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While I had heard of Sniper Elite before, I couldn’t have imagined it was successful enough to warrant four sequels. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised by what it brings to the table.
The World and Story
The game’s plot is a continuation of the previous three instalments, starting with the original Sniper Elite. We follow the journey of Karl Fairburne, who as the title would suggest, is an elite sniper in the US military. Set in Italy during World War II, the player grinds their way through ten different missions, each with the goal of taking down some high ranking Nazi officer. For such an interesting premise, the story is painfully dull, and certainly not the crowning feature of this game. After spending about four hours on the campaign, I had yet to learn anything about our protagonist’s character. The story we’re given is a waste of narrative potential.
Graphics and Sound
Delving into Rebellion Games’ back catalogue of mid to low tier titles, I wasn’t expecting to see a world this stunning. The Italian countryside looks fantastic at 1080p and 60FPS, however the frame rate does drop to 30 when playing online. The rolling hills, sandy beaches and warm lighting effects are reminiscent of titles like Just Cause 3. Additionally, the soundtrack is well crafted, building up a tense atmosphere as you survey a group of enemies, or getting your heart racing as you run for your life when your cover is blown.
Mechanics
Sniper Elite 4 is a masterclass in how a stealth game should feel. One of the most significant advances from previous installments is the improved AI. Enemies tend to behave in a believable and challenging way. The game’s semi-open world allows for a sandbox element, offering the player the ability to tackle an open, but limited area however they choose. That said, while games like Black Ops II let the player choose their own playstyle for a mission, this game will punish them for trying any tactic other than stealth. This causes the game to move at an extremely slow pace. However, this adds to the sense of satisfaction when an objective is reached. Levelling up is done through carrying out difficult shots and completing special objectives. The level-up system gives an incentive to go back and replay missions for unlockable perks such as new weapons and abilities.
Multiplayer and Replayability
Sniper Elite 4’s multiplayer pales in comparison to other similar games (Battlefield 1 comes to mind). The multiplayer is even more tedious and feels like it was included just to be an eye-catcher for the back of the box. Deathmatches consist mainly of all ten players scrambling for kills in an unorganized way, a la Call of Duty. Replaying the single player missions will likely appeal only to a very small portion of players. The rewards system requires hours of investment (for example, one particular weapon unlock requires the player to accumulate one hundred headshots). However, the online co-op mode redeems the multiplayer somewhat. Two players can tackle any campaign mission together, or try out survival mode. This is just like many “horde modes” seen in other games but is still immensely fun when played with a friend.
Final Verdict
In recent years, the middle tier of games has slipped away. We seem to either get big-budget masterpieces or indie projects made by a small team. This game fits with neither. It’s just okay, and that’s fine. As my first Sniper Elite game, I think it has shown me what the series is meant to be: a tense, meticulous adventure in stealth that moves at its own pace. What it does, it does well, but it’s simply not for the mass market. Those who enjoy games like Metal Gear Solid V and crank the difficulty up in Assassin’s Creed will get the most from this game. But for everyone else, consider giving it a miss.
