Sniper Elite: Resistance review: Delightful stealth and action

Step into the shoes of a Special Operations Executive agent deep behind enemy lines in occupied France to prevent the Nazis from deploying a new super weapon.

Rebellion
1

Sniper Elite: Resistance puts players in the boots of Harry Hawker, a Special Operations Executive agent dropped into occupied France to stop a Nazi superweapon from interfering with the Allied invasion of Europe. While the story isn't groundbreaking, Sniper Elite’s signature blend of stealth and action combat makes its return and delivers plenty of excitement. This review focuses on the single-player campaign, which can also be played cooperatively. While there are multiplayer options, including the Invasion mode introduced in the previous game, most of my time was spent immersed in the role of an agent behind enemy lines. In this regard, Sniper Elite: Resistance excels, providing an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

For the resistance!

Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshot

Sniper Elite: Resistance builds on the series' established sniping mechanics by expanding its feature set with some interesting new components. As you explore the various locales within France, you will come across propaganda posters, among many other collectibles. But more than just checking off a completion list, these propaganda posters unlock new missions in which you take on the role of a resistance fighter. These side missions not only extend the longevity of your play time, but also offer a different view into the resistance in occupied France. It is a welcome change of pace from the usually very methodical process by which a sniper proceeds through a mission.

Each of the maps in Sniper Elite: Resistance are quite large and extremely detailed. I've made my way through all of them, but I doubt that I've actually discovered more than 50 percent of each of them. From hidden tunnels, to appealing new rooftop vantage points, the player is offered a lot of freedom in how to approach each objective. Traversing the area by rooftops, alleyways, caves, and zip lines, it's not uncommon to complete a mission and think a lot was left on the table. Along with the ability to unlock different starting points for each mission, this adds greatly to the replayability of the campaign. I am saying this as someone who almost never replays a story-based game once I finish it. I am genuinely intrigued to go back and try things differently.

By completing mission objectives in a specific way or finding weapon workbenches hidden throughout, players can unlock weapon attachments, increased experience, and other rewards. It's also actually fun to kill a high-ranking Nazi official by collapsing the railing of the bridge he's standing on. Just saying. I also look forward to attempting some of these challenges with the help of a teammate. It can be quite challenging to face the entirety of the Nazi army by yourself. Thankfully, there are very detailed difficulty options that can be customized to your liking. The length of time for which enemies remain marked, how quickly they search for you, their general awareness, and how much damage they deal, are just a few of the settings that can be adjusted. As someone who much prefers getting into the story of a game rather than facing a challenge, I applaud Rebellion for including these. Having said that, I've found their standard difficulty to be just right.

Boom, headshot!

Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshot

Sniping is in the title of Sniper Elite: Resistance, of course, so it comes as no surprise that the mechanics remain excellent. Aiming down a scope, adjusting for range, and following the guide for where to aim, ensures that players feel like the powerful and deadly sniper that Hawker is supposed to be. Sure, it's not overly technical and far from realistic, but it's fun, and that's what counts. When you land a particularly spectacular shot, the game enters its bullet camera, allowing you to see the result of your shot in all its bloody glory. Play with the time controls, speed up and slow down, and just watch those organs explode to your heart's content. There's nothing quite as satisfying as landing your first few headshots in the beginning of the campaign.

Long-distance engagements are only part of the action, however. As Hawker, you carry three weapons, a rifle, submachine gun, and a pistol, in addition to a variety of gadgets and weapons picked up in maps or from fallen enemies. Each of those has a distinct feel, and while I very much favor the stealthy and quiet approach, I'll admit to having found myself in more than a few shootouts. These are just as much fun, but significantly more challenging, as they should be. Fortunately, enemies react quite naturally to situations in which you are discovered and forced to break stealth for a while. I always found it possible to retreat, lie low for a while, and pluck away at stragglers even while the alarms are blaring. Even on the very rare occasion where I thought I had completely screwed up, things eventually calmed down, allowing me to continue with my mission.

One area of Sniper Elite: Resistance that I want to highlight and express appreciation for is the number of quality of life features it brings. Things such as allowing me to quickly dismiss all notification icons and mark all newly discovered collectings and lore pieces is very much appreciated. This was evident even during the installation of the game and its initial settings dialog. The Denuvo anti-cheat software which is required for online play can be declined early on, as can the alert notifying of outdated video card drivers. I'm very particular about drivers and not a big fan of anti-cheat software, especially when multiplayer wasn't a focus for me. These may seem like small things, but they make the overall experience with Sniper Elite: Resistance that much more enjoyable.

Halt! Wer geht da?

Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshot

As much fun as the sniping mechanics are, and as enjoyable and immersive as the mission maps in Sniper Elite: Resistance are, there are a few things that detract. For one, there actually isn't all that much sniping to be done. Quite a few missions focus on in-door environments or close quarters between bombed out buildings and in narrow alleyways. Don't get me wrong, Hawker's action focus sense, which slows down time and allows you to notice enemies and interesting items even through walls, makes those stealthy segments fun. But it does at times feel more like Stealth Elite than Sniper Elite. Annoyingly, the only way to tag enemies is through scopes or binoculars, which resulted in quite a few ridiculous moments of pulling out the binocs to ensure I've marked an enemy that's only a few feet away from me.

Mission objectives can get a little repetitive as well. While I very much enjoyed the storyline, most missions do filter down to one of two types of objectives: kill one or more people, and reach a place to initiate some type of action. This also means that there aren't any situations where your actions have a direct impact on the outcome of the mission. Sure, there are optional objectives that usually involved taking out an extra target, but who would turn that down? It would potentially be more impactful to have the objectives change if you were discovered and the entire base is on alert, for example. The fact that the missions are very much on rails as far as the outcome, does take some pressure off the player, though. Perfect for me, but some may be a little let down by the fact that no matter how they resolve an objective, the end result is the same.

There's a lot to love

Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshot

Sniper Elite: Resistance is very much worth your time if you have any interest in sniping, exploring maps in occupied France, or feeling like an action hero from WWII movies. The shooting mechanics, both at long-range and in close quarters, are fun and satisfying. There's nothing quite like using the sound of the thunderstorm to mask your sniper shots, or landing several silenced headshots from your pistol in a row. Gathering collectibles, unlocking attachments for your weapons, and finding new and interesting ways to tackle each objective gives Sniper Elite: Resistance a lot of replay value. Add in co-op mode, the Invasion mode, and all-out multiplayer, plus DLC and a season pass, and you'll be spending many hours behind enemy lines. If you're like me, it may just be the best time you've had in a stealth action game since Splinter Cell.


This review is based on the PC Steam release. The game key was provided by the publisher for review consideration. Sniper Elite: Resistance is available on January 30 for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 4 & 5.

Contributing Editor

Jan has been playing video games for nearly 30 years and been a passionate geek for the better part of his life. His current gaming schedule is dominating by simulations of all kinds, ranging from flight simulation, to racing, farming, and anything else that lets him live out fantasies without having to get up from his chair.

Pros
  • Extremely satisfying sniping mechanics
  • Beautiful locations and graphics
  • Good mission design with lots of replay value
  • Both stealth and combat are enjoyable
  • Great quality of life features
Cons
  • There's not as much sniping as one would think
  • Many areas of maps are inaccessible for climbing or entering
  • Mission objectives can get repetitive
From The Chatty
Hello, Meet Lola