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In a world where good stealth-oriented games are as scarce as a live service game without a battle pass, we should be thankful for the Sniper Elite franchise. Since the fifth mainline installment launched, I’ve been hooked on it. Few games give you the satisfaction of landing a headshot at 500m while hiding the gunshot with the sound of lightning. Or if you’re not into shooting, which is a bit ironic given the franchise’s focus on sniping, there are engaging stealth mechanics that mirror those of the good old Splinter Cell days. With that in mind, I was excited about Sniper Elite: Resistance. Another opportunity to shoot at Nazis’ testicles in slow motion? Count me in! While I can’t deny I enjoyed Resistance, as a game that brings most of the gameplay mechanics of its predecessors, it felt quite rough at times.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is, as many put it, a spin-off of the series without good old Karl and the zombies we tend to have between mainline releases. Resistance runs a story parallel to that of Sniper Elite 5, which means the game’s setting is more of what you saw in Karl’s latest mission. In truth, I’m always happy for more Sniper Elite. The gameplay remains smooth, satisfying, and quite customizable for those who want to crank authenticity levels up. Still, for a game that changes practically nothing, the lack of polish, gameplay bugs, and certain map designs did not land that sweet headshot the franchise is known for.
Finding the Wunderwaffe
Resistance drops players into the familiar war-torn setting of occupied France. However, instead of bringing Karl for the ride, we take the role of Harry Hawker, formerly known as Player 2 Avatar, in co-op campaigns. In this campaign, Harry’s mission is to track down a devastating Nazi weapon and stop it before it causes irreparable damage to France and other places. Now, one thing that tends to happen with Sniper Elite is that the story is sort of background noise. Let’s face it: we’re here for the gameplay. Still, that doesn’t mean the campaigns are bad. Quite the contrary, Resistance‘s story is enjoyable.
It all starts with Harry sabotaging a dam and ramps up with him pursuing those in charge of the new weapon of mass destruction. The process of doing this was more engaging than I thought. At first, it’s just the same objectives of “grab file A, kill target B, exfiltrate.” But the more you delve into the campaign, the more interesting it gets, and I highly recommend paying attention to the story as it has some well-developed moments, even if most of them are seen through the usual mission-briefing cutscenes.
Yet, the true stars of the campaign are the maps, which I’ll discuss further. However, the design is great. As its predecessor, there are many collectibles to find and things to discover that give you clues for your objectives. For instance, if you take the time to explore every nook and cranny and eavesdrop on some enemies, you’ll get clues for your main task, which makes completing it much easier. In that sense, the fantasy of an SOE Agent the game tries to convey is perfect. Even if it isn’t the most ground-breaking story, the immersion is there, and I think that’s something players will love when playing and even re-playing the campaign.
A Rocky Sandbox
Now, let’s move on to the important part of the game: the new maps. I’ve always been astonished by the incredible map design of the series. It is remarkable how the developers create such intricate zones that might not look big at first, but once you explore, you’ll find these concrete mazes full of verticality and hidden areas. In all stealth-oriented franchises, Sniper Elite has always provided the best maps, and Resistance is no exception. Sadly, some of them are quite bumpy and will distract you from that jaw-dropping design and immersion.
For example, during the game’s fourth mission, you return to the campaign’s first map. I didn’t like this that much because it felt reused, but there were enough new things to make it feel new-ish. However, since it is the same map in theory, I was expecting a smooth ride. Well, that didn’t happen. Harry got stuck while climbing stairs constantly. One tank I wanted to destroy disappeared after I reloaded a save file, and corpses disappeared before I could loot them. Sadly, this wasn’t the only map where issues like this happened.
Usually, I am more lenient when it comes to bugs and glitches. If everything else eclipses the bad stuff, I don’t mind putting up with it. However, since Resistance‘s core gameplay is almost the same as its predecessor, it was disappointing to see this lack of polish in the game’s maps, which, again, are the show’s stars, at least in this situation.
Fortunately, the design is flawless. At first glance, certain areas seem smaller than they look. Take the first map, for example. You see the damn and might think, “Is that it?” But then you delve deeper. You discover a water pump facility and other smaller buildings you can explore, and even inside parts of the dam are explorable. I love this because Sniper Elite: Resistance embraces the concept of “more than meets the eye,” and it pays off almost perfectly. All it needs is a bit of polish post-launch to smooth those edges.
One Shot, One Slow-Mo Kill
There’s a high chance you’ve already seen countless clips of Nazi soldiers getting their heads blown off by a sniper bullet in slow motion. If you have but never knew what game it was. Yes. That’s Sniper Elite. However, summing the gameplay to that only is a bit of a disservice. So, let’s go over what you can expect in Resistance. If you’re a veteran player, it’s almost the same. Yes, there are a few different animations, weapons, attachments, etc. But it’s mostly the same. Even the skill tree will be extremely familiar, which was underwhelming as I was expecting Harry to have something distinctive. Still, it is the same formula that already worked, and many fans will be happy with that.
If you’re a new player, though, Sniper Elite: Resistance is a stealth/action game with a heavy focus on sniping, hence the name. The usual loop consists of dropping a player into one of the maps to complete objectives. As you explore, you’ll find other tasks to tackle. Some will require you to assassinate a target with specific conditions. Sort of how Hitman does it, but without the disguises. In others, you’ll need to sabotage a building or blow up vehicles. These objectives provide experience, which helps you increase your rank and unlock other things.
In every mission, you can pick how you want to approach everything. If you prefer a more close-quarters gameplay, you can sneak around the map and kill all enemies with your knife. You can also go loud and set up traps everywhere. Learning a truck’s route and then placing a mine on the road is one of the best things you can pull off there. Plus, there doesn’t seem to be any downsides to going non-lethal or silent. You can go Rambo mode if that’s what you want. But if you do so, you’ll be missing the game’s best aspect: using your sniper.
If you manage to find a nice vantage spot, you can eliminate every enemy from a distance. The game uses an intricate gun system with terrific bullet mechanics that put players’ skills to the test. When lining up a shot, you can adjust the range and your gun’s zoom and even slow down time to land that perfect shot. After that, you can see the bullet fly in real-time as it crushes an enemy’s limb. I kid you not. Even if the formula is the same, I never get tired of seeing a bullet piercing a soldier’s helmet and leaving the skull through their teeth. It sounds gory, yes, but it is satisfying to see how preparing the perfect shot paid off.
Furthermore, there are so many ways to customize your gun that every rifle, SMG, and pistol will feel different. Every level has hidden workshops. Once you find them, you’ll unlock new attachments. Some give you a new suppressor for your rifle. Others provide you with an increased bullet magazine. And some can even turn a pistol into a mini-sniper rifle. In addition, you can find different bullets that fit every situation. Is an enemy hiding behind cover? Get some AP bullets and make that concrete wall paper-thin. Do you want to defeat two enemies at once? Send them flying away with some high-explosive bullets. Customization is where the game truly shines, and it doesn’t limit itself to guns or combat only.
A Replayable Resistance
Despite having nine campaign missions, Sniper Elite: Resistance provides a lot of replayability. Heck, even a normal campaign mission can take up to three hours to complete if you explore everything. Once you’ve finished the story, you can replay it to find all collectibles, complete challenges, or try the in-depth custom difficulty the game has, which is what I enjoyed the most and deserves to be mentioned.
If there’s one thing I love about Resistance, it is how you can customize your missions. You can go with any of the pre-established difficulty levels. But you can also create a custom difficulty. Do you want deadlier enemies and fewer HUD elements but still have your sniping indications? You can do that. Is completing a mission in authentic difficulty your ultimate goal? You can try that, too! When it comes to sandbox elements in a stealth game, no other comes close to what Sniper Elite has achieved, and that’s one reason why I keep returning to the series.
However, playing the campaign repeatedly isn’t the only thing you can do. The intricate Invasions mode is back, which is the widely-loved multiplayer mode of the franchise. You invade a player’s world and try to hunt each other in a cat-and-mouse situation. But if you’re into multiplayer stuff, there are new Propaganda Missions. You unlock these by finding hidden posters on each level. Each mission has a specific challenge you must complete as fast as possible. Some focus on sniping, some on eliminating enemies with one weapon in quick succession, and so on. I tried a few and found them pretty engaging, but I still prefer replaying the campaign in the hardest difficulty. Fortunately, everyone can pick whatever they like the most.
Same Formula, Less Polish
If there’s been one time when I’ve truly felt a bittersweet taste in a franchise I love, it is this one. See, at its core, Sniper Elite: Resistance could be perfect in the eyes of many. The flashy gameplay is there. The customization is top-notch. The story is surprisingly good. Then why did it leave that taste in me? Because it lacked polish, and sadly, it was noticeable. As a game that translates pretty much everything from its predecessor to Resistance, I was expecting the smoothest possible ride. But it didn’t happen. Instead, I found stairs were Harry’s worst enemies, and tanks had some sort of Nazi invisible cloak because they just disappeared whenever they wanted. Oh yes, and the AI seemed way worse at times, at least compared to Sniper Elite 5.
Still, I must agree that Sniper Elite: Resistance is a great addition to the series due to its map complexity, intriguing campaign, in-depth customization, and high replayability aspects. It may not be the greatest ride at first, but it will be something to chew on while we wait for Sniper Elite 6 or Atomfall. Even if I felt frustration in some moments, I’ll keep playing this for months to go and invading those poor snipers trying to complete a mission. The formula is still quite good, and as long as I can keep pulling some wild headshots at 500m, that’s more than enough for the time being.
Review copy provided by Publisher.
Sniper Elite: Resistance (PS5 Reviewed)
Sniper Elite: Resistance returns with the tried and tested formula of Sniper Elite 5. While that should be enough to make this a great game, it suffers from many gameplay bugs that are highly distracting.
Pros
- Highly replayable
- Superb map design
- A surprisingly good campaign
Cons
- Several gameplay bugs
- Janky enemy AI
