It’s blinding. That is usually the first thing people notice when they step out onto the rooftops of the City of Glass in Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Most dystopian futures are damp, dark, and smelling of recycled rain and rusted metal. We've seen that a thousand times. But Glass is different. It’s a sterile, bleach-white nightmare that looks more like a high-end dental clinic than a prison. Honestly, it’s one of the most effective pieces of world-building in gaming history, even if the game itself divided fans back in 2016.
The City of Glass isn’t just a backdrop for Faith Connors to do cool flips. It’s a character. A cold, unfeeling, corporate character that wants to sell you a lifestyle while tracking your every heartbeat.
The Architecture of Control in Glass
If you look at the design philosophy of the City of Glass in Mirror's Edge, you start to see the fingerprints of the Conglomerate everywhere. It’s "Clinical Brutalism" turned up to eleven. The developers at DICE intentionally moved away from the gritty, industrial vibe of the first game’s unnamed city. They wanted something that felt aspirational.
You see, the people living in the high-rises—the "Employables"—think they’re living in a utopia.
Everything is sleek. Polished chrome. Transparent walkways. It’s all meant to signify transparency, which is hilarious because the Conglomerate is the least transparent entity imaginable. By making everything glass, they've ensured there’s nowhere to hide. If you aren't doing anything wrong, why would you need a solid wall? That’s the unspoken logic of the architecture. It’s brilliant.
The color palette is strictly regulated. You’ll notice that specific districts have their own vibe. The Anchor is all about flashy nightlife and high-end retail, dripping in purples and vibrant yellows. Then you have Ocean Pier with its nautical, breezy blues. It’s not just for aesthetics. It’s about branding. In the City of Glass, even the air you breathe feels like it’s been branded by a corporation.
Moving Through the Sky
The movement—the parkour—is why we’re all here. Parkour in this city feels fundamentally different than in other open-world games. In something like Assassin's Creed, you're climbing historical monuments. In Glass, you’re navigating a literal grid.
📖 Related: Is the PlayStation 5 Slim Console Digital Edition Actually Worth It?
The lines are sharp.
A jump isn't just a jump; it's a calculation against the sterile geometry of a skyscraper. The "Runner's Vision" highlights objects in red, which creates a striking contrast against the white. It’s a visual shorthand that tells you: "This is the path of rebellion." Everything else is white, gray, and blue—the colors of the status quo. Red is the color of the intruder. It’s you.
Why the Open World Actually Worked (Mostly)
When Mirror's Edge Catalyst was announced, everyone was worried about the shift to an open world. The first game was a tight, linear experience. How do you maintain that flow when the player can go anywhere?
Well, the City of Glass solved this by creating "highways" in the sky.
The city is essentially a series of interconnected hubs. While you have the freedom to roam, the best routes are still carefully curated by the designers. It’s a bit of an illusion, but a convincing one. You’ll find yourself naturally gravitating toward certain pipes, vents, and springboards because they just feel right.
- The View: This is the posh area. It’s where the elite live. The architecture here is more organic, with lots of greenery and flowing water. It’s a slap in the face to the Runners who live in the tunnels.
- Downtown: This is the corporate heart. It’s all about efficiency. The buildings are jagged and imposing.
- Development Zone: This is where the city is still being built. It’s raw. It’s the only place that feels "honest" because it hasn't been polished yet.
The scale of the City of Glass is actually quite deceptive. It feels massive because of the verticality. Looking down from the top of the Shard isn't just a "wow" moment; it's a reminder of how high the stakes are. One missed button press and Faith is just another statistic in the Conglomerate’s daily report.
👉 See also: How to Solve 6x6 Rubik's Cube Without Losing Your Mind
The Lore Hidden in Plain Sight
People often complain that the story of Catalyst is a bit trope-heavy. And, yeah, the "evil corporation vs. plucky rebels" thing isn't new. But if you stop running for a second and actually look at the world, the environmental storytelling is top-tier.
Listen to the PA announcements. Read the digital billboards. The City of Glass is obsessed with health and productivity. There are advertisements for "GridLeaks" and "Focus" enhancements. It’s a society that has voluntarily traded its privacy for convenience and a shiny aesthetic.
The "Grid" is the digital layer that sits on top of the physical city. Every citizen is connected to it via a CCU (Cortex Control Unit). This is why the Runners are so dangerous to the authorities. They are "off-Grid." They are ghosts in a world where everyone is tracked. When you’re running through the City of Glass, you’re seeing the world without the corporate filter. You see the vents, the trash chutes, and the maintenance catwalks. You see the "organs" of the city that the Employables are taught to ignore.
The Sound of a Sterile Future
We can't talk about Glass without talking about Solar Fields. Magnus Birgersson’s soundtrack is the soul of this city. It’s ambient, electronic, and slightly detached.
It sounds like a heartbeat inside a computer.
The music dynamic changes based on your movement. When you’re standing still on a rooftop, looking out over the ocean, it’s dreamy and ethereal. Once you start sprinting, the percussion kicks in, and the city starts to pulse. It perfectly captures that feeling of being a small, organic thing moving through a giant, synthetic machine.
✨ Don't miss: How Orc Names in Skyrim Actually Work: It's All About the Bloodline
Misconceptions About the Design
A lot of critics at launch said the city felt "empty." I think they missed the point. The City of Glass is supposed to feel empty. It’s a manicured, controlled environment. You’re not going to see crowds of people on the rooftops because the rooftops aren't for people. They're for HVAC systems and security drones.
The emptiness reinforces the isolation of Faith’s journey. You are a shadow in a world of light. If the streets were crowded and the roofs were full of life, it wouldn't be Mirror’s Edge. It would just be Grand Theft Auto with more jumping. The loneliness is a feature, not a bug.
Practical Ways to Experience the City of Glass Today
If you’re heading back into the game or trying it for the first time, don’t just rush the main story. You’ll miss the best parts of the map.
First, turn off the "Full" Runner's Vision in the settings. Use "Classic" or turn it off entirely. This forces you to actually look at the architecture of the City of Glass to find your own way. You’ll start noticing subtle cues like scuff marks on walls or the placement of air conditioning units that tell you where you can climb. It makes the world feel much more tactile and real.
Second, spend time in the View during the night cycle. The lighting engine in Catalyst was way ahead of its time. The way the neon reflects off the white surfaces is genuinely stunning. It’s one of the few games where the "photo mode" feels almost mandatory.
Lastly, pay attention to the audio logs. They fill in the gaps about how the Conglomerate took over and what happened to the old world. It adds a layer of grime to the shiny surfaces that makes the rebellion feel more justified.
The City of Glass in Mirror's Edge remains a high-water mark for aesthetic-driven game design. It’s a world that feels both impossible and terrifyingly plausible. Even a decade later, few games have managed to create a setting that is so beautiful and so unwelcoming all at once.
Next Steps for Navigating Glass:
- Master the Skill Roll: It’s the most important move for maintaining momentum after a long drop. Practice the timing on the lower roofs of Downtown before hitting the skyscrapers.
- Explore the Omnistat Tunnels: If you want a break from the white-and-blue aesthetic, these underground areas offer a much grittier, industrial look at the city’s foundations.
- Focus on Movement Upgrades: Prioritize the "Double Wallrun" and "Turn" skills. These open up much faster routes across the City of Glass that the basic move set can't reach.
- Check the Map for GridLeaks: These collectibles aren't just for completionists; they usually mark the most challenging and interesting parkour puzzles in the open world.