explore and make their own adventures.
If you're a big fan of the first game, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. However, if you never played the original, you might want to take a test drive first to see if you want to commit to it.
There's a clear set-up for more stories to be told with Faith and the runners of Glass with Mirror's Edge Catalyst, and while it isn't quite as shiny and perfect as the city of Glass, hopefully in due time we'll get to see more from Mirror's Edge and experience the series at its full, untapped potential. Though it trips itself up occasionally with combat and a lackluster story, at a full run few games can catch up to Mirror's Edge for pure exhilaration and Catalyst is more than ready for the race.
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
A flawed but effective take on parkour
Mirror's Edge Catalyst brings back a welcome second portion of high-speed free-running in a beautifully gleaming setting, but its concessions to modern AAA game design bloat let it down.
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 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.
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 is certainly a step forward for Mirror's Edge, but not the leap that it could be. If this is the return of Faith on a regular basis though, DICE have created the foundations for a very strong sequel indeed.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst isn't as good as it should be. It's maddening, because there's so much potential here for it to be a good game, but so many odd design decisions result in an experience that's actually less than the sum of its parts.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst is an impressive action game when it finds its legs (sorry). Slow to start with a mediocre plot, this is a worthy sequel overall.
When allowed composure, Mirror's Edge Catalyst becomes the colossal free running daydream that never seemed tenable. When pushed into conflict, either with its own systems or the demand of "content" in 2016, Mirror's Edge feels anxious and frenzied. Separating wondrous substance from obliged distractions isn't a distinction the game is capable of making, leaving gratification to the will of the player.
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 is less 'Still Alive' than it is 'barely breathing', yet it retains a special place in my heart as a game that tried to offer gamers something a little bit different to the norm. Ultimately it's a failure, a broken game with repetitive action and a mechanic that lends itself far better to arcade like linearity rather than open world botch-jobbery. An admirable failure, but one that's left a huge cloud over this poor reviewers' head. I can only hope we eventually get the sequel we deserve that's tight, addictive and stunning. I know you've got it in you, Dice.
Is there space in the gaming world for a first-person platformer? Absolutely, but I feel like the design decisions behind Mirror's Edge Catalyst limit the number of people it will ultimately appeal to. If it is "for you," you'll probably love it. If you're not sure about the first-person viewpoint or limited navigational tools, though, I recommend giving it a rental or a try-out with a friend's copy. It's a good game, but I can't guarantee it's one you'll enjoy playing.
Faith has finally returned with Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Is it a return to form, especially when her "form" was never all that fleshed out to begin with? It's certainly a decent waste of time, worth visiting on and off through the months, but nothing spectacular.
For hardcore Mirror's Edge fans, Catalyst is a wonderful love letter from DICE that rewards the passion of this relatively small group.
The exhilarating rush of running along walls, leaping across rooftops and hanging to the ledges of buildings are perfectly captured in Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Just don't expect too much from its non-existent plot.