The Mirror’s Edge iPad launch has had quite an interesting story. Initially, it was planned to launch for iPhone and iPod Touch early this year, but then it was mysteriously delayed. Why this delay? Well know we know. EA decided to wait for the iPad to launch, and it was well worth the wait.
For those of you who don’t know, Mirror’s Edge is based off of a game with the same name that launched in 2008 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It was a whole new type of game, a first person, free running, action adventure, that got good reviews. The iPad version takes this same game and turns it into a side scroller.
In the game you play as Faith in a city controlled by a totalitarian government. Since most of the city is locked down and monitored, Faith runs around the city to deliver messages. The story is all told in the loading screens by scrolling blocks of text. There are 14 levels to complete. Each level also has secret bags to collect, and collecting these bags unlocks special wallpapers for your iPad.
The controls are perfect, and performed mostly with quick swipes. A swipe to the left or right will cause Faith to run in that direction. A swipe down will make Faith slide under obstacles or into enemies. A swipe up will make Faith jump. When you approach an important obstacle, the object will turn red. This helps distinguish that things you need to dodge from the objects in the background. There are also many other moves Faith can perform. You can wall run, wall jump, and even slide down zip lines. Occasionally an enemy will be in your way. When this happens the camera will zoom in, the time will slow down, and you will be able to slide or kick the enemy to knock them down.
Once you do complete the 14 story levels there is a speed run mode to try. This mode let’s you reply each level and try to beat the set times. There is also a split-screen multiplayer mode. This makes a great use of the iPad’s screen space and let’s you race a friend in any of the 14 levels on one iPad.
I would easily suggest this game. It has a good amount of content, looks great, and is a lot of fun to play. Each level has a couple of different paths and secret bags to collect which both add replay value and the multiplayer mode is fun with a friend. You can currently download the game from the App Store for $12.99.
