I was so thrilled when this game was originally announced. I loved the concept of the first game quite a bit, but I knew the game didn't sell super well so I never really expected a sequel, as much as I would've liked one. Well, this ended up being a pleasant surprise for me. :D



I'm a big fan of shooters, but what I like about this game is that it discourages using weapons. In fact in Cataclysm, DICE has completely eliminated the ability to use weaponry. Instead, you must rely solely on hand-to-hand combat and free running. Basically, they took their unique approach from the first game and turned it up a notch this time around.



The minimal/Scandinavian visual style in the first game immediately grabbed my eyes, and this entry does not disappoint either. Everything has of course been modernized for the current-gen consoles (Xbox One, PS4) and it looks great. I love the art style just as much as before, if not more. The lighting is also fantastic to look at. I admittedly stop and look around and explore in games quite a bit whilst gawking at the graphics, and that was absolutely the case here.



I also appreciate that DICE fleshed out much more of a story compared to the original. It helped me as a player form a better connection with the characters and basically just care about the world of Mirror's Edge that much more. In a primarily single player game, traits like these are crucial.



There is much more to do in Cataclysm. The time trials from the original are of course back again, which makes sense considering much of the focus of the game lies with free running. But they have also added other kinds of activities and a much larger playable area to do said activities. This is one of the biggest upgrades of this sequel: the fact that instead of somewhat linear missions, you can actually explore a huge open world and do main/side quests in essentially the order you want. This made the game a lot more enjoyable than the first for me, and obviously added a lot more playtime.

Overall, I loved this game! I'm not sure it performed so well in sales once again, but I don't care. I loved it just like I did the first one. I can't wait for them to maybe surprise us again with another sequel in the future!