The next installment of the Nazi terror adventures transports us to the scenic areas of France in 1944, however the stunning scenery cannot mask the fairly outdated gameplay style. I appreciate that this is a lower-budget production than The Last of Us 2 or Far Cry 6, but I was hoping for a refresh of the model. What exactly is the new Sniper Elite 5?
The journey to France is part of an effort to halt the enigmatic Operation Kraken. We learn about the nefarious plot of a somewhat clichéd enemy from the pool of “those bad guys from the Third Reich” while going through a variety of vivid settings, including picturesque French towns, sinister industries, and ancient mansions. The Spy Academy is one of the most intriguing destinations, not only because of its appealing look, but also because of the most interesting talks that you may overhear. The training for agents to imitate American accents is ludicrous, and it’s a shame there isn’t enough of it. Unfortunately, the narrative is forgotten a few hours after finishing, and the NPCs act so much like extras that I’m not sure why we come across them at all. What is perplexing is that Nazis are mocked rather than presented as merciless murders. The stereotype and caricature are so powerful that I sometimes thought I was the most ruthless participant in this struggle. The violent close-up eliminations and incredibly gruesome and psychedelic headshot scenes in this section border on the macabre, and I frequently questioned the point of this method. Because “more” does not necessarily imply “better,” it would be beneficial to focus the toughness and satisfying shots of these eliminations.
The Rebellion Developments studio’s developers took inferences from what captivated gamers in the fourth installment, but did not focus on the elements that still need work. Large and cleverly constructed stages worked well in Sniper Elite 4 – and the hero himself is now more agile. Karl has a lot more natural ability to climb, hang on edges, and conquer obstacles. The fifth installment evolves from a very simple stealth game in where the primary violin is played by a sharpshooter into a cheap Metal Gear Solid. If someone spots us, we can move rapidly, jump out the window, use a zipline to get away from the chase, and even plant traps with explosives and bombs.
Luring targets from hiding spots and triggering false alerts in other sections of the map gives a lot of fun and new ways to complete missions. This undoubtedly improves the ranking, however at this point there remains the previously described lack of innovation, namely in the area of opponent artificial intelligence. Despite several levels of alert and searching the area, the soldiers generally behave like mindless puppets, running past us when we are literally hiding behind a pole narrower than us, and other times spotting our hiding place in the bushes from a distance of two hundred meters. Going under the gun and panicking numerous times at the sight of the same body also makes you grin nowadays, reducing the quality of the enjoyment.
I appreciated the invasion option since I enjoy tormenting other gamers. The online option is joining another player in the ongoing campaign, taking on the role of an enemy sniper, and circling amid the lines of Nazis, gunning down unsuspecting gamers. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to test all of the online modes before to the debut, but the Axis Invasion itself was a lot of fun, both from the invader and victim perspectives.
Sniper Elite 5 does not provide anything new to the current, demanding player. The most damaging aspects of this chapter are outdated artificial intelligence and an ordinary narrative with dull characters – therefore we’re dealing with a “average” game that may be played for a while but isn’t enough to climb above and compare to other games with calm themes. killers.