When it comes to playing video games we all seek a different immersive experience. For some, it’s to be a professional footballer in the English premier league. For others, it’s to be an iconic superhero. For me, it’s laying prone on the 2nd floor of a blown out building waiting for the opportune moment to put down my victim as an elite sniper. Fortunately for me, I can now perform this experience on the go with Sniper Elite V2 Remastered on the Nintendo Switch.
The developers over at Rebellion aren’t strangers to the tactical stealth shooter genre. Sniper Elite has been a major series for over 15 years. I felt the need to point this fact out since the last Sniper Elite title to appear on a Nintendo console was back in 2013 with “Sniper Elite V2” on the Wii U. The franchise has been busy appearing on other platforms but now makes its long-awaited return with Sniper Elite V2 Remastered.
You play as badass Karl Fairburn, an elite sniper assigned to take out a specific Nazi scientist during the tail end of World War 2. At the beginning of each mission, Karl will narrate the objective while providing visual aids such as target photos and a map of the location. Once you have completed the briefing, the game waste little time getting started. You are dropped into a blown out village equipped with the bare minimum of gear which includes:
- Springfield Sniper Rifle
- Thomson Machine Gun
- Pistol
For items you have the following:
- 1 Tripwire to cover a doorway or room entry point
- 1 Land Mine
- A Rock
Believe it or not, the rock is probably the most useful item. It can be used to lure enemies away from your location and help clear a path to your next checkpoint. As you explore the map, you will find additional items and be able to pick up different weapons from killed enemies. I would also like to point out that the Sniper Elite series has a unique menu select layout. You use the left/right direction pads to select weapons and up/down directional pads to select items. I didn’t have a problem with this layout but it did take some getting use too.
I played Sniper Elite V2 Remastered docked and in handheld mode. The game supports motion controls with the joy-cons but I found this uncomfortable for my play style and reverted back to using a pro controller or 8bitdo SN30 pro. The game looks great and performed well in both modes. I’m sure the PlayStation 4, Xbox and PC versions look amazing but for what the switch can offer power wise it definitely holds its own.
The sound and map design are immersing. I played with headphones and could hear the ambient background sounds of explosions, gunfire and Nazi soldier chatter. The maps offer a realistic battle worn feel at every turn. Run into a building and you can see personalized items and other remnants of the family that once called this rubble of building a home. With that said, I think a large majority of people who purchase this game will do so for the convenience of playing it on the go. While playing the game in tabletop mode with the pro controller, I had passersby stop and watch in wonder. The switch continues to amaze people on how well it can handle larger titles such as this with ease.
As I stated, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a stealth tactical shooter, however, at times it seems to struggle with that fact and tries to implement unnecessary conflict. In one mission I was stealthily eliminating enemies when one spotted me from a distance. Within a matter of seconds, enemies began to rush my location. I was able to leave the area undetected but the threat level still remained high. Enemies from that point on were in high alert. I felt as if I ruined the mission and decided to replay it from the beginning. I tried multiple variations with the best solution being to kill all enemies on the map. Was the enemy engagement fun? Absolutely, but I would like the ability to complete as many missions as possible stealthily. On the plus side, the game has little to no load time while in a mission. So once I died, I was back at the checkpoint ready to give it another go.
There should be no surprise that Sniper Elite V2 Remastered shines best when you are performing sniper kills. The game offers a beautiful bullet tracking shot from barrel to target while also offering an x-ray view of the damage inflicted. With a steady aim and control breathing, you can perform an assortment of instant kill shots or non-life ending shots which drop your target but also show him hobble to cover. Speaking of cover, at times you may encounter an issue where you won’t be able to take cover. This mainly occurred near vehicles and other objects in the street.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered offers one of the best features you can have in any game. That’s online and local co-op play. I normally lean more toward the online, but since the switch doesn’t support native voice chat, it doesn’t make it an ideal way to play cooperatively in my opinion. I would like to note that during my review, co-op and online multiplayer were not available for testing. Besides the campaign and multiplayer you also have the following:
- Kill Tally – This can be done solo or co-op in which you take on waves of enemies using whatever weapons and items you find.
- Challenge – This is the DLC missions from V2 and includes the infamous “Assassinate the Fuhrer” mission
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is packed with content. For fans of the franchise, this is a day one purchase just for the thrill of playing it on the go. Gamers looking for a fun strategic stealth shooter will find plenty of replay value with this title.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered for the Nintendo Switch provided by Rebellion Developments.
