The Mag Rope: Traversing the world of Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst
Faith needs little less than her running skills, martial arts knowledge, and determination to fight the oppression smothering the citizens of Glass. Guns are not her way - but she does use a few pieces of hi-tech hardware to traverse the city.
The most essential one of these is Faith’s glove and its Manifold Attachment Gear Rope – or MAG Rope for short.
Few people are more attached to this crucial piece of equipment than Producer Jeremy Miller, who’s now standing by to answer some questions about the MAG Rope’s role in Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst.
Mag Rope
What is the MAG Rope?
- The MAG Rope is a device worn on Faith’s forearm that can latch on to specific points in the world, allowing for unique traversal and interaction opportunities. When Faith first gets hold off the MAG Rope early in Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, she uses it to swing over gaps that are too long to jump across.
Upon activation, the MAG Rope shoots out a carbon fiber line, attaching to certain surveillance cameras. The swing is an extension of Faith’s move set and carries her momentum from running into the swing. In the swing, you have control over the speed and direction – and when and how you want to let go.
Initially, the swing function is the only feature of the MAG Rope. There are however upgrades for the MAG Rope that Faith will acquire through the people she meets as her story progresses.
How can the MAG Rope be upgraded?
- The first upgrade Faith will get for her MAG Rope is the VD Torsional Motor. With the significantly more powerful motor, Faith can pull herself up to the attachment point, scaling vertical walls to reach new areas.
Later on, you’ll get hold of a Grappling Tip. This replaces the tip of the MAG Rope with hook extensions, which can be used to pierce and grab certain objects in the city. For instance, Faith may grab and pull out a panel, then quickly jump off it, before the panel retracts again.
Why did you decide to equip Faith with the MAG Rope in Mirror’s Edge Catalyst?
- One reason is the more open city this time around. Crossing a highway - or even a two-lane road – is a surprisingly far distance that just isn’t jumpable. The MAG Rope allows us to maintain a more believable and varied city without being limited by the distance she can jump.
Initially, Faith is a carefree Runner, using her tools to interact with the city purely as a Runner, taking shortcuts and getting to restricted areas in order to complete her runs. As her story progresses, she’ll find more important ways to use the tech.
It was very important to not to make Faith feel like a superhero though - the tool is an extension of her movement, and is not what make her a heroine.
How can speedrunners take advantage of the MAG Rope?
- I think the swing aspect will be particularly interesting for speedrunners. Runner’s Vision will show you clean, safe swing points but there are always more advanced and faster ways to get around. For example, early playtesters discovered a way to wall run, do a quick turn, leap out across a massive urban chasm, and just catch the edge of the activation area to swing across and cut huge distances off of a route. That adds a unique depth and a wider variety of traversal possibilities. It’s pretty risky though!
What do you want players to experience and feel when trying out the MAG Rope?
- I hope players will see the MAG Rope as a natural extension of Faith’s toolset. It’s not just a gadget you activate, it’s part of Faith herself and true to the traversal rules of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. There will many riveting moments for players using the MAG Rope. Leaping off a building during a run, hoping you haven’t jumped too early, only to have it catch just after a moment after you think it won’t – those vertigo moments are amazing.
Sign up for the Mirrorr's Edge Catalyst closed Beta for a chance to try out the gameplay before game launch.
