I am a huge fan of the SNIPER ELITE-franchise. So I definitely had to get my hands on SNIPER ELITE Resistánce,  starring Harry Hawker instead of Karl Fairburne and set in France at roughly the same time that SNIPER ELITE 5 takes place. Does SNIPER ELITE work with a different protagonist? Does this new instalment add anything new? We shall see. Here’s my review. There will be SPOILERS.

The Story

Same, same. SNIPER ELITE sticks to its tried and tested formula of sniping, sabotage and assassination during WWII covert missions of commando Karl Fairburne, or, in this case, Harry Hawker. Harry Hawker was first introduced as a Multiplayer-character in SNIPER ELITE 4.

Again, our hero is tasked with wiping out some evil Nazi super weapon-plot dubbed “Kleine Blume” led by some super evil bastard Working closely with the French Resistánce, Harry has to infiltrate, sabotage and assassinate to achieve all of his objectives over the course of nine missions.

There are a few very decent DLC-missions and, on top of that, Propaganda-challenges, which were a very pleasant surprise. See, in each mission you can find a propaganda poster and collecting that unlocks a mission that can be a long-distance Sniper-mission, a Combat-mission or a Stealth-mission, each pretty demanding in and of itself.  

The Characters

Truth be told, since the story in SNIPER ELITE-games is not really important, I tend to skip al the cutscenes, so I may not get all the nuances of the characters. There is Harry Hawker, of course, a seasoned fighter with a somewhat more cheerful attitude than Karl Fairburne. There are some Resistánce characters that provide intel and will need rescuing along the way, much like Sofia and her people back in SNIPER ELITE 4’s Italy-setting. And that’s pretty much it.

The Setting

France is a great setting, with picturesque landscapes and old world towns, albeit most in ruins, as well as some coastal fortresses and harbours. Using the traversal system introduced in the last game, Harry Hawker is more mobile than ever and there even is a mission where you get to climb up a multi-storey building inside an occupied town to get at your intel. More on that later.

Looking back at the previous entries of the franchise, I used to think Italy was the most beautiful setting, but there is a reason why this is the second game set in France. There is something special about the light, the lilac flowers and grain fields of the rural settings and  a morbid grandeur to the urban settings with their classical architecture. I like!   

Equipment and Loadout

As with previous games, you can assemble an Alpha and a Bravo loadout, switching through rifles, SMGs and pistols, that all can be upgraded at work benches you can unlock throughout each level/mission. My favourite rifle in the franchise is the Carcano.  In this one, it is the Lee No.4.

Combat and Enemies

Combat and Enemies have remained the same, from Snipers to Grunts to Elite troops, a range of vehicles and mortar strikes. So, if you’ve played the previous game, you will know what to expect.

The Missions

There are nine missions in total, though the last one is simply you having to take a long shot to take out the big bad, much like the last mission of SNIPER ELITE 5.

The first mission “Behind enemy lines” is short and sweet, perfect for a tutorial mission because you can repeat it over and over, trying different approaches. Do you do it stealthily? Go in full force? Or mix it up? You will quickly find out which enemies are to be taken more seriously from a distance or in close quarter combat.

The second mission “Dead Drop” brings our hero into one of the always great urban settings that require stealth above all. Your objectives are scattered across a map crawling with enemies and there are not many possibilities to go to ground, and even if you find a good sniping position, expect the enemy to zero in on you real fast.

“Sonderzüge Sabotage” is an urban night mission and my absolute favourite in the game. Again, stealth is key. “Collision Course” features more sabotage and intelligence gathering, plus an assassination. The fifth mission “Devil’s Cauldron” is intense, but not quite as intense as “Assault on Fort Rouge”. The heavily defended city is large and one of your objectives set in an area tightly  packed with soldiers. Luckily, you get to unlock multiple starting points across the map that will help you during multiple playthroughs by putting you in a more favourable position to tackle certain tasks. The last two mission “Lock, Stock and Barrels” and “End of the line” up the ante as Harry closes in on his last objectives and the man behind this latest science project. Of all the missions “Devil’s Cauldron” was and is the absolute hardest mission for me to accomplish.

And this is what I like about this franchise: you do have a lot of freedom in how to accomplish your missions but you need to think tactical because, after all, you are one man alone behind enemy lines.  

The Verdict

Apart from the Propaganda-missions this game is really a continuation of SNIPER ELITE 5, which is not a bad thing. The DLC missions are excellent and reward you with additional Propaganda-challenges. That was a great plus for me. While I do confess my enthusiasm for SNIPER ELITE has cooled somewhat after SNIPER ELITE 5, this franchise will remain a staple in my games library.

Next up will be a review of Clair Oscur: Expedition 33, which was not at all what I expected.

Until then, keep on playing!

Cheers
Vanessa