Sniper Elite 5 Review
Sniper Elite 5 has a simple premise: a man with a gun has to kill a group of Nazis. To accomplish this inevitable fate, players are provided with various tools, key among them being the titular sniper rifle. While the game’s formula is simple and straightforward, that’s to its advantage. Standing alongside increasingly complex shooters that continue to introduce new ways to shoot guns, Sniper Elite 5 sticks to what fans know and love. Sniper Elite 5’s story provides context between missions and nothing else. If the players care about the details of the story they will choose. The big picture is hard to follow unless the player is a World War 2 buff, but the main character’s story is pretty easy to understand, and that’s all one needs to get through the game. Rebellion does this with every Sniper Elite game for a specific reason: players come for the gameplay, not the story. This tight focus serves the series well. With all but the story being pushed, the gameplay shines. Sniping is fun in this game. In our playthrough, we opted for the quick scoping build centered around quick snipes during combat, which made for adrenaline-pumping moments and satisfying back-to-back takedowns. While it’s probably only something that can be picked up on easier difficulties, it’s still enjoyable throughout. The best part is that this is only one of several builds that can be pursued. The game rewards all kinds of playstyles with different achievements.
There are many other ways to kill Nazis, including throwable and landable bombs, melee executions, SMGs and pistols, and even a rocket launcher. But they work better in difficult situations where, somehow, sniping is not possible. Ultimately, players will rely on their trusty sniper for most of the game. They rarely see a situation that can’t be solved with a well-placed shot and Sniper Elite’s iconic kill cams make landing the perfect shot every time a joy. The learning curve is balanced and carefully crafted; Basic sniping mechanics are easy to pick up on lower difficulties. These nuances give players looking for a bigger challenge a clear progression path to higher difficulties and later missions. Whatever strategy the players take is fine as long as it results in dead Nazis. PVP fans will enjoy the new multiplayer features. There’s something for everyone to love in Sniper Elite 5. That’s mostly reflected in the accessibility options. In addition to various difficulty adjustments, controls, and kill cams, the game provides several options for colorblindness, partial or complete deafness, and motion sickness. This level of customization allows anyone who wants a quick sniping romp the chance to enjoy what Sniper Elite 5 has to offer.
High quality defines mission segments. The visuals are gorgeous and detailed thanks to the developer’s use of photogrammetry, and the level design mixes aesthetics with gameplay. There are some locations that are so gorgeously rendered that we stopped for a few minutes to appreciate their beauty. The game runs smoothly on next-gen hardware, and there are no game-breaking bugs. The only thing that hurts the gameplay is the low mobility. Players cannot drive different vehicles on the map, so they have to walk everywhere. Most maps are large, so it feels like a chore. There are several minor annoyances that detract from the otherwise stellar gameplay, however. The level layout can be a little wonky, and it’s easy for players to walk in circles and get lost. As players progress through the game, the verticality increases tenfold. Unfortunately, this means more ways to lose. Any ability outside of Empty Lung—the game’s fancy term for slow motion aiming—is largely useless. Focus, a see-through-walls ability, is especially pointless due to low range even when upgraded. The clutter around the map will be responsible for many reasonable shots being blocked. This is likely by design, but it can be frustrating when players constantly have to move to get a clear shot at enemies. Slopes are especially punishing unless players aim down them instead of up. The cover is also a big block, even though it doesn’t seem like it should be. There are many walls that theoretically can be shot over, but if the game allows that it seems random. Targeting the scope at closer ranges can be difficult until players master using the uptick permanently attached to the center of the screen to pre-target before actually aiming.
Enemy AI is pretty stupid on lower difficulties, and players can easily exploit it. If enemies hear gunfire, they will usually investigate it. However, since they are often quite far from where the gun is fired and have to navigate the complex layout, players can run away until the enemies lose interest and then run back. Enemies are supposed to start investigating further if they see a body, but they rarely do. They also aim for their heads mid-fight, so headshots are easy to get even at close quarters. However, they are strong enough to provide a decent challenge even on lower difficulties. An odd design choice stuck with various little quibbles. When marking enemies with binoculars, players receive a ton of information about them. Some information is related to gameplay: how far they are from the player, whether others will hear a shot if the enemy is killed, and what weapons the enemy is carrying. However, players also learn not only the name of the opponent but also a brief fact about them. This fact may be from their desire to sing about their loss of family in the war. In any other game, it would be great; these facts show a moral gray to the enemies and humanize them, making the player question whether their actions are justified. And this feature was probably added to appease players who are looking for moral gray in the games they play. But in a game set in Nazi Germany, this strategy doesn’t change. The Nazis were famous for their horrific dehumanization of innocent people in their propaganda.
Since this feature was present in previous versions of Sniper Elite, it’s surprising that no one at Rebellion questioned whether it needed to be included throughout the life of the series. This doesn’t affect the gameplay, but it does change the player’s perception of their enemies, albeit slightly. “Kill Nazis because they’re evil” is an uncomplicated premise, so it’s odd that Rebellion complicates it in a small way. Despite minor issues and odd design choices, Sniper Elite 5 is a fun game for series newcomers and longtime fans alike. It provides a wide variety of players, providing both easy and hard challenges that anyone can set up and then overcome in their own way. Overall, this is a quality game that further enhances the stellar legacy of the entire series. Sniper Elite 5 is available on May 26, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. GameRant received a PS5 code for this review. MORE What You Should Know About Sniper Elite 5 Before Launch