Hands on with Mirror’s Edge for iPhone

As far as pleasant surprises go, learning that Mirror’s Edge was on its way to iPhone takes some beating.

Released around a year ago on console and PC, EA's enjoyable first-person platformer sold over a million - not bad for an original IP, although maybe not as much as EA would have hoped.

Certainly, there's wasn't a Java mobile version, yet here I am, sat in EA’s London HQ, leading chief protagonist Faith through a handful of futuristic urban stages on an iPhone 3G.

Thinking about it though, an iPhone version makes a certain kind of sense. While Mirror’s Edge was criticised on console for being too awkward thanks to an unorthodox first-person view, there’s no fear of a repeat here.

We’re firmly in 2D side-scrolling territory, flicking a direction to set Faith running, and flicking up or down on the screen to initiate context sensitive manoeuvres in the appropriate direction. This might entail a low-hanging pipe that needs sliding under or a crate that requires vaulting over.

The aim of the game is to string successive moves together, maintaining an intoxicating sense of momentum. As such, it begins to resemble a rhythm-action game as much as a platformer – a feeling that’s only enhanced by the thumping techno soundtrack.

Occasionally you encounter enemies – gun-wielding guards and rival parkour specialists – who must either be circumnavigated or taken out.

The more aggressive approach entails swiping up for a flying kick or down for the sort of slide kick more commonly seen on a Premiership football pitch. Alternatively, a counterattack can be initiated by swiping towards your attacker as you near them.

Such encounters are there purely to offer the occasional break in the otherwise relentless pace though. The bulk of play centres on getting from A to B as smoothly as possible.

Despite the presence of a story mode, the main focus of Mirror’s Edge turns out to be Speed Run.

Here you’re completing levels as quickly as possible, racing against your own best times as well as those of your friends via a handy ghost system, which downloads their data and represents it via a second, red-coloured Faith. It’s a format that suits the game to perfection.

So overall, we’re extremely excited about Mirror’s Edge.

EA looks to have taken one of its relatively low key properties and taken it in a natural yet exciting direction. Keep an eye out for our review near the game's planned January release.

Or you can check out the first video footage of the action here.