Sniper Dan Puts A New Spin On Hidden Object Games
Meet Dan. He’s a sniper don’t you know. But he’s also the star of a hidden object game that is very much unlike any hidden object game that has gone before it. See, Sniper Dan is on a mission to help the world. And he’s doing it one shot at a time.
There are many hidden object games available to players, most of which seemingly focus on cats; the Hidden Cats In… series being the most prominent. But Sniper Dan is different. This one places you behind the scope of the titular Sniper Dan, as you are left to scour a number of 3D scenarios from way up high, unraveling clues and helping our sharpshooter fire his way to glory.
And there’s not an ounce of blood spilt along the way either.
For as cartoony and as family friendly it is, Sniper Dan is a cracker of a hidden object game too. It takes the tried and tested ‘search this area, uncover hidden objects’ ideals that many other games in the genre have honed over the years, but ups things by adding in fun, mini-games, and plenty of silliness along the way. And on occasion, you’ll have to actually use your brain.
Search, Zoom And Fire
From being holed up in a boring office, it’s up to you to decide on where to send Dan first. A decent tutorial runs you through the basics of Sniper Dan’s gameplay, as you understand the simple search, zoom, and fire mechanics. A combination of thumbstick, bumpers and triggers is about all you need to worry about here. From there you are left to your own devices, taking in numerous other scenarios, each super colourful, but uniquely distinct from the next.
There’s Funky Farm, Perky Park, Vibrant Village, Happy Harbour, Central City and Aces Airport, each of which becomes unlocked as you progress through sniping stages from behind Dan’s scope. And they come complete with multiple ‘days’ to play through, providing a host of unique clues and objects to uncover.
For instance, you may need to fire a few shots off at a playground swing, to help its occupant gain height. Or you may need to shoot at a couple of catches on an otherwise jammed suitcase. Birds need feeding too, so sticking bullets into a loaf of bread is the answer. All whilst chimneys need unblocking, doorbells need ringing, fountains require water, planes want freeing from chocks and more. There are well over a hundred different jobs available for Dan to set eyes on, earning cash and reputation in the process, but not all of them are as straightforward as you may expect. Clues are given, yes, but some of those are fairly non-descript, and that does mean you’ll occasionally have to work out exactly what is needed before the hunt begins and the trigger is pulled.
Hints Help When The Clues Get Tricky
We’ll admit that on more than one occasion we appreciated the hint system that is included; especially so as we ticked over the thirty minute mark on one of the levels, struggling to understand the final job offered. And those hints are rather cleverly integrated too. See, a limited number of tips will be yours as you first set sights down the scope, but from there, additional ones sit behind stars, each of which is obtained by progressing through missions.
It means that, unlike in many other hidden object games where hints are on tap, you’ll only really use them when you are verging on desperation. And even then, you may well prefer one more sweep of the land before succumbing, mostly as you won’t want to spend valuable stars on the purchase of more tip opportunities.
Plenty Of Content And Ways To Play
Whatever, in Sniper Dan, pretty much everything is focused on stupid, silly fun. And that is only amplified by the cartoon visuals and creative commons assets that have been utilised. Yet whilst it may occasionally feel like Sniper Dan is working on the cheap, the overall experience is far from it. There’s tons of content here, and we’d be surprised if anyone was ticking everything off before the 8-10 hour mark is up.
There’s a shop that allows for Dan to upgrade his gear (sights, reloads, speed), but also plays host to tons of custom elements that can be added to Dan’s little office. Earn the cash, build rep, splash out on new gear and you’ll fast increase your earnings going forward. In fact, it doesn’t take long before Dan’s world is filled out with loads of knick-knacks, items and objects, many of which bring boosts to rewards and suchlike.
That office is also complete with an answerphone that provides a variety of weird little side missions, as you dive back in to familiar areas looking for boxes full of goodies (with more than a hint of the Amazon about them), or even frying pans loaded with ‘ingredients’ for the ‘finest’ stew. Uncovering these allows for a nice break from the main events, perfect for when time is at a premium.
But there’s tons more replayability aside from that too. Timed stages open up, as does a Photo mode, as you swap out your gun for a less lethal camera. Then there’s an Ammo Hunt that severely restricts your shot numbers, whilst opportunities to uncover hidden plushies, Jiangshis, and more all arise. For us, we’ve taken a bit of a liking to hunting down rockets and banana skins as a first port of call, even if that does mean level completion within a set par time is forgone. But hey, at any time things can be replayed as you look to snipe those objectives in a faster time than before; dynamic, moving jobs ensuring that memory alone won’t get you through. Do so, and more rewards – and even more mini-games if you need them – will be on offer.
A Fun And Unusual Hidden Object Game
In recent years, we’ve become more and more drawn to the delights of hidden object games, and Sniper Dan sits atop of that genre with an amusing, fun, clever shootout. There’s not going to be anything here to draw in the non-believers, and we’d suspect that a few long-term snipers from the likes of Call of Duty or Battlefield may well fall away after being initially intrigued, but if you prefer nothing more than to kick back after a long day, and feel the need to get involved in the hunt, Sniper Dan’s world is more than worth a shot.
Important Links
Sniper Dan Is The Most Cheerful Problem-Solver – https://www.thexboxhub.com/sniper-dan-is-the-most-cheerful-problem-solver/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/sniper-dan/9msr1zm3w4sd
