British developer Rebellion have redefined the art of sniping in games with their Sniper Elite series, which has seen five main entries and a few spin-offs, since it first dropped back in 2005. Sniper Elite: Resistance is the latest instalment in the franchise. And though it’s not numbered, you could easily call this Sniper Elite 6, as beyond a few tweaks and cast of heroes it’s very much the next chapter.
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But, bewar,e this is very much more of the same. So, if you are a fan of its X-ray kill charms, then you’ll be filling your boots round after round. Whereas if it’s never quite hit the mark with you, I am afraid there is nothing here that will change your mind.
That said Rebellion have got sniping nailed down to a tee. You shoot the Reich a new one across nine or so missions. Each brings with them new backgrounds, challenges and Nazis to put down.
Piece de Resistance
Sniper Elite: Resistance changes things up more on the story front. Unlike most previous entries in the series, it features a new lead character of sorts in Harry Hawker. Hawker is a cheeky chappy type of fella. Well, more so than everyone’s favourite OSS operative, Karl Fairburne.
Fans of the series may recognise Hawker who has previously appeared in the games cooperative mode. However, the new protagonist has popped up in Sniper Elite 3, 4 and 5 as the second playable character.
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The main tale is set in 1944 France. Sniper Elite: Resistance follows Hawker as he fights alongside the French resistance to foil a high-ranking Nazi’s plans to unleash a new chemical weapon. These events run in parallel to the main story of Sniper Elite 5 as they Nazi desperately seek to turn the tide.
Evolution
On the whole the tale is OK, but a bit of a let-down. Sniper Elite: Resistance never really evolves beyond what we have seen before. None of the cast stand out, including Hawker. And this is a real shame, seeing as there was a clean slate to pen a gripping WWII thriller. Or even something tonally more like The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare or SAS Rogue Heroes.
But, instead, it’s very much more of the same on the tale front. The story of Sniper Elite: Resistance does its job, but, you could easily skip it to get to the head popping action.
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Gameplay-wise, Sniper Elite: Resistance builds on past successes. You are dropped into a healthy sized map, and given a main goal as well as a few secondary goals. On top of all that, there are enough secrets to find to make exploring worth your time.
Refined Sandbox
The biggest differences between Sniper Elite: Resistance and previous games is that the maps are much smaller than past games. They do, however, make up for this with having some incredible verticality. For example, what may look like just a dam and village grows into a monster map when you find a secret base built under the dam.
Personally, I really like this small change. It means you never feel like a mission will take hours, unless you want it to and take things slowly. Though, as a returning fan you do get a feeling of déjà vu in some missions, maybe with a few assets pulling double duty from the past games.
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The game also embraces its ‘do what you want’ mantra very well. You are left to your own devices to achieve your missions’ goals however you see fit. You can pick off Nazis one at a time, then stealth your way around the place before blowing up your target. Or, you could just run in all guns blazing, pick up enemy weapons as you go, tossing grenades willy-nilly and just making as much noise as you want.
And that’s the beauty of the Sniper Elite series. It has long since nailed both stealth and action for the most part. You definitely feel outnumbered but never outgunned, when things get up close and personal. However, it’s worth pointing out that ducking and diving around things can feel sluggish. Sniper Elite: Resistance isn’t Call of Duty, fans just wouldn’t like their character too swift and flighty.
European Campaign
Outside of the main campaign, there is a host of modes to take on, with mates or alone. For example, Survival, where you have to fight off set waves of Nazis and last as long as you can. There is a tense and gripping multiplayer, where two teams hunt each other down across vast war-torn maps.
Invasion mode also returns and is as brilliant as before. Invaders have one goal – hunt down and kill the other player, all while your mark is in the middle of the campaign. This is my favourite mode in the game. Nothing beats going into a co-op game and taking out both players by outsmarting them, or, even better, setting a trap.
New to Resistance is the Propaganda mission mode. During the campaign, you’ll find collectible posters which unlock bitesize challenge maps. And these come in a few flavours; assault, stealth, sniping, or a mix of all three. Propaganda missions add in the perfect balance of high-score chasing and challenge, while being a much more focused offering than setting off in a new campaign mission.
Grit and Grime
Visually, Sniper Elite: Resistance is very much business usual. Expect stunning backdrops of the French countryside, bombed-out, rubble-filled factories and everything in-between.
But, when it comes to visuals in Sniper Elite games, the only thing that most folk care about is the X-ray kill cam. Rest assured, it’s a bloody and messy work of art, as you see the bullet gliding into the target, doing its business and then popping out the other side, 9 times out of 10 accompanied by chucks of jaw bone and skull.
Still Snipin’
Sniper Elite: Resistance 100% unashamedly plays it safe and doesn’t really change the formula. Tweaks like the map design, gestapo agents and propaganda missions add to the mix, but there’s nothing truly new here.
As I said at the beginning, this is double-edged sword. Fans get more of what they love, while those who bounced off the game will find nothing to win them over. Add to that the fact that having a new lead and all the possibilities it brings with it is fluttered away really.
If you’re looking to punch, stab, blow up, shoot, or just pop the testicles of a Nazi, Sniper Elite: Resistance is just the ticket as it does all of these and more extremely well.