The Sniper Elite series has always had a special place in the tactical shooter genre, blending stealth, strategy, and those satisfying slow-motion kill cams. Sniper Elite: Resistance attempts to shake things up by dropping you into the heart of occupied France, fighting alongside the local Resistance. But does it bring enough fresh ideas to the table, or does it play too safe? Let’s jump in!
Familiar battlefield
Set in 1944, Sniper Elite: Resistance puts you in the boots of Harry Hawker, a British SOE operative sent to aid the French Resistance in disrupting Nazi operations. If you’ve played Sniper Elite 5, you’ll notice that this story parallels those events, offering an alternative viewpoint but covering similar ground. The mission structure follows the series’ tried-and-true formula: sneak into enemy territory, eliminate high-value targets, sabotage key infrastructure, and extract crucial intelligence.
The level design, however, is where the game shines. Rebellion once again delivers semi-open sandbox environments, allowing for multiple approaches to each objective. Whether you’re creeping through dense forests or setting up ambushes in industrial complexes, the game encourages strategic thinking. Unfortunately, while the maps are well-crafted, mission objectives can feel repetitive. There are only so many times you can blow up a fuel depot or assassinate a high-ranking officer before things get a bit boring.
On top of the lack of variation, the enemy AI remains a mixed bag. When it works, it’s tense and engaging with highlights of you trying to sneak past clever enemies. But at times, their intelligence feels questionable, with enemies failing to notice bodies lying in plain sight or responding sluggishly to loud gunfire. These inconsistencies can break immersion and make encounters feel less exciting.
Time to shoot
Of course, the heart of any Sniper Elite game is in the shooting, and Resistance delivers in this department. The signature sniping mechanics remain as satisfying as ever, with realistic bullet physics requiring players to account for wind, gravity, and breathing control. Landing a perfect long-range shot, followed by the gloriously gruesome X-ray kill cam, never gets old. Every bullet feels weighty, and nailing a moving target from 300 meters away is as rewarding as ever.
That being said, the game’s combat outside of sniping remains clunky. Close-quarters combat is stiff, melee takedowns feel off, and the weapon-switching system can be frustrating in tense situations. While the game gives you access to pistols, submachine guns, and traps, the moment combat turns into a run-and-gun scenario, the cracks start to show. The best moments come when you stick to what the game does best; finding a good vantage point, scoping out targets, and executing a plan with precision.
Stealth mechanics have seen slight refinements but still suffer from inconsistencies. Sound masking, for example, remains a key feature, allowing you to use environmental noises to hide your shots. However, enemy detection can sometimes feel unfair, with guards spotting you from unrealistic distances while others remain oblivious to your movements in plain sight.
A couple of extras
Resistance introduces a new “Propaganda” mode, a series of time-based challenges where players must spread disinformation, disrupt communications, or eliminate key targets within a time limit. It’s a neat distraction but ultimately feels like an afterthought rather than a fully fleshed-out feature. Multiplayer makes a return, with fan-favorite modes like “No Cross” (where two teams of snipers face off without being able to cross into enemy territory) and “Survival” (where you fend off waves of enemies). While enjoyable, there’s little here that wasn’t already present in previous games.
Conclusion
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a game that knows exactly what it is. However, it struggles to innovate beyond the foundation laid by its predecessors. The story is not bad but predictable, the mission structure can feel repetitive, and close-quarters combat still feels like an afterthought.
For die-hard fans of the series, Resistance offers more of what they love: patient, tactical sniping in semi-open environments. However, for those looking for a major evolution in the franchise, this entry may feel more like an expansion than a true step forward.
