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Sniper Elite is a series that has evolved quite a bit over the years. The first game introduced players to the series brand of sniping with touches of realism and playgrounds ripe for sneaking around. The sequel, Sniper Elite V2, features several refinements and changes including more linear environments and it also introduces the awesome X-Ray Kill Cam. Sniper Elite III brings back the more open-ended environments, gives players a lot of freedom and options, and places a big focus on exploration and experimentation. I feel III is a turning point for the series. Sniper Elite 4 continues in this direction but features even bigger environments and gives players more freedom and options to tackle situations and threats than ever before. Sniper Elite III and 4 are the reasons why the series has become one of my favorites in the stealth genre and I’ve been very excited to jump into the next game, Sniper Elite 5. Developed and published by Rebellion Developments, Sniper Elite 5 was released for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series systems in May, 2022. For this review, I played the PC version.
Set in 1944, returning protagonist and sniper, Karl Fairburne, is in France assisting an Army Ranger battalion and learns of a Nazi project called “Kraken”. If you’re familiar with the plots of the previous games, then you’ll be able to figure out how things here will go. Karl uncovers a secret Nazi project led by a high-ranking Nazi commander and sets out to stop the project and eliminate the commander. Sniper Elite 5 retains the series tradition of not bogging you down with too much story. In fact, you can basically ignore the story and just enjoy the gameplay. Major story elements like cut scenes and interactions are mostly conveyed at the start and end of missions so once you start a mission, you’re free to go about your business without narrative interference.
Right off the bat, I want to say that if you enjoy Sniper Elite 4, I don’t see why you wouldn’t enjoy 5. As a fan of the previous games, especially 4, I fell in love with 5 immediately. However, while there are some changes and new features, I don’t think the jump from 4 to 5 is as big as V2 to III or even III to 4. While 4 expanded upon what was established in III, 5 kind of feels like more of the same. Huge open-ended environments? Check. Plenty of toys to play with? Check. Plenty of ways to deal with threats? Check. Numerous collectibles to find? Check. Plenty of replay value? Check. I don’t want to make it sound like 5 is a rehash or feels like a recycle job because there is new stuff here like active reloading and the new Focus mechanic among some other things, but it does retain much of what made the previous games, especially III and 4, so enjoyable. You know what they say; if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As expected, Sniper Elite 5 comes with a campaign, cooperative, multiplayer, and survival mode. It also comes with a new mode called Axis Invasion. In this mode, you can join another player’s campaign with the goal of eliminating the other player. It also means another player can join your campaign to try and kill you. The game features multiple difficulty levels and also allows you to configure a custom difficulty. The custom difficulty feature isn’t new for the series but the amount of settings you can configure here is quite impressive. You can really fine tune the experience. No matter what mode you decide to play, you will earn experience for your actions and rank up. When you rank up, you earn a skill point that can be spent to unlock skills. Before starting missions, you can choose one of multiple loadouts that can be configured, change your character’s skin, and Sniper Elite 5 sees the return of weapon customization, similar to what was present in Sniper Elite III. However, all weapons here can be customized with different parts that will effect their stats.
Sniper Elite 5 is primarily a stealth game. You can run and gun but sneaking around is typically the safer approach. Basically, all of the previously established stealth mechanics are present here. Stay quiet and keep low, hide in tall grass, and use loud sounds in the environments to mask the sounds of your shots. Nothing really new. Sniper Elite 5 does place an emphasis on non-lethal takedowns and non-lethal ammunition along with non-lethal items like Schu-Mines are now options. Unconscious enemies can be woken up so it is wise to make sure their bodies are out of sight and you can hide bodies in crates. You can set up traps, sabotage generators and vehicles to create sound masks, and even disable alarms or use them to your advantage. You can, of course, kill any foes in your way and even try to outright evade them. No matter how you deal with threats, you will earn experience for your actions but you will earn bonus experience at the end of a mission for any enemies left unconscious.
Many of the items from the previous games return along with new ones like bottles and decoys for distracting foes. Bullets can penetrate certain surfaces and materials and the game features special ammunition like subsonic, armor piercing, non-lethal, match-grade, and soft point rounds and each one serves a different purpose. For example, match-grade rounds are better for long distance and soft point rounds can cause bleeding. You can customize weapons before starting missions and at workbenches found in the environments. In fact, finding workbenches in the campaign unlocks weapon parts. Weapons, ammunition, and items can be found in the environments and the gunplay looks and feels fantastic as do takedowns, and X-Ray kills look incredibly brutal and gory, allowing you to see bullets rip through organs and bones. Just like the previous two entries, Sniper Elite 5 is all about freedom and options and even though you can get through the campaign without using certain weapons, ammunition, and items, you are encouraged to try everything and experimenting is always a good time.
Once again, enemies come in different types that pose different threats and they have heartrates that will increase depending on what they experience. For example, hearing gunfire, seeing explosions, and the death of friends increases their heartrate. And what does this mean? It means the higher their heartrate, the more panicked they become. Enemies will become suspicious and investigate if they hear noises or see things that shouldn’t be and if you’re spotted, they will gun for you and some will run to sound an alarm. Using suppressed weapons and takedowns are often the quietest ways to deal with threats and relocating is typically the best way to ensure enemies can’t locate you. Nothing really new. What is new is Kill List Targets. Every campaign mission comes with a Kill List Target. Your goal is to find and eliminate the target but if you eliminate the target in a specific way, you will unlock a weapon or attachment.
Every mission has objectives to complete which are basically things to keep you focused. Completing primary objectives is the way to progress. But it is easy to get sidetracked and focus on other things like exploration and experimentation. Optional objectives can be found by exploring and acquiring intel which comes in the form of collectibles and eavesdropping on conversations. The environments are huge and you can spend hours in a single mission, especially if you take your time and try for the stealthy approach. Areas within a map are often interconnected so there’s always more than one way to reach destinations. Even some objectives can be completed in one of multiple ways and finding intel can reveal the different ways.
This is a game all about options and freedom. Do you want to take this route or that route? Do you want to kill enemies or knock them out? Do you want to blow open doors and safes with satchel charges or find and use the keys and codes? Whatever you decide, there’s plenty of tools at your disposal and ways to accomplish your goals and you can even utilize the environment. Some doors and things will be locked and if you don’t have the key, you can pick the locks, shoot them with armor piercing rounds, or use bolt cutters to get them open and some crates and things can be broken into with a crowbar. There are so many ways to accomplish things and the collectibles and intel encourage exploration. You can even find and unlock new starting locations.
In my opinion, Sniper Elite 5 is the best looking game in the series up to this point. The environments are incredibly detailed, the lighting is great, backgrounds often look gorgeous, and visual effects like muzzle flashes and explosions look nice. X-Ray kills look awesome and seeing bullets or Karl’s knife tear through an enemy’s innards, or even just the act of him slitting a foe’s throat, and seeing the blood spray is incredibly satisfying to watch. The action is accompanied by solid audio work and backed by a good soundtrack. The tunes often do a good job at reflecting what’s happening on screen, helping to elevate tension when necessary. On the technical side, I encountered no issues.
I think the weapon customization is a big reason why Sniper Elite 5 has become my favorite game in the series. If it wasn’t for that, it would be almost neck and neck with Sniper Elite 4. There are some other things that put it over the top but weapon customization is a big one for me. The emphasis on non-lethal takedowns is cool, too. It’s just another option. Do I want to slaughter my way through the mission or knock everyone out cold? Granted, the lethal approach is the most satisfying, at least in my opinion, thanks to the X-Ray kills and gore effects, but there is a sense of satisfaction in knocking foes out or outright evading them. The stealth in this game is really well done and there are so many ways to deal with threats. The environments are exceptionally well crafted playgrounds that encourage exploration and experimentation. And that’s what makes this game so much fun – trying different things. There’s always more than one solution to a problem and no playthrough will ever be the same. I love the game for the same reasons I loved the previous two games and then some. You are thrown into playgrounds and are never forced to play a certain way. It’s an amazingly fun stealth game that offers plenty to see and do and plenty of reasons to return.
I absolutely recommend Sniper Elite 5. It is one of the best games in the series and one of the best stealth games of its generation. Ever since Sniper Elite III, I have really fallen in love with the series. To me, this is stealth done right. Freedom, options, plenty of toys to play with, and satisfying kills. The replay value here is extremely high, the experience can be enjoyed with others, and the narrative never gets in the way of the gameplay. It’s a game that will keep you occupied for a very long time. Definitely check it out.