Confession time: I’ve replayed Mirror’s Edge Catalyst four times. Yes, four. Despite its mixed reviews, despite its empty open world, and despite EA shutting down the studio that made it.
There is something about this game that refuses to let go.
Released in 2016 as a “reimagining” (not a sequel) of the 2008 cult classic, Catalyst tried to do something bold: take a tight, linear parkour puzzle and stretch it into a sprawling, first-person action-adventure playground. Did it work? Kind of. Sometimes. And when it does work, it’s pure, uncut magic.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a game of trade-offs. It trades tight, linear level design for freedom of exploration. It trades the novelty of the original for technical refinement. Mirror-s Edge- Catalyst
What works: The movement system is fluid and satisfying, the visual design is peerless, and the atmosphere of a sterile, controlled society is palpable. What doesn't: The open world can feel repetitive, the combat interrupts the pacing, and the story fails to reach the heights of its visual ambition.
For fans of movement shooters or cyberpunk aesthetics, Catalyst is a unique gem. It may not have been the perfect sequel fans hoped for, but it remains one of the only games that truly makes you feel the wind in your hair and the vertigo of the fall.
Score: 7.5/10 — A beautiful runner that occasionally trips over its own feet. What Works: The Flow State Let’s start with the obvious
Let’s start with the obvious. Catalyst has the best first-person movement ever created.
Forget guns. Faith Connors is a human bullet. The moment you stop thinking about individual buttons—jump, coil, shift, wall-run—and start feeling the rhythm of the city, the game transcends its flaws.
The “Shift” ability (a mid-air directional dodge) changes everything. It turns momentum into a weapon. Sprinting across a rooftop, shifting under a pipe, kicking off a wall, and then grappling up a skyscraper… there’s nothing else like it in gaming. The sound design—the wind rushing, the glass crunching, the thud of a perfect landing—is ASMR for adrenaline junkies. Sprint + Direction : Always sprint; momentum is key
And the Magnetic Grappling Hook? Yes, it’s unrealistic. Yes, it’s basically a magic winch. But launching yourself across a 200-foot gap and slingshotting onto a billboard? I don’t care. It’s joy.
If you are looking for a deep narrative RPG or a competitive multiplayer shooter, Mirror's Edge Catalyst will disappoint you. But if you are a fan of:
...then this game is a hidden gem.
