The Mirror's Edge
Throughout the entire history of video games, it is an extremely unique IP.
A dystopian city so pristine it could appear in a player's dream.
A representative of the punk spirit.
In terms of sales, Mirror's Edge is hardly a standout title.
But in terms of influence, it carries immense weight.
In the era when it was created, no one imagined that 3D games could be done this way.
People at the time were immersed in Half-Life's stunning narrative FPS design and enjoyed the popcorn feast brought by classic titles like Battlefield and Call of Duty.
FPS almost became synonymous with 3D first-person games.
It's like asking if someone's work doesn't include guns; that would be quite unusual.
But Dice Studio decided to say no to this rule.
The studio that created the Battlefield series decided to take a different approach, exploring another possibility. "Parkour."
Parkour.
Lin Lixin said, "Write this word before the game's name."
Instead of the traditional monster-slaying level design, Mirror's Edge turned to the popular 2D platforming genre.
In traditional platform games, such as Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the fun has never been about stomping Goomba or launching them into the air.
It lies not in the movement itself, but in the act of moving.
Movement itself can be very interesting.
Did it succeed?
It's hard to say.
Metacritic gave it a score of 81, IGN gave it a score of 8.3, and Gamespot gave it an even higher score of 8.5.
Judging from the ratings, it is undoubtedly a masterpiece.
EA had high hopes for it, expecting it to become a new heavyweight IP like Battlefield and Need for Speed. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a classic example of a critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful "work of art."
During its long tail period, although it gradually grew into a million-dollar masterpiece, it always fell short of that one crucial element and could not compare with other money-printing machines from EA.
Especially for Dice.
Mirror's Edge is definitely a project with extremely low cost-effectiveness.
Instead of spending a fortune to make a sequel, it's clearly more cost-effective to create a Battlefield with a smaller budget.
Neither Dice nor their boss, EA, could accept continuing to invest in this unprofitable project.
So after the sequel, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, which came eight years later, the IP was completely shelved.
Although it was not commercially successful.
But the successor to Mirror's Edge went on to create countless excellent works in the future gaming world.
This naturally includes Respawn Entertainment, another EA-owned studio that has absorbed a great deal of DICE experience.
Sima's Rebirth.
The influence of Mirror's Edge is clearly visible in Titanfall and Apex Legends. Respawn Entertainment places particular emphasis on mobility and the thrill of running when designing their games.
Whether it's the Pilot's parkour skills or the Dove smooth controls in Apex Legends, they are largely inherited from Mirror's Edge.
Besides EA, Dying Light is also a classic parkour game, but it's not as pure as Mirror's Edge.
Thanks to modern, advanced hardware, it cleverly combines parkour with a true open world and zombie apocalypse survival.
This new kind of excitement has indeed injected new life into parkour games.
Of course, there are also amazing and unique titles like Ghostrunner.
Before " The Mirror's Edge ".
Image quality is something manufacturers love to pursue the most.
After it.
Operability, feel, and smoothness—these seemingly intangible aspects have been truly valued by designers.
Although it did not continue to exist, its ideas laid a solid foundation for modern video games.
However... a small problem has arisen now.
"Parkour? What does that mean?"
"Um?"
Hearing Sam's question, even Lin Lixin was taken aback for a moment.
He glanced around at the development team members present and noticed that everyone's expression was similar to Sam's.
"You don't know what parkour is? Oh..."
Lin Lixin slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what he had just realized.
Parkour culture is a concept that only emerged in the 1990s.
Although it originated in Europe as early as the late 1980s, it did not truly enter a period of vigorous expansion until around 1994.
At this point, parkour culture had not yet spread to North America; it was still a completely new concept.
For these people, this is a completely obscure word.
For Lin Lixin, who lives in modern times, this word is extremely familiar. It can be seen in various fields.
Even a pure sandbox game like Minecraft has a dedicated community of parkour enthusiasts.
[grw team is recruiting. mp4]
In modern times, parkour culture has long been a familiar term to everyone.
You can often find videos on video websites showcasing parkour pros' amazing skills, as well as compilations of mistakes that will make your palms sweat.
"Is this... about to make history again?"
Lin Lixin felt somewhat helpless.
This was purely accidental.
"Ahem, 'parkour' is a neologism I made up. It comes from a niche culture in Europe, which I came across when I was on a business trip to Europe."
He explained that a longer string of letters was written under the word.
[parcours du combattant]
This is French. When Lin Lixin went to France to seek a job at Ubisoft, he had crammed on it for a while. "Simply put, it's an obstacle course, a kind of military training method. Participants will traverse the city, climb walls, and even cross rooftops to find the fastest route to the target point."
Unlike North America, which features either vast expanses of single-story rural houses on the West Coast or towering skyscrapers on the East Coast, this region is different.
Europe architectural complexes, however, are different.
Especially in the suburbs of Paris, where parkour was born.
This area is dotted with numerous low-rise residential buildings of four or five stories, and because the land area is not as vast as that of the Americas, the buildings are more densely packed.
Large concrete platforms, and of course, exposed building structures, balconies, and low walls.
The small park, interspersed with dense residential areas, forms a natural and vast obstacle course training ground.
Only in such an environment could the "simple and honest" old Paris have given rise to the unique street culture of parkour.
In the 1980s and 90s, the Internet had not yet taken off, and entertainment options were limited.
In their spare time, people choose sports such as skateboarding or soccer.
Meanwhile, a group of exceptionally rebellious kids, led by David Belle, chose a more radical path.
They climbed onto rooftops and removed tiles! They turned the entire community and the whole city into their own entertainment, moving between buildings.
The France believe in natural training methods, advocating the use of one's own body to adapt to various environments, which is essentially a form of self-cultivation.
Lin Lixin continued to explain.
At this point, everyone has probably already figured out what's going on.
What exactly is he planning to do?
"Lin, do you mean... to make Paro... Parkour the core gameplay? To let players control characters to jump off buildings?"
"It's not about jumping off buildings... well, that's about it. We're making a 3D platformer game."
If you're looking for a game to test the power of the new process, Mirror's Edge would be an excellent choice.
Because the most important thing for a parkour game is a smooth experience.
If the game itself lags or has long loading times, it can drastically reduce a player's score.
"I see..."
Sam nodded. "But will this really be fun? Just letting players run around the map all the time? Aren't you going to design a combat system?"
"There will be combat... but it will only be a supplement to adjust the pace; the core is still parkour itself."
This is perhaps the most amazing thing about Mirror's Edge.
Whether it's Ghostrunner, Titanfall, Apex Legends, or Dying Light, while they all inherit some of the bloodline of Mirror's Edge, they all tacitly avoid repeating its old path.
How exactly can we make parkour itself fun?
It's really hard to imagine.
For these works, parkour is just an add-on; the core gameplay is something completely different.
Because navigating the map itself is, in all games, a kind of... cost.
Just like an RPG.
Few people truly enjoy the journey, and this is true for most traditional FPS games as well.
Running is merely a buffer between battles.
Everyone just wants to skip this part as quickly as possible and get to the exciting gunfights. "As I said, this will be a 3D platformer, so we'll be designing it with a similar mindset."
How to do it?
"Flow."
"Flow?"
Almost the instant he heard the word, the theory flashed through Sam's mind.
This has become the design paradigm for Gamenova.
By ensuring a state of flow, players can become completely immersed in the game.
"Right, flow, but not just mental flow, it's also motion flow."
Lin Lixin grinned.
For parkour games, what's truly terrifying is never being killed by enemies or failing in various ways.
Instead... it was interrupted.
Gamenova has already researched this point. The most suitable model has already been developed.
Lin Lixin didn't rush to explain further, but instead went to the cabinet and started rummaging through it.
Before long, a game exclusive to Sega Genesis appeared in his hands.
Sonic the Hedgehog
"We can't think of it as an action game, but... let me think, it's a rhythm game! Yes!"
"Ha?"
"Smoothness! Everything should serve smoothness! That's the core of parkour."
As players skillfully traverse obstacles, they cross the route with an almost exaggerated gait without being slowed down in the slightest.
The exhilaration and joy were indescribable.
However, even the slightest mistake in the middle, whether due to obsessive-compulsive disorder, the pursuit of a higher score, or an interruption of flow, can lead to problems.
This feeling of intense discomfort, like being torn apart, will involuntarily arise.
It forces players to keep retrying until everything runs smoothly, like hitting a full combo in a rhythm game.