Darren Price
Sniper Elite: Resistance is the sixth mainline instalment in Rebellion’s long-running WW2 sniper series. It’s the first to have an unnumbered title and only the second second game to revisit a previously covered theatre of war.
Like Sniper Elite 5, Sniper Elite: Resistance is set in Nazi-occupied France. But instead of playing as the series regular, Karl Fairburne, players take on the Germans as Harry Hawker. The campaign is set in 1944 running parallel to Sniper Elite 5.
For those not familiar with the series, the game is a third-person stealth shooter that uses an over-the-shoulder view for hip shooting and pistols, and the rifle optics when sniping. Taking out targets, one by one, from a distance is encouraged as going in all gung-ho with close combat can get a bit overwhelming. Using environmental noises to cover gunfire helps to keep Hawker’s location secret. Getting seen raises alarms and can result in an overwhelming number of reinforcements descending on the player’s location.
The game is broken up into a series of open-world environments each with sequential mission objectives, and optional targets. Players are required to move around the map, preferably avoiding direct contact with the enemy.
The open-world nature of the game promotes replay, as there are often several different options available to players to complete goals. Reaching certain points unlocks alternative start points for use in future attempts.
In previous games, I’ve felt that all the different approaches available to players have been equally curated to make for some exciting gameplay. This time, events seem a lot more random and haphazard and don’t fit together quite as well.
There are nine mission areas in the game. From dams to train depots, to open countryside and towns, the scenarios offer a variety of environments meaning that no mission area is the same. You could be infiltrating an enemy HQ surrounded by farmland or sabotaging an installation in the middle of a quarry. The are also occasional optional additional targets and objectives available for extra rewards.
These large open areas offer players plenty of variety. The freedom that the game gives players can be overwhelming at first, but this translates into opportunities to adapt according to the situation. Many a time, as I’ve been discovered and the enemy alerted, I’ve been able to traverse the map and lose my pursuers.
As well as the opportunity for some impressive long-range sniping, there are plenty of stealth options available for some up-close and personal guerrilla tactics. This is often the best way, with a bit of patience, to sneak about and clear the field, so to speak, when faced with seemingly overwhelming odds.
Multiplayer is catered for via the usual deathmatch (Free-For-All), team deathmatch (Team Match) and squad deathmatch (the four teams of four players Squad Match). No Cross is a mode that has snipers shooting at each other across a no man’s land. There’s also a co-op survival mode with a team facing off against waves of enemies.
The campaign can also be played multiplayer either as a two-person co-op or via the Axis Invasion mode. Invasion mode has a player-controlled enemy sniper entering your otherwise single-player campaign.
The visuals are decent if a bit dated, with the anti-aliasing on PC leaving much to be desired. Whilst the series’ signature x-ray bullet cam impressed back in the day, it doesn’t have the same impact now and looks a bit unrealistic.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a worthwhile distraction for fans of the series who want more of the same. It does seem to be more of a recycle of Sniper Elite 5 than its own thing, like the publisher has just packaged up some of the last game’s potential DLC and made a standalone entry. Still, it is a fun game with plenty of replay value.
Released: January 2025
Rating: M
Platform reviewed: PC
Genre: Shooter
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion Developments
