Mirror's Edge™

i played this game for the first time in 2025 over a weekend because i picked it up on a sale and heard it was a classic

I thought the game had moments that were really cool, especially towards the end. In these moments I had movement nailed and I was moving fluidly through the game and feeling those parkour vibes

but I wish it was more of the game

too much of the game had enemies and all they really did was force you to memorize a layout or die and try again repeatedly... i found it difficult to flow and improv with the mechanics, at least the first time seeing a new obstacle or enemy encounter. this seems like the kind of game you play a dozen times if it clicks with you like that

writing and story had me interested at first and then it totally lost me because it introduces characters and then never builds them up... by the end of the game i didn't really understand a lot of the motivations of the main characters and factions.

then again, there was lore dumped throughout the game I mostly skipped, so maybe there was more there that I could've explored... and again, maybe if I really got into it I would've uncovered all this stuff on subsequent playthroughs

i guess the point i'm trying to make here is that I feel like this game has some really cool environments, great art direction, and some revolutionary ideas about movement in a first person game, so it deserves to be remembered for that.

like all good art I feel like it's gotta have people who really like it, people who bounce off it, and other people who look and appreciate. I feel like the last. I appreciate a lot about this game, but I also don't really want to play it ever again lol

highkey it's because i found a lot about movement awkward compared to modern games, and there was a few really frustrating moments where it really soured my experience overall. I enjoy challenge in games, but when I died it was usually from jank, so it was annoying vs. something I could learn from and improve with

i liked a lot of the ideas overall though, and when it was cool, it was really cool. I'd recommend you try it, especially on the cheap

6.5/10

no achievements only found out after completing game without firing a shot

This was a good game. Although old, it still looks pretty good. The parkour was fun, though I did find it frustrating a couple of times, though that was probably more a skill issue than anything else (played with a keyboard & mouse). The combat wasn't the greatest, though I did like the slow mo, and disarming people. The game could of done with being a bit longer, but that's more down to enjoying it and not wanting it to end.

I played solely with the Deck (connected to the TV), and it worked pretty much straight out of the box, though I did disable Physx as recommended by other users.

Mirror's Edge is a parkour based action game in which your sister has been framed for murder. The movement in this game is great, it's fun traversing the levels throughout the game, though the game is absolutely at its best when you're out on the rooftops. The combat isn't too great, and I spent most of my time running around the enemies any time I could. The voice acting in this game is incredibly bad, the story is not very interesting, and the game is only about 4 hours long. In my opinion, all of that can be overlooked because the game has a good grasp of what makes it unique, creating a fun and focused experience and not overstaying its welcome.

Generally a nice game, but the controls are clunky and some levels are really annoying.

Completed main story in 5.4 hours according to Steam.

Giving it a dislike with the hopes that Mirror's Edge: Catalyst will be better.

Only recommending this because the game itself is so good, the very best first person movement game ever made. However, getting it running well on Modern hardware, especially on an AMD rig is a pain and when you do finally figure it all out and get things going smooth, the game constantly leaves your window even with a tool that locks your cursor to the window, making it annoying and frustrating throughout.

If you have an Xbox, get it on there instead.

There are moments when Mirror's Edge is too frustrating for its own good, especially on modern PCs. Sometimes it doesn't react the way it reacted in other, very similar situations, leaving you to slide down a wall rather than jump off it. And the combat... Well, the less said about the combat, the better. But when Mirror's Edge works, it *sings*. And while I'm not as down on the sequel/reboot as others, the city from the original game feels so much more tactile, where Catalyst's city of Glass feels like a video game environment. God, I hope that we haven't seen the last of Mirror's Edge, and I hope that if it ever gets picked up again, they take at least as many pointers from the first game as from the second one - but next time? Skip the combat, 'kay?

Parkour fun, combat is just awful and does not fit in the game

(SPOILER WARNING)
1. screw EA
2. don't screw over DICE
3. this is an incredible game
4. Mirror's Edge Catalyst (MEC) is not a sequel or prequel to Mirror's Edge (ME)
5. both great games that could be bought in a bundle for €19.99 not on sale with DLC included
6. this did release for the Xbox 360 so it is an old game but it is a gem
7. learn some glitches because it will help to avoid pursuit cops

I really love this game. The atmosphere and art design is incredible. Overall I really enjoy the gameplay but I recognize that at certain parts it kind of requires you to know exactly what it expects. I can forgive that because of the overall design, the music, and the vibes.

If you are the kind of person that gets upset with precise platforming in first person then don't play this. You need to go into it expecting a vibe, of running and being chased. If you are looking for 'challenging but fair' gameplay then you will be frustrated. There are so many times where I feel like I hit a certain handhold and fell to my death and it probably was just because I didn't hit the exact right direction. I forgive it because of the story but if you don't care about that then you will be frustrated.

This is the kind of game that I want. It's art driven and vibe driven. The 'sequel' is in the same boat. Love both of them and wish there were more games that took this kind of risk.

Mirror’s Edge is absolutely bloody phenomenal. It’s short, sure—but short and sweet. If anything, it’s the kind of short that leaves a mark. I wouldn’t have minded an extra chapter or two to flesh out the betrayal plotline a bit more, build on the side characters, stir in one more gut-punch before the end, but what’s here is already strong. I’ll be honest, I shed a tear when it wrapped up. If it had gone on just a little longer? I probably would’ve been in bits.

Opening up with the real showstopper, the movement. The game is built around it, every inch of the world shaped with flow in mind. It’s rare to see something this confidently gameplay-first. And that’s not a complaint—it owns it. This isn’t one of those cinematic, story-forward games that promises emotional immersion from the jump. It promised cool, first-person parkour across shiny rooftops, and that’s exactly what it delivers. The freedom to forge your own path, to improvise, to pull off some absolute madness that may or may not have been intended—that’s what makes it shine. I lost count of the times I got up somewhere and thought, “There’s no way that was the right route... but damn, that felt good.”

For something made in 2009, this thing holds up ridiculously well. The textures are raw and high quality, the architecture is beautifully minimalistic, and the visual language is clever without being overbearing. The color-coded environmental cues are a godsend in a game with such quick pace—you can’t slow down to analyze, so the game teaches you to read the world at full speed. It doesn’t hold your hand, either. There are no “Hint: Try this” pop-ups. It’s centered around figuring things out by failing, experimenting, and retrying. And that’s where the game really shines; it assumes you’re smart enough to learn.

Now, let’s talk about the combat, because, yeah, bit of a mixed bag.

It’s not bad, per se—it’s just not where the game puts its focus. That’s fine, until it suddenly does. Early on, it’s just “blues on you”, a couple of cops, maybe a quick scuffle, done. Later on... armored guards everywhere, a dozen enemies at once, and you’re expected to fight your way out. The issue is: the game doesn’t really train you for those scenarios. You don’t gradually build up combat skills as you would in other games—you just get dumped into the deep end. I wish it had more combat earlier to ease you into things, because the tools are there! The melee system has depth, it just hides it in favor for the masterful movement.

Being completely frank here, I didn’t even know I could counter melee attacks until I did it by accident in the Celeste fight. That moment of “Wait, I can DO that?” was cool—but also a bit of a design failure. The game doesn’t encourage you to discover that sooner.
That said, I do respect that it makes you think on your feet. It wants you to get creative. Enemies aren’t designed to be easy targets—they’re meant to make you duck behind cover, reposition, or just run. They were specifically designed to be batshit insane, purely to force you out outta your comfort zone and THINK before you act. The chase sequences reflect that.

When the game tells you to run, you run, and those moments bring out the absolute best in its systems. You’ve already spent the game learning tricks, getting faster, mastering momentum—and now you’re putting it all to the test, with actual stakes snapping at your heels. If anything, I wish these tense escapes were used more often to balance out the heavier combat sections. They tap into the game’s core better than any gunfight ever could.

Movin’ on, there’s something quietly brilliant about the way Mirror’s Edge balances puzzle-like movement challenges. You’ll hit a wall—sometimes literally—and not see a way forward. But if you think about it, recall your tricks, experiment a little? You’ll find a way, and you’ll feel clever doing it. Even the illusion of complexity works in its favor, as some sections feel impossible, but when you pull them off, you realize the solution was there all along.

You’ll be staring up at a ledge, no idea how to reach it, only to realise—oh wait, if I wall-run into a pole, quick-turn, leap off that box and kick-jump off that sign… yeah, that works. It encourages creativity without turning everything into a Rubik’s Cube. I never got stuck more than a few minutes, but every “aha!” moment felt earned, not handed to me.

And then there’s Faith. God, I love this character. She’s grounded, honest, and her whole mission is driven by something simple and human: saving someone she cares about. That emotional clarity makes it easy to root for her. She’s a good person in a bad system, just trying to do the right thing, literally nout wrong with that. You feel like you are her, not just controlling her, and it works so much better in tandem with those glorious animated cutscenes! They could’ve felt disconnected from the slick 3D gameplay, but they don’t. They expand Faith’s world and relationships without dragging down the pacing, and they blend perfectly into the game’s off-kilter, dystopian energy.

Speaking of dystopia… let’s talk worldbuilding.

There’s this haunting, dreamlike quality to Mirror’s Edge’s city. The bright colors and clean surfaces are almost too clean. Rooms are mostly empty. Streets are devoid of life. Where is everyone? The low-poly horizon—probably a limitation to save on processing power—ends up reinforcing the tone. You look out and see nothing but hollow, soulless structures. No cars, no people. Just sterile buildings stretching forever. It starts to feel intentional. Like the game knows it’s hollow. The world is hollow. And Faith is sprinting through that hollowness like she’s trying to outrun the void.

And the music... mate. The soundtrack is the final piece that ties this whole experience together. It’s dynamic, responsive, but above all—it’s got SOUL. During a chase, the drums kick in and your heart’s in your throat. But then, in the quiet spaces, something else creeps in. I remember this one moment in The Shard—you’re in a strange little vent corridor, the music slows, the beats hit at weird intervals, and it just feels like a dream. Comforting, eerie, nostalgic… I don’t even know how to describe it properly. All I know is, it stuck with me. And that final track, as you rescue Kate, pure catharsis. It wraps the game in relief, like a held breath finally let go.

As for replayability, I’m already eyeing those time trials. I haven’t even touched them yet, but I want to. That’s a good sign. The core mechanics are so strong, I don’t even need new content, just new ways to express them. Can’t wait to hop back in and delve deeper into mastering the flow!

Overall, let’s wrap this up. Mirror’s Edge doesn’t beg to be remembered—but somehow, it is.
Ignoring all the phenomenal aspects that theoretically should stand out, the single thing that keeps this experience in my mind, is how it feels to play. It carves out its own little space, where movement becomes instinct, and the quiet between footsteps says more than a cutscene ever could. Sure, it stumbles in places, but the impact it leaves is far cleaner than most games twice its length. It’s stylish, raw, strangely emotional, and when everything fades to black, you’re not thinking about what was missing, not at all. You’re thinking about rooftops, rhythm, and that fleeting feeling of being weightless for just a moment longer than you should be.

Recommended!

This game is unlike any other. This game gives off Portal vibes, but instead of teleporting, you parkour.
Everything about this game: level designs, music, gameplay, story, and characters are superb, and each of those elements complements each other very well. 10/10

This is what happens when you give developers creative freedom and let them pursue their passion.

A one of a kind must play.

Get Mirror's Edge Tweaks to set all the graphics options on modern systems and Mirror's Edge Map Manager for DLC and custom maps.Also one of the best showcase of PhysX, it is not supported on Proton but if you have the hardware for it you should go through the trouble of making it work.

I don't need to go into a several paragraph long spiel on why you should play this game. Ill give you a very short list.
Good music.
Good game-play.
Good art style.
Good graphics.

It's a classic, and I definitely recommend it.

Trilha sonora Impecável, cenários absurdamente lindos, gameplay mt divertida, leve e fluída, jogão da porra

Great game, but buy it on a sale. Too expensive for something only 2 hours long.

Perfection
one of the greatest games i have ever played i think its the perfect neo-futurism game. from the brutalist style buildings to the futuristic minimalist its just perfect.

I absolutely loved this game back in the day. It was one of the first to be a combination of parkour and stealth genres. I can't recommend it due to the unfair, customer-abusing practices of the publisher, however. (EA will literally put a game launcher in your favorite toaster if you let them in your house, I swear.)

There are pros and cons to this game. Pros: this game has some of the most beautiful ambience and music. Running around is the city is a lot of fun. The idea of an all white city is super cool, I also love the architecture. The music is clean and fits the vibe. When you get into the flow of the game, the parkour is super satisfying. Cons: 1.This game might have some of the worst combat ever. the disarm move rarely works, you have to get absolute perfect timing, and then you could still die. Its better to avoid enemies entirely, but there are some cases where that option is impossible. This game have made it easier to avoid enemies and taken out gunplay entirely because its not even that good. 2.This game is super janky, it never goes where you want to go, it feels super inconsistent and tiresome which is why its satisfying when you get it to work. one big problem is that theres no sprint button which i found odd since this game is all about precise movement. I know this game came out in 2008, but games like the finals, titanfall 2, and doom eternal are great examples of how your character does what it tell you to do. All they needed was a sprint, crouch, and action key button, the slow down time thing is cool the first time but annoying after you've died the tenth time trying to get through a combat section. my 3rd and final con which kinda counts is that this game crashes a lot. i only have 5 hours of playtime, but this game crashed 7 times for me, but that can probably be chalked up to just being an old game. Bonus con: this is a nitpick, but faith makes way too many sounds when playing the game. I can be imersed in the game, and faith will a sound every time you do a somewhat challenging move. They should have toned it down to the point where she does it like 1/5 of the time it used to be. Overall the game is alright. story is okay, but your coming here for parkour not something crazy. final verdict: good game, cool ambience, but terrible combat and janky mechanics: 7/10

If you're into parkour type games this might be a good choice. As it is there's very little indication of where you're supposed to go or what you're supposed to do and the mouse and keyboard controls are just atrocious especially coupled with the poor detection of whether you've grabbed a ledge/pipe etc.

I tried. Honestly. Over ten years, this was my third time giving this game a chance. And it's the third time the controls make me rage quit. I wanna like it because the idea of the game is great. But I just can't get over how horrible the control scheme is and how unpredictable your character's moves are.

Whether she will grab the ledge you want, or wallrun the wall you wanna wallrun, or do the wall jump you wanna do is anyone's guess. There's a real disconnect between what I wanna do as a player and what the avatar on screen does instead.

Also, my god, the directioning towards objectives in this game is absolutely terrible. It truly depends on the "lock camera towards objective" button for guidance instead of consistent level design. I wanna say it's a relic from the past, but as a late 00's game, it's really not that old.

By this point in time, games like Half-Life 2 that had already implemented subtle level guidance into the design of the levels themselves had been on the market for years, so it is no excuse. So yeah, unfortunately, I can't recommend this game. Might have been groundbreaking back in 2007, but today it is a total chore to play.

So yeah... Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Mirror's Edge. While it may have been groundbreaking in 2007, it's now a chore to play. And the aesthetics, with their blindingly bright and white visuals, don't help. I suspect this design choice was suitable for the era but is now harsh on the eyes, given our increased screen time. That sucks and is not the game's fault. But it does make it harder to play on 2025 so it needs.to be mentioned. Overall, Mirror's Edge feels like a relic that hasn't aged well.

Super fun and a classic, the gun play is very clunky but its understandable for its age. 9.5/10.
Tried catalyst and didn't like it at all, the change of direction ruined the game for me.

It's really fun! Besides the combat being inconsistent.. and the controls being pretty bad at times.. and the horribly inconsistent objective direction.....

For a game from 2009 Mirror's Edge appears to be surprisingly fun. The puzzle and combat can be quite confusing but not too hard to solve.
Pros:
- Stunning visuals
- Incredible movements
- Adrenaline rushing gameplay
Cons:
- Despite the fluidity of movements, some camera angles are locked and some interaction spots are unsatisfied.
- Personally, the game is too bright it hurts my eyes.
- Extremely janky gunplay
Total score: 7.5/10

Fun and solid parkour game, just couldn't hook me for whatever reason.

While clearly developed on a budget in graphics and storytelling, this game manages to look and play unlike any other, in or outside of it's genre. A must-play game for anyone who enjoys unconventional titles.

Very fun but short game about running around, would grab in a Sale for 2€

El juego te corre hasta en una tostadora con 4gb de ram y un intel celeron. Ahora que lo rejugue en una verdadera pc debo decir que el physx32 de nvidia hace que el juego se vea mucho mas realista en cuanto a las físicas y efectos como la niebla o agua. Es un juegazo y si bien la historia es un poco meh por asi decirlo, el gameplay y el diseño artistico de los niveles te mantiene enganchado hasta el final. Cómpralo en oferta y juegalo, no se que esperas :D

best game i ever play, the environment gives a feeling of nostalgia and the future, the music and the events are all really perfect.
Amazing that it came out in 2008 and is this good, I recommend it!

I used to have this game on my laptop in 2011 and carry it everywhere, still one of my favorite games, mind blowing graphics for its time. A nostalgic game worth playing again every few years.

imean if you really havent played it at this point then what are you even doing? 5/5 stars, goat game, every platformer fan should play atleast once. Took me under 5 hours to beat the whole story, but i have played this game multiple times before so maybe 6.5 hours if you factor in extra failing and messing around. Not much more after the game ends other than challenging race leaderboard times, and good luck with that on a 16-yr old game

genuinely one of the best parkour games of all time. although it has an unfortunate sequel, it is still, 16 years later, it holds up really well. the art direction is amazing, the gunplay is logical and fun, and the story is incredibly gripping, despite its shortness. gameplay feels fast and punchy, but is punishing enough to be entertaining and compelling. overall, 10/10. If i could experience this in 2009, it would be my favorite game of all time.

The gameplay is a little janky. With very punishing obstacles that means instant death if you make a small mistake, it becomes a game of trial and error until you find the path that the developers intended, or don't and you somehow cheesed your way through an encounter. However, there is occasionally a moment where it all clicks and it feels amazing.

Where this game really shines for me is the art direction. Near-future surveillance-state with bright colors and high contrast? Yes, please. 2D animated cutscenes? That's awesome. And it's even got a fun story and an awesome soundtrack to boot.

A modern classic absolutely everyone should play at least once
Mirror's Edge is one of the most beautiful games of the late 2000's, and its amazing art direction is sitll spoken of to this very day because this is the sort of games that gets its atmosphere and exploits it to its maximum potential.

i've got story with this game, its one of the first games i ever knew off as a baseline, and getting to play it again few years back really made me appreciate the insane risks big companies were willing to take

Mirror's Edge might seem at first like a FPS with heavy parkour elements, but this is first and foremost a puzzle game.
the puzzle being a wall, and your skills the solution
the game uses its color use to guide you through the depths, heights and very beating heart of the city, having you traverse it all and fight off cops in the way

you can run on walls and kick disarm a cop like what else you want me to say
though i will say, the combat is not great, this game does the parkour insanely well but the shooting slows it down a lot, and while i was fine with this many peopel might feel it detracts from the experience
ill let you reach your own conclusions

the story is dead simple and i feel theres not much to talk about, so i'll leave you to find it out for yourself if you play the game

it goes on sale pretty often for like 2 dolla go get it

!!READ BEFORE PLAYING!!:
if you're playing this on an NVIDIA GPU, this game TANKS with default
PhysX and you can fix it by doing the following:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\mirrors edge\" if on Steam.
Once there open the folder called Binaries and delete the following files/folders.
PhysxLocal folder/directory
PhysXCore.dll
PhysXDevice.dll

Enjoy!

(credit to rotanixel for coming up with the steps)

The parkour action is a blast. Combat elements, not so much. If evasion becomes impossible later on, I might dislike those missions.

An amazing looking game, even to this day. I absolutely love the baked lighting and colour palettes. It has an atmosphere unlike any other game I've played so far that I still think about a lot.

The game can feel a bit clunky today by today's standards, but it has a nice sense of mastery to it. Great soundtrack and the story is fairly compelling.

Note that this game has PhysX hard programmed into the physics of it. I have an AMD GPU, so I was getting massive framerate drops during these sections. I would highly recommend installing the Mirror's Edge PC Fix mod if you are also having these issues. It fixed the framerate issues for me completely.

Relatively short game but very fun! Parkour is nice, combat is pretty solid. Story is good and enjoyable. Great soundtrack, and the overall aesthetic of the city is very pleasing. Recommended, but you'd probably would want to buy on sale.

Mirror's Edge is a parkour game that challenges players to quickly traverse obstacles and dodge enemies in order to reach the end. The player is challenged to maintain momentum by quickly stringing maneuvers such as leaping over or sliding under obstructions, as well as more gravity defying stunts such as wall running and zip-lining. Although combat is an intrinsic feature in the game, the player is often incentivized to evade and elude antagonists - and when forced otherwise, using their environment to create the momentum to make your attacks lethal. The most accurate comparison I could make would be playing one of the older Sonic The Hedgehog games. Yes there are enemies, but you've gotta-go-fast.

Substance and style. A game that could come out today and noone would know they were playing a 15+ year old masterpiece. A clever use of bloom, solid color pallets, and 'clean' environments/world building has produced a nearly timeless aesthetic despite being more-or-less realistic.

Mirror's Edge is the product of when vision, talent, and direction meet to harmoniously construct a game that does not fight against itself to deliver an outstanding experience. This game became my most memorable and favorite single player game of my teenage years and has stubbornly held the title of remaining my favorite today.

Runs great on the Steam Deck! Banged it out in abt 10 hrs across a couple of my lunch breaks.

Short and sweet. The parkour in this game is insane, there’s really nothing like it that I’ve played before. When you get into a good flow and you’re climbing and jumping over everything so smoothly, it feels really satisfying.

Only mark I have is the combat. I got the impression Faith is not supposed to engage in combat at all, but there’s some sequences where it feels like fighting is the only option and it feels kinda janky. Really easy to die and easy to whiff hits.

Amazing and revolutionary gameplay for its time! Ok story.

I played this twice or so 10+ years ago, and even after all these years my muscle memory of all the controls are still there! Really intuitive.

This game has aged like fine wine!
It definitely still hold up and I for sure it offers great relay value.

Would recommend.

The game is okay, but some sections (The Boat) are miserably designed, and the combat is inexcusably dogshit.

Unique and refreshing. Mirror's Edge makes much of the movement look so smooth you'd think the game automates most of it just from watching, but believe me when I say it is controlled very manually. Yet, despite that, the game is easy to get into.

Not to mention, it has a beautiful timeless look, and utilizes PhysX really effectively! Though, the PhysX did not work out of the box for me, and I had to do some things to fix it. Can't complain with older games like this though. This is the era of games that weren't Alt+Tab friendly.

this game needs a map workshop to make it inmortal.

Par for the course with DICE's non-Battlefield titles of this era, yet another extremely flawed game that was nonetheless unbelievably important to the evolution of video games. Mirror's Edge is not the birthplace of structured movement tech but was the first game where endlessly chaining those building blocks together was both allowed and encouraged. Despite several near-fatal missteps it remains a very important experience to this day.

thoroughly enjoyable game. timeless masterpiece.

don't recommend doing pacifist as your first playthrough like i did, though... very difficult when you're also trying to figure out where to go

Gotta be at least my fifth play through. This some peak stuff.

The part I find most important in these parkour games, that Catalyst and the Dying Lights after don't do anywhere near as well, is that what you're parkouring on has to be interesting and novel. The level based campaign works so well for this game and the levels themselves are so good, always varied throughout.

I know some people don't like the slower interior portions but I thought they were some of its best sections, I love the feel of a lonely, utilitarian space.

9 / 10

Not exactly my cup of tea, but I can respect what they are trying to do here. This is certainly an artistic piece.

Just remember to turn off PhysX if you have a 50 series or later card, since Nvidia no longer supports 32-bit PhysX which this game uses. The game will still run, but you will be getting low framerates when the fancy proprietary physic stuff happens.

The GPU market by the time I wrote this review is just god awful.

If you haven't played this game recently just do yourself a favor and force yourself to. It's sort of unreal how high quality it is in almost every category compared to what's being released nowadays. And it literally came out in 2009.