Sneaking, shooting and more sneaking: Sniper Elite definitely doesn’t reinvent itself with its fifth part. But does it really have to? We provide you with a first play-on conclusion.
I love good stealth games. And that’s despite the fact that, or perhaps because of the fact that they torture me. Because when it comes to sneaking, I’m a perfectionist: if I’m discovered or scrape past the top score for whatever reason, the level is restarted without a blink. Perhaps that explains why games like Splinter Cell, Hitman or even Deus Ex and Cyberpunk 2077 keep me busy for many, many hours.
Sniper Elite 5 now also has the potential to eat up a good chunk of my life – and torture me at the same time. But in a good sense! I’ve already had two hours to try out the latest part of the Rebellion series and I’m positively taken with it. If only there weren’t all the little stumbling blocks – and this story …
Table of Contents
What’s Sniper Elite 5 about?
Story-wise, there’s really not much to tell about Sniper Elite 5. American sniper Karl Fairborne sets off to a new country during World War II to take down a bunch of Nazis in order to destroy a secret superweapon. Yes, again.
All the previous parts of the series have rattled off the same tune, the only difference being the new setting. This time it’s France, where European resistance fighters have to be helped out of trouble and Nazis wet their trousers at every mention of Karl’s nickname, the Shadow.
Sure, I haven’t seen much of the story yet, but first impressions disappoint. Rebellion falls back on an old pattern for the plot, one that didn’t exactly make people jump for joy in the past and is now more than just hackneyed. But is the story such a big sticking point? That all depends on whether you can get over a lame plot in the face of fundamentally fun gameplay.
How does Sniper Elite 5 play?
Sniper Elite 5 doesn’t reinvent itself in terms of gameplay either. But it doesn’t have to. Instead, details have been polished and the familiar sneak/shooting gallery mix has been expanded a little. In concrete terms, this means: I am let loose on a fairly open level and make my way to the objective at hand. How much freedom the available game areas will have in the finished Sniper Elite 5 remains to be seen – in the preview version I only got to see a fairly early and thus relatively manageable level.
In my play session, my goal is the secret office, where the secret documents of the evil Nazi-in-chief are waiting for me, which will tell me more about the secret weapon. All top secret, of course. Sniper Elite 5 leaves it entirely up to me how to proceed. And this is also where it unfolds why the sniper series holds its very own fascination.
Because theoretically I can grab a machine gun at the beginning of the level, head straight for the heart of the Nazi fortress and shoot everything on the way that is not in the trench on the count of three. However, this only works on the lower difficulty levels and if the sometimes hacky cover system doesn’t throw a spanner in the works.
And of course Sniper Elite 5 doesn’t want to be played like a Call of Duty with a third-person perspective – the name already gives that away. Instead, I sneak behind enemy lines, now even taking out my opponents with non-lethal takedowns or thinning them out from a distance right from the start.
After all, I have a whole range of contemporary sniper rifles at my disposal, and I have to take all kinds of factors into account when using them – especially on the higher difficulty levels and with the aiming aids switched off. Ballistics, gravity, the wind and my own heart rate can all be relevant here – if I want them to be – which makes the gameplay pleasantly challenging and complex.
Without a silencer, for example, picking apart enemy patrols quickly becomes a fun game of cat and mouse, as I have to change position after every shot I fire to avoid being spotted. If you then use your surroundings correctly and make use of sniper nests or loudly spitting engines that cover your own shots, you will quickly gain the upper hand against the enemy superiority.
In any case, it pays to always keep your eyes open everywhere in Sniper Elite 5. Be it to find additional targets or helpful information or to unlock new attachments at workbenches. The latter not only provide additional depth for my arsenal of weapons, but also increase the replay value.
The most diverse attachments for the numerous weapons in Sniper Elite 5 give the game a lot of replay value and tactical depth. How long this will motivate in the long run, however, remains to be seen.
Because of course I want to try out the new visor or the new grip I found along the way on my last mission. Rebellion promises 200 different parts here – how complex or extensive they ultimately turn out to be remains to be seen in the finished game.
With alternative entry points, an ever-growing arsenal of weapons, attachments as well as tools and discoverable information that unlocks new approaches, Sniper Elite 5 even feels like a World War II Hitman at times – only not as complex and finely honed.
Who is Sniper Elite 5 interesting for?
Veterans and long-time fans of the series can’t avoid Sniper Elite 5 anyway. Here, even marginal innovations – such as the weapon attachments or aiming via rear sight – should be enough to strike. After all, Rebellion does not change much of the proven formula and only makes small but fine adjustments to it.
But even for general stealth and shooter aficionados without previous experience with the series, Sniper Elite 5 could be a great introduction. In terms of story, they haven’t missed anything in the previous parts anyway.
In addition, Sniper Elite 5 is as beginner-friendly as you prefer with its generous customisation options for enemy AI, aiming aids and the like. Representatives of both camps, however, might inevitably encounter devils in the details: The preview version of Sniper Elite 5 still suffered from an annoying number of bugs. In principle, that’s fine for a pre-release build, but the game will be released in a month’s time. So be sure to wait for our GlobalESportNews test including performance impressions.
Strengths and weaknesses of Sniper Elite 5
What we liked so far
(~) The gameplay: Sniper Elite has always stood out from the competition due to its focus on sniper gameplay and served a small niche. This continues to work excellently in terms of gameplay in Part 5 – with small deductions in the B grade.
(~) The playful freedomt: Sniper Elite 5 lets me loose on small playgrounds where I can let off steam with freely customisable weapons and equipment. (At a distance) shooting, sneaking or clearing levels in close combat only sums it up superficially, there’s actually a bit of World War Hitman in Sniper Elite 5.
(~) The replay value: The level is mastered, but why not play it five more times to discover all the secrets and unlock tools? Sniper Elite 5’s gameplay freedom not only encourages replay, but also rewards it.
What we didn’t like so far
(~) The story: The fact that Sniper Elite does not develop further in terms of gameplay makes perfect sense. But rehashing the same story after four main parts of the series seems a bit convenient. Of course, nobody plays Sniper Elite because of its story, but you could always get more out of a World War II shooter than destroying the umpteenth secret weapon of the Nazi-in-chief.
(~) The Setting: Of course, every Sniper Elite changes location, but just about every game is set in the World War II era. The main series should therefore be allowed to develop further in this respect and doesn’t have to completely reinvent itself. In the meantime, even long-established fans would like to see a bit more variety – as can be seen in the comments of the Rebellion videos on YouTube, among others.
(~) The devil in the details: Sniper Elite is refined, but could be more refined. Sniper Elite is complex, but could be more complex. For example, why not control vehicles or disguise yourself as an enemy soldier to patrol enemy bases? Death to Spies already allowed that in 2007. But maybe I’ve been playing too much Hitman …
Editor’s Verdict
Sniper Elite has hardly changed with its fifth main part. At least in terms of gameplay, however, the series doesn’t need to and is actually well advised to perfect its own formula – even if in this specific case there is still room for improvement.
After all, the Rebellion brand is almost unique in this form on the shooter market, knows its niche players and knows how to serve them. After all, how many modern shooters with a focus on sniper gameplay are there at the moment besides Sniper Ghost Warrior?
With its playful freedom and relatively expansive levels, Sniper Elite is even reminiscent of Hitman in its best moments – just not quite as refined.
