With E3 around the corner, EA has become the latest publisher to officially unveil one of it’s upcoming marquee projects, announcing Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst this morning. In a statement posted on the game’s official development blog, senior producer Sara Jansson confirmed the game’s title, as well as announcing that it won’t be a sequel, but rather, a reboot.
“Mirror’s Edge has always had a special place in the hearts of all of us at DICE. The first game had a lot of promise. It was unlike anything else in terms of the gameplay and style — it had a unique soul. But as much as we loved that game, we knew it could be more. So that’s what we have set out to do as we introduce Mirror’s Edge to a new generation.
“The team has spent a lot of time re-evaluating every aspect of the game and making it a new experience. This is not a sequel, this is not Mirror’s Edge 2. We have landed on a vision that honors the first game — pushing the boundaries of first person movement and diving deeper into the story behind our heroine Faith — but also brings a lot of great new, interesting gameplay and features to the experience for our players.”
Though no gameplay footage or finer details are yet known, the promo image released alongside Jansson’s statement seem to indicate a fresh coat of paint on the original game’s gorgeous near-future aesthetic – suggesting that the reboot may take place even further in the future. As a huge fan of the original game, this concept art has already begun to allay my fears that we could be in for a gritty reboot; something that wouldn’t wash with the original game’s scope and vision.
We’re set to get our first real glimpse at the game proper come E3. Personally, I’m hoping we see the implementation of an open world, with less focus on combat and more focus on movement. Until we know more, though, we’ll just have to have a little Faith.
