Sniper Elite: Resistance Review — Two Can Kill

In a world of live service games riddled with microtransactions and grindy gameplay, Sniper Elite: Resistance seems to enter with a simple goal in mind: good, genuine, unimpeded fun. With incredibly well-designed levels, a surprising wealth of multiplayer options, and a clever mixture of fun and realism, Sniper Elite: Resistance is the best way to engage in a favorite American pastime: killing Nazis.

I want to open this review by clarifying that I have never played a game in the Sniper Elite franchise. While I am well aware of it and its tendency to combine historical realism with some satisfying zaniness, I’ve never actually taken the time to sit down and play the games. I felt the need to point this out in case any of the features I praise in this review are actually the norm for franchise veterans; they were new to me, and I’ll talk about them as if they’re unique to this installment.

If you don’t know, Sniper Elite is a stealth franchise set in the Second World War. It combines incredible attention to historical detail with a willingness to venture into the realms of fiction and suspension of disbelief; the franchise has several instances where the player has the chance to assassinate Adolf Hitler and a spinoff series called Zombie Army. I’ll let you guess what that one is about.

Gameplay in Sniper Elite: Resistance, like other titles in the franchise, consists of our protagonist, Harry Hawker, infiltrating fortified positions garrisoned by German troops with a set of objectives, often involving destroying some big point of interest. The goal is to try and remain unseen, as getting overrun by enemy soldiers can very easily lead to your death. Of course, you are armed with a sniper rifle, and using it skillfully is key to your success.

Where Sniper Elite as a franchise sets itself apart from other stealth games is the sheer depth and creativity behind its levels. There is never one way to complete your task, with the game offering not only alternative routes but multiple ways to execute a task, often involving less-than-obvious approaches that give the game a bit of welcome zaniness.

A great example of this freedom is shown in Sniper Elite: Resistance’s very first level, in which you must destroy a couple of anti-aircraft emplacements on a dam and optionally build the dam’s pressure so that it causes more destruction when bombed. The latter can be accomplished by either overloading the generator or shooting shut the outtake pipes of the dam, and the former can be done with plain old explosives… or you can set the guns up to shoot each other for a much more dramatic effect.

What makes these missions even more impressive is the absolute size of the levels. Sniper Elite: Resistance has nine campaign missions to complete, each with its own unique map, some of which are absolutely gigantic. I can tell the developers had a fun time designing these maps too, because they serve as really incredible set pieces that you can easily get lost in.

While the game has, in my opinion, a rather small selection of firearms, Sniper Elite: Resistance makes up for it with meaningful statistics and upgrades available for each weapon. You unlock these upgrades and modifications by using the guns, which is a pretty standard, albeit tried-and-true, method of player encouragement.

Bullet drop is an optional, albeit very important, feature in the game, and it will get you if you don’t calculate for it. Thankfully, if you choose to play with bullet drop but really don’t want to miss that shot, the game gives you a special ability to slow your shot down, as well as provide you with an indicator of where to hit so that you don’t miss.

If all that isn’t enough to sell you on the game, then maybe you’ll choose to pick it up after I gush about the game’s incredible multiplayer features.

Sniper Elite: Resistance has an honestly impressive amount of multiplayer options. The most notable is probably horde mode, a wave-survival mode where you gun down infinite hordes of enemies, a two-player co-op for tackling the campaign mode with a friend, and my favorite of all, Axis Invasion.

This game mode is simply really cool; before starting a campaign mission in Sniper Elite: Resistance, you have the option to toggle on Axis Invasions, which allows other players to join your game and attempt to counter-snipe you, making use of all of the same mechanics you as a player have, but with the benefit of having the game’s NPC guards on their side. Not only is it incredibly fun to invade other players this way, but it’s kind of thrilling to know that at any time, someone can join in the middle of your mission and make things a whole lot harder, and significantly more tense.

Sniper Elite: Resistance was already a great game with just its single-player elements, but the addition of its unique and clever multiplayer modes adds so much fun to the game. Taking on the story with a friend and knowing that at any moment a human element can be added to your obstacles is an incredible idea and goes to show that Sniper Elite: Resistance was created with one thing in mind: creating a great time for the player. It’s strange to say it, but that’s not something every game does anymore.

It’s not all sunshine and baguettes, however, as the game does suffer from some lackluster enemy AI. In a game about avoiding detection from AI enemies, their ability to seemingly peer through walls and then run right past you during a firefight can hamper the experience. This is all the more reason to enable Axis Invasion, putting a bit more tension into the enemy garrison.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Sniper Elite: Resistance is available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.