Sniper Elite: Resistance review: An intense sandbox experience, but not enough

The last time I played a Sniper Elite game was probably in 2018 when Sniper Elite 4 was released. Truth be told, I missed the last installment, and before diving into Sniper Elite: Resistance, I had to do some research to make sure the story wasn’t connected. Fortunately, it wasn’t, and I was off to a good start. After spending almost 9-10 hours in the campaign, I’d say it’s a fairly good game with decent missions to complete, but there is almost no replayability factor. This might sound harsh at first, but there are several reasons behind my statement.

The latest addition to the Sniper Elite series takes place during the same timeframe as the last one, but the story mostly focuses on a secret mission rather than being directly tied to the war. It is set in occupied France during World War II, and this time, the usual protagonist, Karl Fairburne, is absent. Instead, Harry Hawker takes his place. You begin the game by killing Nazis from a tower. Yes, that’s essentially the game — killing a lot of Nazis. While there's no doubt that a "good Nazi is a dead Nazi", you might get tired of the campaign if you’re a player like me.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is about stealth, but the story falls short

I admit, I lack patience, and stealth has never been my cup of tea. I’ve always been a run-and-gun player, and if I’m playing a campaign, I definitely need a strong story to keep me hooked. The game falls short in that regard. The story follows the resistance's fight against Nazis in the heart of occupied France. But unlike other Sniper Elite games, the story is not directly tied to the war; it focuses on what lurks beneath.

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Sniper Elite: Resistance campaign missions are pretty bland (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/ Rebellion Developments)

The setting was good enough to make me feel interested, but it started pretty bland. Be it the cutscenes or the voiceovers, when it comes to immersiveness, the game failed miserably. You never feel like you'd empathize with Harry Hawker's struggle and feelings, because there was none. The campaign missions were mostly about blindly following the objectives told in the briefing cutscenes, and that's it. However, there are many things you’ll likely enjoy in Sniper Elite: Resistance, and needless to say, one of my favorite parts is the sniping.

It feels authentic, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best in terms of simulation. If you’ve played games like Arma Reforger or Gray Zone Warfare, I’d say they’ve done a better job with realism. That said, sniping in Sniper Elite is still fun, and the usual X-ray clips are there as always. However, I felt they interrupted the flow of gameplay, so I turned them off.

Authentic mode is the best in class

One awesome thing you can do in Sniper Elite: Resistance is sneak up behind enemies and use melee attacks. If you’re playing in Authentic mode, that’s your best option. You’ll need to take out as many enemies as possible with sneak attacks; otherwise, there’s a high chance you might alert the guards.

The authentic mode in Sniper Elite is pretty authentic (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/ Rebellion Developments)

To understand how the AI works, I tried the game on both the highest and lowest difficulties. You can easily enter missions guns blazing if you're not playing on the lowest difficulty, but in Authentic mode, that's completely out of the question. You’ll need to watch your back, be cautious with every step, and make sure you don’t get caught.

There are several aspects the game does well. For instance, enemies can be triggered by movement. Authentic mode offers the best experience as crouching makes your footsteps quieter, and that’s one way to hide. The game also offers a lot of foliage to sneak around in.

A fun sandbox experience that keeps you busy for a day

While the campaign follows a linear story, the sandbox experience is fun, and sometimes you might feel like you’re in a hardcore extraction shooter. But knowing your objectives is crucial. I wouldn’t recommend wandering off; you should strictly follow the path to your objectives if you want a truly authentic experience.

I don’t typically discuss specific mission objectives in my reviews, but the “End of the Line” mission deserves praise. One of the biggest issues I had with the game was its atmosphere. No matter how hard I tried, the game never really immersed me in occupied France.

To be fair, I didn’t feel like I was part of the Resistance. All I did was blindly follow objectives. However, the second-to-last mission changed that. The dark, gritty atmosphere of “End of The Line” made me believe this game had the potential to engage even an impatient player like me.

End of the Line is probably the best mission in the campaign (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/ Rebellion Developments)

The eighth mission focuses on Gare du Nord, where several armored trains threaten to destroy the allied forces if they enter the battlefield. While my primary task was to plant a transmitter, I couldn’t help but notice the moonlight tearing through the dark clouds, complementing my stealth as I lurked behind enemies to save the world.

Workbenches are great additions if you like to customize your weapons, but the gunplay needs improvement

Sniper Elite: Resistance also features another cool option to customize your weapons in the game: Workbenches. There are over 20 Workbenches scattered throughout the campaign, allowing you to upgrade and customize your weapons. Instead of a pre-set loadout, having the ability to customize your gear in the middle of a mission is a nice touch. As someone who spent hours setting custom loadouts in Call of Duty, this felt like a taste of home.

The game offers a decent campaign, enough to engage you if you enjoy completing stealthy missions. While the story doesn’t pack a punch, the sandbox experience should be enough to satisfy your inner child who loves shooting games.

However, there are a few things in Sniper Elite: Resistance that I found extremely disappointing. One of the biggest issues is gunplay. I know the game’s name is Sniper Elite: Resistance and the primary focus is the sniping simulator, but as it’s a semi-open world game, there’s a massive arsenal of SMGs and other weapons.

Only sniping excels in terms of gunplay (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/ Rebellion Developments)

For me, it wasn’t worth using anything other than pistols with a silencer, and that was mainly due to the stealth aspect — I didn’t have much choice. Even after using specific attachments, the gunplay felt underwhelming. If you’re looking for a better gunplay experience in a World War game, I’d recommend Battlefield I or V. Even if I don’t compare it to AAA titles, Enlisted did a better job with overall gunplay, and that game isn’t even single-player.

Visuals and optimization, a double-edged sword

Visuals are the most disappointing thing about Sniper Elite: Resistance. I expected better from a renowned franchise like Sniper Elite. The graphics look like a game made in 2014-15. Even the primary protagonist, Harry Hawker’s character animation, seems like an unfinished product or a dev build from an early stage.

This was one of the biggest reasons I couldn't immerse myself properly. I did like some of the animations, like how you could hide in tall grass or climb a wall using vines. The rest felt pretty average and didn’t make it feel like a title I’d pay 50 bucks for.

Sniper Elite: Resistance visuals are pretty poor (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/ Rebellion)

In terms of optimization, the devs did a great job. The game ran buttery smooth at all times. There was never a frame drop, and it didn’t feel like there were many bugs or glitches. However, there are certain restrictions that you might find annoying.

For instance, in the first mission, after killing some enemies from the tower, you slide down and your objective is to shoot the dam gates. But if you want to go back and check the surroundings from the tower again, the game won’t let you. While it doesn’t impact the storyline, I like my sandbox experiences to feel as free as possible.

In conclusion

Sniper Elite: Resistance is a great game if you're a fan of the franchise and know what you're getting into. For someone like me, who had some experience with the series but not a lot, it felt like a stretch. The game offers a great deal of stealth, but for someone like me who prefers to go in guns blazing, it also feels tiresome.

As for the story, there aren’t enough in-game cutscenes or anything that makes you feel like part of the world. There were briefings before every mission, but I didn’t even bother to focus on them most of the time. Given that the game is available on Xbox Game Pass, I’d absolutely recommend it to any avid shooting game enthusiast.

You’ll be in for an intense 9-10 hours if stealth is your thing. However, for someone who thrives on a great story, visuals, and solid gameplay, the game feels short and probably a few years late.