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The free-running hero of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will taking a completely hands-on approach to combat, it seems.
Faith was able to utilise various firearms in the original game in the series, 2008’s Mirror’s Edge – despite players being encouraged to punch and kick their way out of encounters.
The gunplay’s uneven mechanics were a common criticism of the otherwise largely beloved cult hit.
Now, EA has dispelled worries that next year’s followup would try and increase the presence of guns in the game, by revealing that Faith will remain unarmed throughout.
"In Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, you won’t be using any guns at all," senior producer Sara Jansson told Polygon.
"We’ve completely removed that aspect of the game. You can’t even pick them up."
This new focus on melee battles had previously been hinted at on-stage during EA’s press conference.
Developer DICE is even introducing a completely new gameplay system to allow Faith to get fully stuck-in, weaving in the title’s focus on free-running to provide benefits to players that remain fleet of foot.
"The fighting is more of an extension of the movement," Jansson continued.
"It builds on the flow. It fits a lot better with the game mechanics. When Faith is in flow, when she stitches together move after move without failing and keeps her momentum going, she’s actually invulnerable to bullets. It’s only when she stops that she can get hurt."
