I only recently gained some experience in the whole x-ray sniper cam game genre last year with Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 and I, for the most part, had a good time with that game. This was my first go in the Sniper Elite franchise and I’m happy to say this was on another level than what I’m used to. Developed and published by Rebellion Developments, this fifth installment of the Sniper Elite franchise really quenched that thirst of horrifically killing Nazis that I am apparently many gamers seem to crave every once and a while.
I have heard before going in, that these games can be quite similar to one another, with perhaps some mild upgrades here and there, I cannot speak to any of that since again, this is my first experience. Taking place in 1944, you play as war hero Karl Fairburne, marksman extraordinaire, as he takes on a ragtag team with him to France to stop Nazis from doing their usual evil Nazi things. The plot itself is very secondary, with tropes we’ve seen in countless other games and movies, but does serve as a solid foundation to set up fun scenarios for you to be the best sniper you can be.
There are a total of eight sandbox levels that are very vast which reminded me of playing a Hitman game. Traversing around the maps in third person was also a welcome surprise, as well as how agile you are. I thought I was going to be playing a first-person shooter, little did I know! The game does a great job of letting you explore and even giving you several options on how to take down your targets. That X-Ray kill cam is also a sight to behold, I thought after a while I’d get sick of it and want to turn it off, but no, there is just something inherently entertaining about how much damage your single shot is inflicting on another human being… especially if their a Nazi of course. The level of detail will impress and disgust you all at the same time.
My favorite feature above all other ones though, had to be playing the campaign via co-op. I feel like it’s becoming more of a rare thing where you can play a campaign story with a friend, so I’m happy to see it here and be done in a very complimentary way that doesn’t handicap you. There are several side missions during each level and they do quickly begin to feel rather repetitive, which is a little frustrating, but doing such tasks with company is always a better way to go about it.
There is a lot to enjoy here in Sniper Elite 5, there may be small annoying issues, such as the questionable enemy AI, but there’s always something else that makes the player continue to want to play such as their very friendly weapon upgrade system. The campaign itself isn’t overlong, I believe I finished it in around thirteen hours, but it was a fun time. There are more multiplayer features that also seem like a lot of fun that I haven’t been able to try out yet, but I look forward to doing so. All-in-all, if you like playing as a marksman in video games, this is certainly a must play, especially if you can bring along a friend.
8/10
For more information, visit sniper.com and follow the game on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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