Sniper Elite 5 – preview, shooter

British B movie

Rebellion from England is a bank. The still independent studio from Oxford has been an integral part of the developer landscape since the early 1990s. In the beginning, there was a lot of coding for Atari Jaguar, in 1999 the PC shooter community rejoiced over Aliens versus Predator, and many implementations or handheld versions of well-known brands were also created at Rebellion. The Sniper Elite series has been part of the British repertoire since 2005 – together with the Zombie Army spin-offs, the series has been the flagship of the studio ever since, which also makes up for less sparkling software outpourings of the Neverdead or Rogue Trooper brands. Good stories are still difficult for the sniper studio: Sniper Elite 3 and 4 were basically two times eight sandbox levels, which were only so poorly held together by more than poorly distributed story cement.

After two hours of playing the game, I dare to doubt whether this will be better in part 5: Sniper soldier Karl Fairburne makes acquaintance with the Resistance in occupied France shortly before the end of the Second World War. Together they uncover a secret Nazi project, codenamed Kraken, that could turn the tide of the war in Germany’s favor before the Allied invasion. I try my hand at the second mission and get to know moderately animated French resistance fighters as the game progresses. And the German Obergruppenfuhrer Abelard Möller, a gaunt old Nazi whom Rebellion has chosen to be the game’s antagonist. Möller also speaks spotless German in the original English, but is not nearly as well modeled as the protagonists of current AAA titles. In all likelihood, we don’t expect a story treat full of immersion and Hollywood drama here, after all, the story seems to be more present than in the predecessors.

But they were still really good games, so it should now be about the playful impressions of my try-out session. Incidentally, this took place using well-functioning PC streaming, so I reserve my judgment on the responsiveness of the controls for the test. But that shouldn’t detract from the impression left by the enemy AI, level design and gameplay options – I’m happy to provide information on that.

La guerre, toujours

The Allied invasion of France occupied by Nazi Germany has already been declined by dozens of games. With its behind-the-line approach and interaction with the Resistance, Sniper Elite 5 chooses a scenario that doesn’t immediately make you yawn. In our demo mission we sneak through a lush green castle park and infiltrate a large wall to search for secret Nazi plans. Doesn’t sound like a flash of inspiration, but you can offer it. After a chat with his French combatants, Fairburne sets out on his own towards the castle, using a few routes at his disposal. Straight ahead over a bridge and through the big gate, where there are already guards and a motorbike with a sidecar regularly patrolling? Not a good idea. I approach the princely estate in a wide arc from the right, which leads me across an old farm. My first deadly sniper shots startle a motorcycle guard, which I quickly take down with MP fire. I find the feeling of shooting in a third-person view with moderately clever opponents to be a slight improvement compared to the direct predecessor, Karl automatically takes cover on obstacles and the hit feedback from the enemy is okay. However, Sniper Elite is no longer a powerful cover shooter from the Gears brand, even in the fifth round. But it doesn’t have to.