After more than a decade of working on the Sniper Elite series, Rebellion finally seems to have hit gold with Sniper Elite 4 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
The key to Sniper Elite 4’s success is the single-player mode, which no longer funnels players along a linear path, and instead affords them the freedom and tools to take on entire platoons and win.
This is all thanks to the stunning open-ended maps, which are fit to burst with enemies, objectives and hidden sniper spots for players to discover. Offering a good couple of hours of gameplay for each stage, it’s unlikely any two players will have the same experience, which gives the game a level of replayability not seen in the series until now.
The diverse campaign takes you to sun-kissed islands, picturesque villages, lush forests and decaying dockyards – all of which look superb, even if some of the animations and player models don’t.
Stages are full of traps, gadgets and gizmos that you can use to your advantage, while weather effects, planes and any other loud noises can be used to mask your shots and save silenced ammo.
You can strap explosives to enemy’s bodies (which has fatal consequences for anybody who comes to investigate), lure Nazis into your trip mines, blow up fuel tanks, or use diversionary tactics – like whistling or throwing rocks – to sneak by unseen.
If you’re really desperate, you can just gun enemies down directly – but where’s the fun in that?
The cartoonish X-Ray kills also make a return, but are no longer the selling point for a series that has got more to offer than just gratuitous violence.
Deeper and more varied than past games in the series, Sniper Elite 4 is only really let down by bland characters and a forgettable story, but fans of the series will be used to that.
The inconsistent AI is also off putting, while occasional bugs and glitches take you out of the moment and squeeze the sense of danger and tension out of the experience.
Rebellion also deserves credit for creating a raft of multiplayer modes that almost provide the sense of speed and instant gratification that you find in fellow shooters like Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty.
Surprising given the fact that this is primarily a stealth game, the traditional deathmatch modes actually work quite well, but just aren’t quite as polished as some of their rivals.
It’s hard to imagine Sniper Elite 4 replacing your multiplayer shooter of choice, but there is fun to be had anytime you fancy a change.
It’s the option to play the campaign in co-op that works best, opening up a wealth of new strategical options for budding snipers.
This doesn’t extend to the co-op survival mode, however, which is fun for a while, but soon gets repetitive.
Sniper Elite 4 is certainly a huge improvement on its predecessor, offering bigger and better maps, greater freedom and even more of those gruesome X-Ray kills – which remain a guilty pleasure.
The open-ended levels and variety of ways you can dispatch your enemies is well suited to a game focused on stealth and sniping, while the power of the PS4 and Xbox One gives the developer a better shot of creating impressive looking playgrounds that are fun to explore.
Rebellion has fired a warning shot at the big guns in the shooter genre, delivering a solid stealth experience that continues the series’ upward trend.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
