Sniper Elite 5

On May 26^th, 2022 Rebellion Studios released Sniper Elite 5. Since I have shared my opinion on Sniper Elite (SE from here on) V2, V2 Remastered, 3 and 4, I thought it is high time I shared what I think about the fifth part of the series. This is perhaps a bit late, but it takes time to fully understand a game this complex.

Once more we step into the boots of commando demigod Karl Fairburne. SE5 is set in France in 1944 from just before D-Day until that fateful day itself, and beyond. This makes it the fifth game in sequence but the third game in chronological order.

Mechanically SE5 is much like the other games. Third person camera, a good choice between rifles, submachine guns and pistols and the standard binoculars. Unlike all but SE4, the maps are enormous. It took me about three hours per map and with nine missions not counting DLC, it takes a while to play through, and that does not factor in replayability.

The game looks gorgeous, plays great and feels smooth. On a few of the levels there are loudspeakers that periodically blare out propaganda and I really wish you could turn them off. It is really loud and annoying, but that is the one mechanical element that frustrates me.

Some things are new however. Rebellion have added a RPG like leveling system that is fine but not great, in essence you become more effective with time. Nothing special, but okay. There is also a new mechanic called Focus that allows you to sense enemies through walls but using it raises your heartbeat, which reduces accuracy. When I played on lower difficulty settings, the Focus system was of questionable use at best since you can see the enemies on the mini-map, but once I got to Sniper Elite (hard) difficulty you can no longer see enemies on the map and Focus became incredibly useful.

As mentioned above, the maps are gigantic and very complex. This allows for a myriad of ways to tackle objectives in whichever way you want to. SE5 got some criticism that it is too stealth focused and not a good sniping game, but as someone who is on his fifth play through, I can confidently say that critique is complete nonsense! The maps allow up close take downs, long range sniping, furious assaults, whatever you want really. It is up to you to figure out how to do what you want to do. You get your objectives, and then you get to decide how to do them and in which order.

Another wonderful element is the addition of extra starting positions that you can unlock on each map. This simple little thing almost makes each level a new experience. On some maps you can even start on the other side of the map and essentially play it in reverse. It sounds simple but is in reality a stroke of genius.

The alternative starting positions combined with the medals really push for extra playthroughs. As I mentioned, I'm on my fifth run, and I'm finding new places and details all the time. The previous games have their achievements as does SE5, but here you can also unlock medals for mastering weapons, playing the game on various difficulties, getting long shot kills and best of all, interesting challenges like taking out three snipers in melee on a map, specific kill challenges and much more.

SE5 has a PVP invasion mode, but not only am I not interested in that, it is full of cheaters despite the so called “easy anti cheat” you have to install if you want to do that. I'll make no further comment on this.

I could keep gushing, but I think you get the point by now. I love this game! I haven't played SE4 for a few years and most SE fans say that the fourth game is the best. I agree but I would say that this installment in the series is almost as good as number 4, if not equal to it. If you've been thinking about giving Sniper Elite a chance go with 4 or 5.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!