When I previewed Sniper Elite: Resistance late last year, I said it was shaping up to be another certified banger for Rebellion. Even though the demo was only 90 minutes long, I had seen more than enough to know I couldn’t wait to spend even more time taking down Nazi forces in the final product.
After completing the single-player campaign and exploring the multiplayer modes this past week, I’m ready to double down on my original statement. Sniper Elite: Resistance is an exceptional standalone sequel to Sniper Elite 5 and one tactical third-person shooter experience that shouldn’t be missed. Here are more of my thoughts on why it might be worth checking out.
Viva La Résistance
Sniper Elite: Resistance is an exceptional third-person tactical shooter and stealth game created by the talented team at Rebellion Developments. This standalone story campaign revolves around SOE Agent Harry Hawker teaming up with the French Resistance to stop the Nazis from launching a new disruptive weapon that could help them win the war. Harry’s allies include his Radio Operator Morris Ahmed and Resistance Leader Marie Renarde who help provide valuable intel on every mission briefing. The 10-12 hour campaign consists of 9 missions that can be played solo or with a friend via online co-op.
Fans who have played Sniper Elite games before will remember Harry as a playable side character in other games behind series lead protagonist Karl Fairburne. One thing I loved about Resistance was the decision to make Harry the main protagonist and prove that he is also as much of a badass as Karl is. He has a personality and is well-equipped to get the job done regardless of its size. I’m interested in seeing where the Sniper Elite franchise goes from here as Harry could very well be the lead in future games if Rebellion decides to switch things up.
Exploring The Land Of Opportunity
Rebellion’s portrayal of occupied France during the 1940s feels very realistic and looks spectacular. This realism also carries over to the weapons used throughout the campaign to make the experience feel more authentic. The signature X-ray kills this franchise is known for have returned in all their satisfying glory and look better than ever. The character models, building architecture, and shadows in various settings make each mission setting feel self-contained with secrets worth uncovering. While this isn’t an open-world game, the fun sandbox-styled areas you can access feel just right and are fun to explore.
There weren’t any significant performance issues or graphical hiccups throughout my full playthrough sessions. The game ran smoothly on both the Xbox Series X and S consoles. Animations and transitions to cutscenes flowed nicely with no hindrances at all. You can tell that the development team took their time to get the build right and hopefully all future patch updates will keep everything rock solid from top to bottom.
A Winning Formula
Diving into gameplay mechanics, Sniper Elite: Resistance has the same winning formula that made other entries in the series great. Each campaign mission has some main and optional objectives all collectively tied to the end goal of destroying the Nazi’s new super weapon called the Wunderwaffle. After completing the prologue, Harry starts working closer with The French Resistance. This partnership leads to new optional bonus objectives like finding their safehouse locations, stealing captured intel, and destroying sensitive documents that reveal their identities.
In addition to the wide array of collectibles and workbenches that can be discovered, each stage also has Resistance posters that unlock Propaganda Challenges when collected. These timed challenges put skilled players to the test by making them defeat as many enemies as possible only using stealth, combat, or sniping. These challenges also test your strategy and critical thinking skills to achieve the most success. This particular mode can be played outside the campaign and is a nice dose of bonus content to sink your teeth into.
One thing I loved about the campaign is that there are unique Kill list targets that you have to find and eliminate. You can take them out any time even if you haven’t completed the main objectives yet. These special kill scenarios reminded me of the assassination options in the Assassin’s Creed and Hitman games without using creative disguises to pull off the job. In addition to this, the Axis Invasion feature has returned from Sniper Elite 5 meaning players can disrupt your mission and try to eliminate you. This can be turned on and off at any time while adding an extra layer of intensity to every mission.
Once you’ve completed the campaign and Propaganda challenges, some dedicated multiplayer modes are worth checking out. These options include Free-For-All, Team Match, Squad Match, No Cross, and Scoring. While I didn’t spend too much time with these modes, I had a blast with what I played. As the servers become populated with more players at launch, I expect things to become more active and I look forward to jumping back in to test my skills against other players.
Final Verdict
Sniper Elite: Resistance is an outstanding third-person tactical shooter and a great standalone entry to the series. If you loved Sniper Elite 5 then you’ll find yourself right at home with Resistance. When it comes to these games, Rebellion never misses the mark and I can’t wait to see where they take this series next.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Sniper Elite: Resistance for Xbox Series X provided by Rebellion.
