Don't get hit.

I have on previous occasions written about the Sniper Elite games series, seeing as I'm a long term fan.

The latest game in the series, Sniper Elite 5 is perhaps my favorite in the main series, and I have played it a lot, so much in fact that I have the weapon master medal. Then I ran into the problem of wanting to play, but needing a challenge. There is of course Authentic difficulty, which I may yet try, but I came up with an alternative:

The No Damage Challenge.

These are my rules.

1. Difficulty is set to Sniper Elite.

2. All objectives must be completed on each map.

3. You can leave enemies alive, it's not a kill everything challenge.

4. If you have alternative starting locations unlocked, you can start maps anywhere.

5. You can use any and all weapons you own.

6. Collectibles are optional. Grab them if you like, but they don't count for the challenge.

7. The challenge only covers the main campaign, include DLC missions if you want.

8. It doesn't matter if you are seen, it's not a ghost challenge.

9. You can save the game in case the game crashes, but you can't save scum.

10. If you take even one point of damage from any source, you must start the entire campaign from the beginning.

The idea came to me after seeing a video about people who play all the Soulsborne games, i.e. Dark Souls, Bloodborne etc. without taking a single hit. That is of course a lot harder than Sniper Elite, but trust me, this challenge is not as easy as it seems.

I have previously completed multiple maps without taking any damage, but for some reason, this is really hard. With multiple attempts behind me, I still haven't passed the second map mission. One reason for this is obviously nerves. Knowing that the run can end at any time really ramps up the tension, which is of course what I wanted. Another reason is the inclusion of random elements in SE5. Traffic is a good example. What “should” be a clear area can suddenly have multiple enemies because a passing truck spotted a dead soldier, and now you're in real trouble.

All it takes is one enemy spotting you and shooting you for the whole thing to end. It's frustrating, but so much fun. And it really breathes new life into a familiar game.

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