Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Dev Diary Explores the City, Factions, and Dynamic Day/Night Cycles

Two weeks back, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst got the first of a series of developer diaries, and today, the developers over at DICE have released a new one showcasing the design of the city, the various factions within it, and Faith’s role in it all.

“The city of glass is a city with a lot of history,” states level designer Terrence Cronin. “And we’ve tried to build that.” Many of the styles you’d expect from the original Mirror’s Edge are shown in the downtown section, the more gritty-yet-clean areas. In contrast, the newer parts of the city feature a glossier, more glass-like look. These clashing styles are made all the more eye-popping due to the new day/night cycle, a feature absent from the original game.

“So now we have dynamic time of day,” explains level artist Linnea Harrisson. “Which, as an artist, I really love. Because, in the first game, it was beautiful, it was gorgeous. It was these white buildings with big colors. But now, we’ve had to tackle ‘How would that look at night?'”

Alongside these new features are a whole new faction known as ‘Black November’, a group opposing the powerful authorities ruling the city. The runners, while more neutral than them, inevitably get involved due to Faith.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 24 in the US. European regions will be getting it two days later on March 26. A closed beta is available for sign up if you’re interested in getting your hands on the game early, though keep in mind you do need an EA account to sign up.

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This post was originally written by Tanner Fugate.