For the last few days since Apple opened up the iPad AppStore internationally, I’ve been playing Mirror’s Edge for iPad.
Mirror’s Edge was a 2007 First Person ‘Runner’ (as opposed to shooter) which made a bit of a splash and was bundled with the PS3 for a while (which means it can be found very cheaply in most second-user Game Stores).
Personally I found the game relied on the PS3 gamepad too much which I find difficult to use so I never got past the demo before switching it off. On the other hand, I’ve been finding Mirror’s Edge for iPad to be extremely compelling but I think this might be cause it’s a bit more linear, the controls make a lot more sense (as well as being simpler) and I think it reminds me of some other games, like Saboteur! for instance. Released in 1985 by Durell, developed by Clive Townsend, it was extremely compelling though the video may seem old and outdated by our modern standards.
The aim of the game was to fight your way through a 2D maze and retrieve a floppy disk. How totally and utterly 1985! Looking at Mirror’s Edge for iPad, it’s not hard to see how this game could be revived and made extremely compelling. The same can be said for the Tomb Raider franchise, hint hint!
What makes Mirror’s Edge beautiful? There’s the lovely screen, the great perspective, the easily learned controls but there’s also a non-violent element as well. The character, Faith, defeats enemies by slide-tackling or jump-kicking them (as well as a nifty disarm) but there’s no gunplay. The story is not strong and poorly presented by a crawling text banner when an audio or video commentary would have been so much more appropriate but I find the replay value to be high and the Speed Run (where you attempt levels trying to get the fastest times possible) adds another level of competition. Speaking of competition, the single-iPad two-player version is good fun as well – but it’s screaming out for a WiFi co-op or competitive version.
So if anyone wants to remake Saboteur! (or the sequel which involved stealing punched tape), then I’d suggest you look at Mirror’s Edge for iPad before starting. If you’re overcome by nostalgia and want to re-play Saboteur!, then you can grab it from World of Spectrum.