The developers of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 are taking advantage of new partnerships and an increased budget by creating a deep and unique first-person shooter experience. 2 years of dev time doesn’t seem like a whole lot, and they definitely still have a little ways to go, but the title is already looking quite impressive.
In this new title, you traverse an open world via “extreme navigation” including rappelling and rock climbing. Fast travel is available as you unlock various safe houses, but traveling in such a manner can set you back in your preparation for missions. Even in fast travel time progresses forward and, with you learning the patterns of enemies and surveying areas, all of your info could potentially be outdated once you decide to engage. Tracking enemies in scout mode, disarming mines, and hacking cameras could be all for nothing if you decide to fast travel and miss your window of opportunity.
Speaking of scout mode, this particular gameplay style is intriguing and a quite welcome change of pace. While in the field, players can tap into the lead character’s tracking ability and sense to highlight abnormalities around him. You may find a trail of footprints leading to a mine field (which you can move through safely by continuing to follow said prints) or find the trail of a sniper/spotter team that you can take out.
The creative director for this title is an ex-sniper and it certainly shows. The drive for authenticity and depth in the sniper experience is readily apparent. Not only must atmospheric elements be taken into account for the shooting itself, but you have tough decisions to make concerning your escape route as well. Do you move in closer for the easier kill and risk a longer journey to extraction? Or do you patiently line up your target from a great distance after learning their patterns, trying for a crazy tough shot? Driveable vehicles will play a role as well, but could be quite risky to acquire.
From upgradeable drones to non-experience based skill progression, there are many elements that will be fleshed out and revealed in coming months. As the team figures out multiplayer and more, this 3rd installment is shaping up to create a unique FPS and open world experience that other shooters will aspire to emulate.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 launches worldwide in 2016 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
