Check out the trendy new districts and factions of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

Remember the story of the first Mirror’s Edge game? Because I certainly don’t, possibly due to the fact that I spent half the time upchucking my vertigo away thanks to the wobbly first-person perspective that was just too real maaaaaaaaaan. Anyway, it’s sequel time. The world of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is pristine, beautiful and runs like clockwork. In other words, it’s like a new Apple product launch, a world of the future that is supported by a sweatshop of qualified slave labour to keep the dreams of the future alive.

That’s where you find yourself as Faith, Peter Parkour runner extraordinaire, caught in the middle of a war between a conglomerate and anti-consumerist forces. Or something like that. Man, the Apple references just write themselves for this sequel. ANYHOO, there’s a bunch of new districts to explore in Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, which was described on the official website. Here’s a rundown of those trendy new hotspots:

Anchor

The Anchor district is one of the most affluent areas in Glass, its many tall buildings standing as proud heralds of the powerful corporations based here.

Full of the city’s most popular nightclubs, young citizens make frequent visits to “The Anchor” for nightlife and shopping.

One spectacular construction project within Anchor is the gigantic Bauble Mall. When finished, the Bauble will be the most opulent shopping center in Cascadia – a true monument to the success of the Conglomerate way of life.

Downtown

Located in the very center of Glass, Downtown stands as the proud modernized center of the city. Among the busy and dense streets you’ll find a slew of fashionable boutiques and notable sights like the Elysium Corporation building – home to the world’s leading medical research professionals.

There have been reports of illegal activities in this area; with so called “Runners” roaming the rooftops. Citizens should not be alarmed however; the nuisance is being effectively dealt with by KrugerSec personnel.

The View

A prosperous residential area dedicated to “upwardly mobile” citizens, Ocean Glass View, or “The View”, is by many considered to be the final step before getting invited to Sky City. If you’re looking to get away from the intensity of Downtown or The Anchor, The View is well worth a visit.

Here you can walk along the seaside promenade, picnic, and perhaps visit The Marina. On free days it’s not uncommon to see families enjoying the beach while their children play in the surf.

So who’s running the show behind the scenes? In Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, there’s a power struggle between the Conglomerate, Runner factions and the Black November resistance group:

The Runners

The Runners are a special group of voluntary offGrids who’ve decided not to be part of the Conglomerate machine. Living on the rooftops and grouping together in tight-knit Cabals they race across the urban landscapes, performing burglaries and courier jobs for those willing to pay.

The Corporate Houses secretly depend on the Runners for their constant scheming and though KrugerSec has a standing order to neutralize any Runner on sight, some claim that they are not clamping down as hard on them as they could.

The Conglomerate

The Conglomerate consists of 13 corporations, each run by a powerful family or Corporate House, who together rule the nation of Cascadia. Locked in a constant power struggle, the Houses are prepared to go to extreme lengths to advance their positions within the Conglomerate hierarchy.

Among the corporations can be found the security forces of KrugerSec, the tech specialists at Silvine Systems, and Elysium Corp., who specializes in medical research and healthcare.

Black November

Black November is a resistance movement led by Rebecca Thane, once a prominent protest leader, who turned to violent methods following the November riots almost two decades ago.

Constantly hunted by KrugerSec, Black November do what they can to terrorize the authorities and incite a general revolution among the employs.

They strive to avoid civilian casualties, but lately Rebecca has been hinting that all regular employs are silent supporters of the Conglomerate and the tyranny. Therefore they too should be made targets so that they are forced to understand what their silent consent is causing.

That one company sounds distinctively souff effkriken I think. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is out on May 24 for the usual trio of platforms. It’s also got a grappling hook upgrade, which according to Batman makes everything better.EVERY. THING. Now watch me as I use one to grab some food with which to make lunch on a gas hob, because this can’t possibly go wrong.

Last Updated: March 18, 2016