Sniper Elite Resistance is the latest instalment in the Sniper Elite franchise from the team over at Rebellion. This time around you don’t play as our series favourite, Karl Fairburne, instead, you take on the role of a British SOE agent named Harry Hawker, and you have one mission; to track down and destroy a super weapon, that if left in the wrong hands could win the war. 

Sniper Elite Resistance is just what you’d expect if you’ve played any of the previous titles. You drop into each mission, which is either a small, medium or large-sized map with certain objectives to complete in whichever order you please. Like previous games, there are main story objects set out for you, then a few optional side missions you can choose to complete before extracting and moving on to the next area. It’s a formula that Rebellion has nailed, so if it’s not broken, why touch it? 

The beauty behind the Sniper Elite franchise is the number of ways you can drop in and play, and Sniper Elite Resistance is no different. First, and the most ideal way to play is by using stealth. Equipped with your trusty sniper rifle, a handgun, SMG, and a handful of equipment, such as medkits, Teller Mines, TNT, and grenades, just to name a few, you’ll sneak around picking enemies off one by one from vast distances, and this is the intended way to play.

The second way is to go in with all guns blazing as if it’s a Michael Bay action movie. I mostly tried my hardest to take my time, carefully picking off enemies from the distance, or via stealth takedowns, but sometimes things didn’t go to plan and I found myself caught up in the Michael Bay film. 

Just like in Sniper Elite 5, where it felt like enemy guards and AI are far more switched on than in previous titles, in Sniper Elite Resistance, it felt like this was turned up a notch higher. If an enemy is alerted of you or thinks they saw something a little suspicious, they will start walking towards your general area to take a look around. If they do see you, they will quickly alert all their nearby friends, resulting in a full-scale manhunt, and they won’t stop unless you are either dead or they just get tired of looking around. Some enemies will run towards an alarm system to warn an even wider range of enemies that they are under attack, but these can still be disabled at the main alarm box or by cutting the cable to the alarm horns if you’re lucky enough to find some bolt cutters.

Of course, a Sniper Elite game wouldn’t be complete without its signature X-ray animations/kill cams, along with the ability to customise how often the X-ray cam does or doesn’t trigger. It’s pretty clear why this has become the series’ trademark feature – it never gets old watching your bullet slowly causing gruesome internal damage. The system still includes both sidearm kills and melee takedowns as well, both of which are equally brutal.

Returning to Sniper Elite Resistance is the skill tree from previous games. As you play, complete objectives, and level up, you’re rewarded with skill points. These points can be spent in the game’s Skill Tree, which is broken up into three categories; Combat, Equipment, and Body, allowing you to improve how your character plays with things like extra equipment slots, holding your breath longer, or being able to revive yourself with medkits when you go down, just to name a few.

Guns can also still be customised, and I was very surprised at how much I could change. You can modify pretty much anything on your weapon, such as; ammo type, sight, stock, foregrip, muzzle, barrel, magazine, and cosmetics, and the different weapon parts can be unlocked by finding workbenches hidden around each level.

The campaign can be played solo or in co-op. Playing in co-op can be a lot of fun and does make for an easier playthrough by allowing you and your friend to work together, tackling different objectives at the same time to breeze through each mission. Outside of the campaign are a few more online features that make a return such as multiplayer, which is played across a few different modes; Free-for-all, Team Match, Squad Match, and No Cross, and of course the ability to set up and play a Custom Game.

One of my favourite modes from Sniper Elite 5 makes a return, this being the “Invasion” mode. Here you play as a “Jager” sniper that drops into someone’s single or co-op campaign with the sole purpose of taking them out. It’s a lot of fun, and I maxed out my Invasion level in the previous game, so I’ve been having a blast jumping back into it in Sniper Elite Resistance. Thankfully, if you don’t want to have your campaign invaded, there is an option to switch it off, but leaving it on will award you with some bonus XP when completing your campaign objectives.

As fun as the existing game modes, Sniper Elite Resistance has some new “Propaganda” missions. These are unlocked by finding and collecting a propaganda poster on each of the main missions, and once available, you play as a member of the Resistance on the same maps, where you’ll need to complete specific challenges under certain conditions. This might include only being able to take out targets by sniping them from a certain distance, or only using machine guns to kill your targets, but it’s a great mode for replayability and for anyone who loves to chase those high scores. 

With all that said, Sniper Elite Resistance is yet again a great addition to the series. Hats off to the team over at Rebellion for sticking to what works and building on an already amazing and fun franchise. If you’re a Sniper Elite fan, this latest entry won’t disappoint.

Written by: MKAU Gaming