By ArchiveSearch Staff
Running through crowded streets or leaping across rooftops is impractical in everyday life outside of parks, beaches and sports fields. Video games remove those physical limits, letting players sprint across city rooftops and walls through mechanics inspired by free running and parkour.
Parkour focuses on moving rapidly through an environment by vaulting, climbing and jumping past obstacles in a continuous flow.
Free Running
Free Running was developed by Rebellion Developments and released in 2007 for PlayStation 2. Players move through urban courses and clear obstacles using vaults, wall runs and acrobatic flips.
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge, created by EA DICE, came out in 2008. The story follows Faith, a courier who carries messages across a heavily monitored city by sprinting over rooftops and scaling walls. It appeared on PlayStation, Xbox, Windows Phone, iOS and PC, followed in 2016 by Mirror's Edge Catalyst.
Prince of Persia
First released in 1989, the Prince of Persia series spans PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Nintendo and PC. Later entries became well known for fluid acrobatics that made running along vertical walls look natural and smooth.
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden, developed by the Japanese studio Tecmo, combines fast combat with wall running, climbing and aerial jumps. The spin-off Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z launched in 2014, with entries in the franchise available across PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox systems.
