Parents' Guide to Mirror's Edge Catalyst

There's much to approve of in this vast open-world title. It boldly stands in the face of many of the stereotypes and criticisms normally leveled at action games. Its non-sexualized heroine is a breath of fresh air in a medium known for female characters better defined by their breast sizes than their personalities. The focus on skillful environment traversal as opposed to bloody combat is also a rarity in action games geared for older players. And its story, filled with emotional twists and thoughtful allegories about the companies that rule our lives, and its setting in a gorgeous and distinctive city are a big step up over the bare-bones characters and narratives players were given in the original Mirror's Edge released in 2008.

But it's not perfect. The first-person perspective through which players experience Faith's parkour movement is exhilarating but at times also frustrating because it makes it difficult to properly judge the timing of jumps. It can also be tricky to find your way around the city's rooftop labyrinth. A feature called "Runner's Vision" provides a suggested path, but it's unreliable and sometimes doesn't even work properly. And while combat feels fresh to start, it never really evolves beyond a simple dodge-and-strike formula that lacks much in the way of strategy or satisfaction. Mirror's Edge Catalyst is still well worth playing if only as confirmation that an action game with a strong female lead and only a minor focus on combat can work, but you'll likely finish it thinking about how only a few small design changes might have improved the experience.