A New Hero Takes Aim
I do like a bit of sniping in the harmless world of video games, and, for the most part, my game series of choice is that of Sniper Elite from Rebellion. Alongside the Zombie Army spin off games, they have always provided a ton of fun.
Now we get to Sniper Elite: Resistance, and so I once again answered the call of duty and picked up my rifle. Interestingly, Resistance runs parallel to the events found in Sniper Elite 5, and so features a new playable hero.
I think we’re best to start with the story of Sniper Elite: Resistance. We play as Harry Hawker, a British agent with the least convincing Cockney accent since Dick van Dyke had a go in Mary Poppins: all it needs is a couple of “apples and pears” and the Cockney bingo card would have been full.
Anyway, Harry gets wind of a new Nazi super-weapon that can totally obliterate D-Day, and obviously, we can’t let that happen. So, it is off into the wilds of France we go, with the Resistance to help us, attempting to put a stop to the latest Nazi wonder weapon to appear. What could possibly go wrong?
Sniper Elite: Resistance’s Visuals and Glitches
Well, speaking of things that go wrong leads me neatly onto the matter of the presentation, as while the Sniper Elite games have always been somewhat rough around the edges, Resistance takes things to a whole new level.
On the surface, things are pretty good, and this can sit at least on par with Sniper Elite 5. Standing on a hillside, spotting enemies through your binoculars before reaching out like the finger of God to snuff out their little lives never gets old. And the draw distances are very impressive, with seemingly no end in sight. One of my most favourite of headshots has been from some 1002 meters, watching the bullet in flight all that time.
The X-Ray kills are back too, expanded to also include secondary and pistol kills, should you pull off an impressive one. Obviously these are as wince inducing as ever. The different enemies are all nicely animated (mostly) and take cover in a realistic way when you shoot their mate standing next to them and there’s no doubt that the levels are large and feature multiple routes through them, so exploring can pay dividends.
Sounds of War
However, some of the issues I’ve come across are almost Sniper Elite staples now, such as the way we are given an objective and an area to search, and then a distance to target begins to count down as we get nearer. As usual, the distance is completely at odds with where the stuff we need to pickup is, and this gets old after a while.
Graphical glitches are also nothing new, but Resistance has delivered some great ones: enemies who then disappear into the floor, clipping through scenery and finding myself in a corridor with no way out, forcing a restart. I’ve also had foes running in circles or full pelt against a generator. However, struggling to get out from under the technical issues is a decent game that, even though it doesn’t offer anything in the way of surprises, is still a competent stealth shooter in its own right.
I’ve been impressed by the audio though, especially the roar of guns and Germans shouting when they spot you. The noises of the tanks, trucks and assorted motor vehicles you can take apart all work well as well. The only fly in the ointment occurs every time old ‘Arry ‘Awker opens his mouth, but the other voice work is spot on.
Familiar Gameplay and Co-Op Campaign
It should be the gameplay where we inevitably end up, and here the news is pretty good. However, at no point during my time with Sniper Elite: Resistance I couldn’t shake the feeling that it all feels like a giant piece of DLC for Sniper Elite 5. The game is laid out in a similar way, and even features the exact same final mission, pretty much. As such, there is no real difference between the two games. I spent the whole time with a weird feeling of deja vu, which, I guess, is appropriate given the setting.
Campaign is the main area of Resistance, as we attempt to stop the Nazi war machine, and this time around the whole campaign is playable in co-op, which is extremely enjoyable. Providing overwatch while others run around, slotting Nazis left and right, and then coming and reviving them when they get carried away is great fun, working really well.
Resistance Missions and Multiplayer Mayhem
But much like the rest of Resistance, the campaign is well done, but feels a little rushed, a little short. The invading Sniper Jägers also make a comeback, and leaving your game open means that you can, and will, be invaded by another human player who will attempt to kill you. I guess that adds to the tension…
There are other modes included too, as you’d expect. One nice feature is the “Resistance” missions, which are unlocked by finding propaganda posters in the campaign levels. Each one relates to a timed mission, where we are given an objective and a reduced weapon set to do it. For instance, in the first one, we play as Resistance fighter Carillon, and have to take 20 enemies down against the clock, while armed only with a pistol with the approximate stopping power of a ball of paper spat out of a biro tube. Optimising the run so you can kill quickly is a real challenge.
There is also the return of survival mode, as you and up to three co-op players attempt to survive waves of enemies all determined to ruin your day. this again works well and is fun, with a steep challenge. The other game modes are all tacked on PvP nonsense, should you wish to prove your skills in the crucible of multiplayer. I am far too old for this kind of nonsense now, but there are a lot of ribbons and medals that can only be earned in this mode.
A Solid but Unoriginal Entry in the Sniper Elite Series
There may be things wrong with Sniper Elite: Resistance, but it still does a lot of things right. Sniping is never not fun, especially on the higher difficulties as the elite snipers come out to play, and there’s no doubt that when any mission goes sideways and loud, there is a real tension in trying to hide and reset before carrying on.
Yes, Sniper Elite: Resistance isn’t the most polished game ever, nor the most original, but it does the job it sets out to do.
Shoot Those Links
Sniper Elite: Resistance Takes Aim at a January 2025 and Game Pass Day One Release – https://www.thexboxhub.com/sniper-elite-resistance-takes-aim-at-a-january-2025-and-game-pass-day-one-release/
Buy Sniper Elite: Resistance on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/sniper-elite-resistance/9P962Z5PS4M1/0017
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/sniper-elite-resistance-deluxe-edition/9NK71FMXT2P8/0017
