Sniper Elite: Resistance review — Vive la résistance

Rebellion is back once again with the next installment in their widely successful Sniper Elite series. Sniper Elite: Resistance builds upon the foundation laid by Sniper Elite 5, offering a familiar yet refined experience for both fans of the series and newcomers.

Resistance is not quite a sequel to 2022’s Sniper Elite 5. Rather, it is a spinoff of sorts following the shoes of a different protagonist: Harry Hawker instead of Karl Fairburne. The events of Sniper Elite: Resistance run concurrently with those of Sniper Elite 5. The story, while not groundbreaking, provides a compelling backdrop for the game’s intense stealth-action gameplay. Who’s playing this game for the narrative? The game is still set in Nazi-occupied France but focuses on a different aspect of the war effort. In terms of gameplay, it’s more or less the same as 5, but with some minor improvements. 

The game most notably adds a new Propaganda Challenge mode, which can be unlocked by finding hidden posters throughout the main campaign. There are a total of 7 challenges that feature shorter, standalone missions set in the same locations as the main campaign but at different periods. These challenges are time-sensitive, as you have to complete objectives against the clock, but killing enemies extends the timer! Propaganda Challenges are a nice touch, although they don’t change up the formula too much.

If you played a Sniper Elite game before, then the gameplay will feel just the same, if not more refined. You engage in stealth-based combat with a strong emphasis on sniping as the primary gameplay mechanic, hence the name of the game. Resistance continues to feature the series’ signature X-ray kill cam, which provides a visceral and detailed view of bullet impacts on enemy bodies. Of course, you can skip it or turn off the frequency if it gets too annoying.

Large and open environments offer you the freedom to navigate and complete objectives however you like. You can utilize stealth, long-range sniping, or more upfront and aggressive tactics. Just know that on harder difficulties, you get gunned down super fast if you choose to play a game like Call of Duty! You are equipped with a sidearm, a sniper, and a main firearm, along with grenades, distraction bottles, and bandages, among other tools. Dying respawns you at the latest checkpoint in the mission, and I’ve died aplenty.

Progression comes in the form of unlocking and upgrading skills throughout the game. You have a skill tree that is nearly identical to that of Sniper Elite 5, so you’ll feel right at home upgrading Harry. The tree is divided into three main categories, each offering various active and passive abilities to enhance the player’s capabilities during missions, such as increased max heart rate or increased heart rate recovery. You earn experience points through various actions in the game, such as killing enemies. You will also come upon workbenches hidden within levels that allow you to unlock a range of attachments for your weapons, such as stocks, muzzles, and suppressors.

The game clocks in at a reasonable 43.07 GB on the PlayStation 5, with load times of about 6-7 seconds thanks to the PS5’s SSD. Performance is great all around, with smooth 60 fps at 4K resolution, with no noticeable bugs or glitches. You also get adaptive triggers and aim assist while playing with a DualSense controller. A suite of accessibility features is also much appreciated, with 5 distinct difficulty modes along with a practice shooting range and different controller layouts for left-handed individuals. I will say I’m not a huge fan of the: press L2 lightly to enable 3rd person zoom in and press L2 all the way to enable 1st person shooting POV. There’s no way to disable or tweak this.

Overall playtime is very similar to Sniper Elite 5, as Resistance comes out of the box with 9 main missions for the campaign, along with an array of multiplayer modes. Each main mission should take somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour depending on your playstyle. Note that the campaign can also be fully played in 2 person co-op! Though the raw content may not be substantial, the strength of this game lies in its replayability. The developers are unfortunately locking more content behind a paid DLC though…

Playing solo in just the campaign will probably run you around 10 hours, but we all know people play the Sniper Elite games for the online aspect. Yes, there is cross-platform play as well! Axis invasion returns, allowing you to join another player’s campaign as an enemy sniper. The rest of the multiplayer modes include free-for-all, team deathmatch, squad match, no cross, and survival. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the online latency and fluidity of the multiplayer matches, but I’m sure it’ll turn out fine when servers go live for the public.

Visually, the game is alright. While the environments are richly detailed and atmospheric, character models and animations can sometimes feel a bit stiff and dated. The AI, while improved, can still exhibit questionable behavior at times, breaking immersion. The audio design, on the other hand, deserves praise thanks to the crack of distant gunfire and the ambient sounds of war-torn France. Voice acting is, for the most part, decent, but can have some odd moments.

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