Great idea, terrible execution.
Now, the actual parkour gameplay is amazing. Short sequences of flawless rooftop acrobatics, at first, more than make up for the game's issues. The sense of speed and agility Mirror's Edge provides is something that games often try for, but rarely pull off. However, Mirror's Edge also seems to enjoy breaking those sequences very abruptly to, say, toss you in an area filled with men with assault rifles and no markers to indicate where to go. While this might not be an issue in most games, Mirror's Edge purposely makes combat a one-on-one affair, and scenes like the above will play out to your demise repeatedly. While I, and many others, enjoy a high difficulty level, the experience that Mirror's Edge brings you is often just cheap. And that seems
amplified moreso once you realize the rest of the game is both easy and terribly short.
Visually, the game is quite good. There are obvious graphical flaws during some portions, but nothing you wouldn't notice in another game. The pristine, white dystopia is pulled off brilliantly. However, even though the games one and only setting doesn't quite get old, I wish they had found a way to mix up the level design a little more. Add some rain on the street, maybe? Set it at night? Something to mix up the formula. The cutscenes are presented in a very hit-or-miss cartoon format. I, personally, didn't mind it, but there were moments when movement seemed robotic. I would have preferred cutscenes using in-game graphics, just because they look so good already, but it wasn't really an issue.
Overall, Mirror's Edge is a rent at best. I bought it for fourteen dollars and wish I hadn't. While the game does very well during much of the time you'll spend with it, far too much of your time will also be spent in confusion and frustration as to why the game clearly expects you to do something that doesn't work the first ten times, only to work the eleventh. While the idea is great, and I hope for a (better) Mirror's Edge 2, I honestly wouldn't recommend this game to most players as a purchase.