Don’t look down.
Nerd alert: I think that Mirror’s Edge is one of the most innovative game experiences I’ve ever had. I felt more in touch with a game world through this game than anything else I’ve ever played, and every time I fall, I have to take a second to stop the minor vertigo I get when I realize that I’m not plummeting to my death. So, when EA (May they burn for eternity.) and DICE (Thanks for Battlefield, but for reals make more experiences like Mirror’s Edge!) announced that they were finally going to release a sequel (It’s not a sequel, but some kind of side-quel that’s not a reboot . . . ? Shut up, Todd!), I was all over this. Funnily enough, I felt that the story was one of the least developed parts of the original game, and now we have a whole lot going on with the licensed book from Dark Horse. I know, that phrase usually means stay away, but with the game’s story so bare from the first time we slipped into Faith’s shoes, I think that everyone can be surprised from the results.
In the game, we knew Faith and her sister (a cop) were on their own, but I never cared much for why. Enter Christofer Emgard’s (There’s supposed to be a little circle over the “a,” I don’t know how to do that.) script, and I suddenly feel more connected to Faith’s situation than I had before. The best video game characters are usually only painted in the broadest strokes, so that it’s easier to step into their lives and take ownership of their actions as your avatar in the game world. This first issue blends some edges on Faith as we knew her, and yet gives us enough distance that we’re drawn to know more in both the story and the game. (February 26th . . . thank god it’s after Valentine’s Day, because I would be in huge trouble.) We get to meet Faith when she is very young, before the action of the first game, when she is very new to being a runner. Some tech has changed, which is making an impact in the new title, and this is a good introduction into this slightly parallel world. There’s everything you could ask for in a futuristic, cyberpunk-esque dystopia: shady corporate power-monger; fringe group of lawbreakers who fight for themselves over any cause; and very gray moral area that everyone seems to operate in. I love it.
The artwork feels right on the money for the style of the game. I loved how the original game used lots of silhouetted and block colors, but they were somewhat reminiscent of the e-surance ads, so I’m glad they’ve established a new style that feels more connected to the gameplay in this series. The game is all about action; kinetic force and Mattias Haggstrom and Robert Sammelin make it jump off the page. Everything feels tight and tense, and people explode into movement with no warning. It’s a great talent that translates that sense of motion from the game to the comic so well.
If you’re a fellow cult fan of this oft-overlooked series, you’ll love every panel in this newly developing story as it brings us closer to the game release. If you’ve not yet ventured into the city of hard edges and harder people, then jump on into a beautifully crafted world with a story that makes you wonder just how deep the rabbit hole can go. Either way, this is a great book to check out when it releases on Tuesday.
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