I’ve been a huge fan of the Sniper Elite series over the years, and have personally loved the gorgeous new locations and crazy missions that each instalment brings. While Sniper Elite: Resistance drops its predecessors’ numbered trend, it also makes this latest entry feel more like a side-step than a step forward.
That’s not a bad thing, however, as there’s plenty to love, from the larger open-ended missions to the functional gameplay and satisfying X-Ray sniper kills. But I can’t help but feel that the game isn’t set on fixing its flaws, many of which have made their way over from Sniper Elite 5.
New Sniper, Same War
It’s goodbye to series veteran Karl Fairburne and hello to British SOE agent Harry Hawker. Harry himself isn’t necessarily deep or memorable, but I can appreciate the shift to a slightly more comedic approach as Harry dishes out a few interesting one-liners after dispatching enemies in style.
There isn’t much of a story here, which is set in 1944 in Vichy France, a Nazi-occupied area in the south of the country. Harry’s adventure essentially sees him being dropped into several locations across the country to dispatch enemies of importance, destroy military assets and essentially destabilise the Nazi occupation of France to help with the resistance that is now building as World War II draws to a close.
While Sniper Elite: Resistance is following in the footsteps of its older siblings, I feel as though a more grounded and linear story would have helped set things apart from Sniper Elite 5. That game was far from terrible, but it lost its footing in terms of pacing. Here, you’ll drop into an area with a particular objective, and work your way into the map as you demolish everyone from a distance and up close when things get hairy.
The Right Tools for the Job
On the other side of that coin, Sniper Elite: Resistance holds onto the same, sturdy gameplay of its predecessors, along with a few surprising additions that bolster the overall experience. The X-Ray sniper kills are still the star of the show in many respects, as the camera follows the bullet to an enemy. As it penetrates their body, we get an exclusive inside look at the damage you have caused, even going as far as to point out when vital organs, and even testicles, have been destroyed. I say destroyed because the bullet is simply shattering everything in its path and causing as much gore as humanly possible. It is satisfying, even after all these years.
An improvement, however, is the way Harry can handle himself at close range. You’ll be able to drop in with not only your trusty sniper but also a mid-ranged assault weapon and pistol for when things get a little chaotic. Holding the trigger halfway will aim your weapon with an over-the-shoulder view while holding the trigger down completely aims down the sights.
While I feel aiming down the sights is a little wonky as the sight simply feels a little too large and invasive, the game feels entirely competent as a standard third-person shooter. You’ll take cover automatically behind cover when crouching, and Harry can also climb ledges and vines to get the upper hand on enemy soldiers. It gives the experience a little more versatility as opposed to having to rely on sniping for any and every situation.
You’ll also have access to accessories like various types of grenades and even a Panzerfaust for taking tanks and high-traffic areas. You’ll even be able to unlock new weapons and equipment as you complete each mission. I can appreciate the fact that Sniper Elite: Resistance leans a little more into action than stealth, and while it can be difficult to survive against larger groups of enemies, it rarely punishes you for playing how you see fit.
The War Rages On
If the main campaign isn’t enough, Sniper Elite: Resistance packs in a fair amount of content with new modes for both cooperative and competitive play. But what I will touch on first though, are the new Propaganda missions. These missions can be accessed by finding and collecting certain propaganda posters in each of the main missions, which allow you to play various characters in other eras of the war. Each mission will usually lean towards sniping, combat and stealth and the experience points gained here can even unlock additional rewards like new weapons once completed.
The entire campaign can be played either cooperatively or alone, with friends able to tackle objectives in various ways and any order for a quicker, more methodical approach. It’s always fun to link up and watch your plans fall into place as you pick off enemies from two different directions only to watch them run in confusion.
Like Sniper Elite 5, you can even pop into the missions of other players with the Invasion feature, which sees you tracking down and killing Harry as he completes his mission. I found this fun at first and it’s also a great way to farm XP, but I will admit, it can get annoying if you’re already having a hard time with the AI or tougher difficulty settings, only to have an actual player stalk and demolish you. that being said, you can turn this feature off so that players aren’t constantly jumping into your missions.
Finally, there are competitive multiplayer modes available as well, which provide your standard fare of multiplayer modes. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before as far as modes and mechanics go, but it’s a welcome addition for the sake of variety.
Look the Part
Sniper Elite: Resistance looks incredibly similar to Sniper Elite 5, which is understandable given it’s pretty much running on developer Rebellion’s in-house Asura engine. It’s still incredibly clean and runs quite well. While a few muddy textures and pop-ins are present, I was impressed with the scope of each map and the draw distance that helps with that sense of openness and freedom.
But on the other hand, Sniper Elite: Resistance is no stranger to a few awkward animations and even some silly facial expressions on Harry, as he either under or overreacts to certain lines and situations.
Even on the PlayStation 5, things hold at a steady 60 FPS, with little to no frame rate drops, even in more chaotic situations, which is always a plus.
Final Thoughts
Sniper Elite: Resistance is certainly functional and at times, downright fun. While it borrows plenty from its predecessors, I can appreciate a few newer features like the Propaganda missions to add to the variety, along with the impressive amount of modes on offer.
While the X-Ray sniper kill-cams are still fun, they haven’t changed over the years, if that’s not your thing. Harry is also now equipped to deal with any situation, giving players more confidence and ensuring the game can play more like a solid traditional third-person shooter.
If the previous Sniper Elite games have drawn you in, you’ll find something work checking out here. But if you’re not a fan, I’m not sure how much Sniper Elite: Resistance is going to do to win you over.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: X-Ray kills are still plenty of fun; Functional third-person action; Plenty of modes to play
Lowlights: Little to no story; Feels like a side-step for the franchise in terms of overall gameplay
Developer: Rebellion Developments, Wushu Studios
Publisher: Rebellion
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a release code provided by the publisher.
