Next week EA will probably show off gameplay footage from Mirror's Edge Catalyst. I hope it looks a lot like this real-life Mirror's Edge video released by Claudiu Voicu.
Voicu's crew of freerunners used GoPro cameras while traversing the rooftops of Croydon and fighting faceless goons indoors. They then used Adobe After Effects and Mirror's Edge sounds to make the video resemble the game as much as possible. An aerial drone was also utilized in some cases for aerial shots, like the helicopter at the end.
"The E3 announcement trailer didn’t give too many clues as to what the new game would feature, but I did try to include some of the combat elements," Voicu said on his blog.
I think they largely succeeded in the attempt to recreate Mirror's Edge but judge for yourself. What's really impressive is that they managed to make the video look like one continuous gameplay session. The cuts aren't obvious at all.
"In the end everything worked out well – even the more ambitious moves were done on the first and only take. It just goes to show how extremely talented, conditioned and professional these Freerunners are. The only near-fatality we had was on the first day, when Phil landed on Mike’s ankle during the first vault/combat move at the start of the run. Somehow this short scene was probably the hardest and longest to do. Mike is now fine and living a happy and prosperous life."
Even if you don't care about Mirror's Edge, the video's worth a watch. The parkour alone makes it deserving of your time. The freerunners pull off fantastic stunts, including a huge roof jump at around 3:28.
What surprised me about the project is that Voicu described it as a "personal project." That suggests that EA didn't have any involvement. I'm sure they'll keep Voicu and his team in mind if they want to hype up a Mirror's Edge game in the future, though.
In the meantime, Voicu hopes to make projects based on other game franchises.
"So next up… Assassin’s Creed?"
EA confirmed earlier this week that Mirror's Edge Catalyst won't be a direct sequel to the first game in the series. Furthermore, they promised that they're making many big changes to the gameplay. We'll see what these changes at E3 in just a few days.
