I recently completed Mirror’s Edge for the second time. The first time through I was just playing for fun, exploring the game’s mechanics and environments. But the second time I meant business. My goal was to play on hard difficulty, find all the hidden packages, and complete the game without firing a shot. Although I knew my way around the levels it still took a while due in large part to some epic-scale brawls. But with plenty of trial and fail, I finally discovered some very powerful melee combos to string together.

The most effective combo I found was the slide kick followed by a power kick. Start by sliding into a target and kicking, causing your victim to double over. As your target catches their breath, stand-up and perform another melee strike, causing Faith to land a powerful kick. It’s lights out for patrol and riot cops after performing this maneuver, and it’s much quicker and safer than trying to disarm them. When facing off against tougher enemies, such as SWAT cops, the combo is less effective requiring more melee strikes to take them down, often leading to a powerful double fisted punch if you keep attacking. But don’t even try it against SWAT support cops. Race in with a slide kick then immediately activate reaction time and grab their light machine gun before they can shoot or smack you with it.