Imagine a world where totalitarian control reigns supreme and communications are monitored by the government.  There is a lone organization that stands up against the powers that be by employing “runners” that deliver messages of high importance by any means necessary.  These messengers are quick, agile and dedicated.  These messengers make their way across the city on foot by jumping from building to building or walking across pipes or cranes in order to deliver their package.  The city itself is clean in every imaginable way.  There is low crime, everything is clean and the buildings reflect this blinding sterility.  Colors are bright and saturated, but the palette is limited.

This is the world of Mirror’s Edge.

Mirror’s Edge is being developed by DICE in Sweden and published by Electronic Arts.  The concept of the game is that you control one of these messengers named Faith.  Your job is to carry these messages by foot across a massive cityscape.  With the rising popularity of Parkour and free running, Owen O’Brien, the game’s senior producer, wishes to give the player the ultimate perception of what free running is all about.  As the player begins forward movement, the camera will bob up in down and the player will see faith’s limbs pumping to gain speed or flailing during a fall.  The idea is to keep momentum up by chaining together movements, be it a zip-line or a moveable cart, the player must keep faith constantly moving.  As the player begins they will have a feature known as “runner’s vision” which is supposed to highlight possible momentum shifters and escape routes.  As the player progresses through the game, the highlights will become less numerous and it will be up to the player to find their own way.

The main idea of the game is that it should be played as an action adventure title and not as a straight action game.  While the player will have the opportunity to use weapons in the game, it is recommended to use your wits and finesse rather than brute force.  As the video above from IGN shows, the player grabs a sniper rifle from the guard but discards it.  Weapons are to be used as a last resort only.

I’m extremely excited for this game as it has been hotly anticipated since its announcement back in January 2007.  Since then, the game has received much praise of which is winning IGN’s Best Action Game of E3 2008 Award.

The visual and gameplay aspects haven’t been the only thing that DICE has been focusing on.  On July 10, 2008, Gamespy reported that Rihanna Pratchett was chosen to pen the story of Faith and the organization that works to fight back against the government.  While not many people outside the industry know who Ms. Pratchett is, it’s important to note that her work in the game industry has made an impact.   She has been named as one of Next-Gen.Biz’s 100 most influential women in the game industry as well as being nominated for a BAFTA award for her character creation.

Look for Mirror’s Edge to hit November 11, 2008.