In Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, the sequel to 2008’s Mirror’s Edge, players take the role of a female protagonist named Faith as she uses both free-running skills and gadgets to make her way across a dystopian city called Glass. Featuring amazing graphics, dizzying heights, and a beautiful soundtrack, the original Mirror’s Edge gained an extensive fan base. Now it’s time for Faith’s big return as she speeds across Glass and uses a combination of fast thinking and martial arts to avoid the authorities chasing after her.

The game is set to release tomorrow (June 7), and the developer DICE and publisher EA are both ready for players to come crashing into Glass. The billboard above DICE’s headquarters has been decked out to prepare for the launch, and here are some of the best ways the developer has gotten more fans to join the underground resistance movement.

A Preview To Plan Your Course

The best way to take advantage of the global excitement for Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and to get people pre-ordering, is to get an early gameplay preview in the hands of fans. To this end, EA and DICE hosted a closed beta of the game, which showed off much of the open world free running and combat. Codes were given away through social media channels like Twitter, and most importantly, participants were allowed to livestream their experiences so that those who couldn’t participate could play vicariously.

Things were stepped up quite a bit on June 2, when Mirror’s Edge Catalyst became available on EA Access (Origin Access on PC). Subscribers had a chance to experience up to 6 hours of the game, across two large districts and 10 missions, one week before the game officially released. Catalyst was cleverly used to promote both the EA Access subscription program and the game itself.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst Wallpaper

Explore The City Of Glass

A wonderfully impressive tool that the developers often refer to in social media posts and update announcements is an interactive 3D map of the city of Glass, where the game takes place. Fans can use it for a bird’s-eye view of the city’s layout, or they can zoom in on the model for better detail. Starting with one small district, the developers added new districts to it over time, until there was a full representation of the city. There are also points of interest to click on to learn more about the city’s political factions, locations, characters and more. Information is critical when running from the law and for your life, and this tool has plenty to offer.

Getting Runner’s Vision

Mirror’s Edge features something called “Runner’s Vision,” where the otherwise pristine white world is marked with red to highlight running paths and objects. The developers invited people to see the real world in a different light in a social media campaign called #RunnersVisionIRL. In it, fans posted pictures to Twitter using the hashtag illustrating real-world locations that look suspiciously like they could pass for free-running challenges taken straight from the game.

The idea was taken to a new level at PAX East this year, where at least one Mirror’s Edge fan found a way to navigate the crowds.

CHVRCHES Issues The “Warning Call”

One of the key highlights of the original Mirror’s Edge was a song called “Still Alive,” performed by the Swedish rock musician Lisa Miskovsky. It looks like EA wants to keep to having an unforgettable soundtrack associated with the game, and it turned to the critically-acclaimed Scottish synthpop band, CHVRCHES (pronounced “Churches”), to fit the bill. The band composed an original song titled “Warning Call,” which is featured at the start of the game and in a secret location players are challenged to find as they explore the city of Glass. Alternatively, fans can either purchase the single from iTunes or listen to it on YouTube.

Explore Life On The Mirror’s Edge

EA and DICE partnered with Dark Horse Comics so that the Mirror’s Edge story could make the leap onto comic books. Fans are encouraged to learn more about what happened to Faith in the time between the first game and Catalyst with a six-issue prequel miniseries titled, Mirror’s Edge: Exordium. Scripted by the writer of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, the comic book makes for the perfect way for fans to familiarize themselves with the futuristic world, the city of Glass, and some of the characters Faith will meet.

Mirror's Edge Exordium

No Excuse For Not Playing

In case there are any reservations about getting into Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, DICE provided 64 reasons to play. Reasons include everything from exploring the gorgeous city of Glass, to meeting new characters, to beating up new enemies. There is also mention of the amazing soundtrack featuring an original song by CHVRCHES. Most fans probably don’t need more than one reason to, but now they have 63 more to get them psyched for the game’s release.

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