Gunplay and the ability to pick up rifles has been completely dropped ahead of Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst because it “fits a lot better with the game mechanics,” according to DICE Senior Producer Sara Jansson.
In a game world that places such a heavy emphasis on movement and parkour, the creative team opted to remove what turned out to be one of the most critiqued features of the original, and here’s what Jansson had to share about Faith’s Batman-esque crusade.
“Faith will fight, but she doesn’t kill,” said Jansson. “Now the fighting is more of an extension of the movement. It builds on the flow. It fits a lot better with the game mechanics. When Faith is in flow, when she stitches together move after move without failing and keeps her momentum going, she’s actually invulnerable to bullets. That can keep her out of harm’s way. It’s only when she stops that she can get hurt.”
It’s no secret that the original Mirror’s Edge was somewhat of an uneven sleeper hit, and gunplay proved to be one of the awkward stickers that threatened to derail the title’s fluid, hyper-kinetic gameplay. Perhaps that’s why Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst has some questions to answers ahead of its release next year.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst will slink onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on February 23, 2016. But what do you think of this new approach to Faith’s character? Indeed, do you believe it’s befitting for an experience where twitch-based movement is king? Let us know below.