Rebellion already presented Sniper Elite: Resistance, the latest offshoot of the sniper series, at Gamescom. The first impression was cautiously positive: the game didn't boast any innovations, but the gameplay and level design were at the usual high level. A few months have passed since then and the game is about to be released on January 30, 2025 for PC, Playstation 4/5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Reason enough to unpack your weapon again and go hunting in virtual France.
The story behind Sniper Elite: Resistance reads like many before in the sniper series: We are in the middle of World War II and the Nazis have (again) a miracle weapon up their sleeves that could decide the conflict in their favor. The protagonist Harry Hawker, already known from previous parts of the series, ends up in occupied France, where he is not only supposed to find and switch off the technology, but also make contact with the resistance.
Harry, get the gun
The setting for the mission, which can be played during the hands-on session, is the city of Fourvière. The pretty intro film points to two crucial locations: the train station and the Hotel Terminus. The task is to collect information and scout trainloads. Of course, there are a lot of Nazi henchmen in the streets and alleys who don't take kindly to Harry Hawker. However, this also applies the other way around.
In addition to the main objectives, there are plenty of side and bonus tasks on the map. For example, you can first locate a high-ranking officer and then neutralize them in order to reduce the military presence. There are also posters hanging all over the city through which you can unlock so-called propaganda missions. Unfortunately, this new feature was not yet playable in the most recent test round.
The mission begins outside the city. A look at the map reveals that Fourvière is extremely large and the destinations are on the other side of the bank. You have to decide which way you want to go: the heavily guarded bridge in the west offers a shortcut to the hotel, while the railway line in the east leads directly to the train station. The main streets are controlled by the Nazis, who regularly make their rounds in trucks and motorcycles. In addition, snipers secure the areas from elevated positions.
Quiet runner with a deep bag of tricks
This is where the strength of Sniper Elite: Resistance becomes apparent. The game offers fresh elements with the new campaign and the propaganda missions mentioned, but otherwise Rebellion does not experiment and presents an exciting and intense action-stealth cocktail. In plain language, this means: You hide behind walls, escape from view in the tall grass or use tools to distract guards. For example, you can throw bottles at the touch of a button or attract soldiers with a short whistle. You also manipulate objects and thus create sources of noise.
Different types of enemies await within the mission. Most soldiers wear helmets, so a headshot won't work here. A melee attack with a knife makes more sense. Gestapo officers, on the other hand, are too clever to be outsmarted with cheap diversionary tactics. They react, but don't move as far from their position as regular soldiers. Once you have triggered the alarm, the villains go hunting. During the pass, they chased us for several streets and remained in a state of emergency for a long time.
Rebellion design chief Ben Fisher and lead artist Simon Ible provide further insight into Sniper Elite: Resistance protagonist Harry Hawker.
Greetings from Mortal Kombat!
The rough trowel is unlikely to be successful. Harry falls to his knees after just a few hits and bandages and first aid kits are rare. A slow and deliberate approach is much more effective. We therefore concentrated on the railway bridge. On the way there we accidentally discovered the informant Vertigo's accommodation. However, the Nazis had already taken the apartment apart. On the railway bridge we crawled back and forth between the trains and were able to take out some enemies from a lying position. Additionally, the crossings provided very good spots for sniper action.
Shooting is very reminiscent of its predecessor: First you aim, then aim at the target, then adjust the distance, hold your breath and finally pull the trigger. As is typical of the series, Sniper Elite: Resistance also celebrates successful hits with the X-Ray camera - here bones splinter again and blood spurts heavily.
There are hidden storage rooms within the missions to replenish supplies. Most of these places also offer a workbench. Here you can change your weapons or upgrade existing cannons with unlocked individual parts such as magazines, barrels or silencers. However, because the progression was not yet available in the hands-on demo, no functions were available. However, the system is very similar to its predecessor.
What stands out above all is the level design: winding alleys, the huge hotel and the loading station including heavy equipment are wonderfully spacious and therefore offer enormous replay value. In any case, after our face-off we didn't have the feeling that we had seen everything from Fourvière.
Conclusion
The new offshoot offers the tried and tested sniper fare
My Gamescom impressions were confirmed during the second, detailed playthrough. Sniper Elite: Resistance won't win any awards for innovation or originality, but it does refine the action-stealth gameplay of its predecessors. No real surprises await you, but the world war adventure is exciting and intense. Rebellion has almost perfected the structure of the cards and sends you from one tricky situation to the next.
The enemy AI proves to be more predictable than before, and at the same time there are plenty of tools for outsmarting the minions. The gameplay of Sniper Elite: Resistance is very reminiscent of Hitman: Get to know the map, locate gadgets and then tackle the mission objectives and side tasks bit by bit. The action is underlined with the usual bloody production using an X-Ray camera. Sniper Elite: Resistance offers more of the same - but in this case that's a good thing.
