Sniper Elite 4

The Sniper Elite franchise is famous for providing fans with a satisfying sniper-based shooter, and while the latest offering is similar to previous games in the series, it comes with a handful of improvements.

Plot

The action is set in the aftermath of the events of Sniper Elite III, with protagonist Karl Fairburne returning to do what he does best: kill Nazis. Not just any Nazis though; key members of the German military during World War 2. In Sniper Elite 4, he is sent to Italy to help the Resistance fight the Germans, plus complete his own missions, which range from destroying downed allied planes to searching for vaccines.

Beyond this though, there is very little to the plot and it seems that the story has been based around the objectives of each mission and not the other way around.

That’s fine though, because Sniper Elite 4’s developers have focused more on gameplay than plot, which we think was a smart decision. In terms of sniping fun this is one of the best games we’ve ever played, with no other providing more satisfaction as you ping helmets off the heads of your enemies from over 200m away. Those who want a Sniper sim aren’t interested in deep, brooding storylines and emotional protagonists. They just want to shoot Nazis.

Gameplay

Sniper Elite 4 is similar to other games in the series, which is no bad thing, although it has received a number of much-need enhancements. The most noticeable change is that the sandbox environments are three times the size of those of its predecessor.

This extra space means there’s an almost endless combination of ways to complete a mission. You might, for example, stumble upon a drainpipe that you can climb to access a makeshift sniper tower, giving you a great view of the area, so you can plan your move.

Tactics are crucial in Sniper Elite 4. It’s not a run ’n’ gun game, nor can you sit in a single spot and shoot your enemies. While that may initially be off-putting to some, the variety of ways you can tackle an objective means you can switch it up and creatively achieve your aims, helping to keep the game interesting

Fans of the series will be glad to hear that Bullet Time makes an appearance. This provides slowmotion shots of a bullet as it leaves your gun and follows it along its trajectory until it reaches its target. However, as cool as it is following your bullet through foliage and other tiny gaps along its route, it’s the X-ray view of the enemy’s body as the bullet enters that provides the real satisfaction. No other game provides a mechanic as satisfying as this, as you get to see all the damage you’ve done in real time.

While Sniper Elite 4 isn’t open world in the same sense as Grand Theft Auto, missions and other objectives can be undertaken in any order. This can work to your advantage, especially if an objective is heavily guarded. In other games, you’d have to complete the mission, but here you can head to another objective, cause a huge deal of commotion and draw enemies away from your main target, making life a little bit easier.

The new game mechanics also allow players to shimmy, leap across ledges, hang from windows, and more. This allows access to better vantage points than was previously possible, and can come in handy when trying to make a quick escape. It also means that if you’re spotted sniping from the first floor of an abandoned house, you can make a stealthy exit out of a rear window and hunt for your next vantage point without being seen.

It’s not only the environment and mechanics that have had a facelift, as the non-player characters (NPCs) are more intelligent. Upon hearing gunshots, for example, enemies will try to triangulate where the noise was coming from, but it’s once you’ve been spotted that the improvements become clear.

During one mission we found ourselves flanked by NPCs. We

thought we could take on a squad of troops and had a head-on firefight, taking cover to the side of a door frame in an abandoned house. Unfortunately, what we hadn’t noticed was that at the same time, another team had approached from the rear, split into two smaller groups and hit us from the left and right at the same time. Unsurprisingly, the mission didn’t end well, though we weren’t upset. This added intelligence means you have to use your head and be aware of your surroundings because all it takes is one slip up before you are surrounded and killed.

Our one criticism of Sniper Elite 4 is that it doesn’t reward you for completing all the side missions, beyond being able to get 100 percent in a level. With so many on offer, we feel that they should have some kind of impact on the story in a way that other open world games do. Let’s say, for example, we had ignored a side mission to destroy an anti-aircraft battery, we should have had to face a harder challenge later in the game. Sadly, this isn’t the case, and with no unlocks or other kind of motivation to complete these, we ignored them and focused instead the main missions, which become increasingly difficult as the levels progress.

Verdict

Sniper Elite 4 is the best in the series, adding new mechanics that turn a good game into an amazing one. The open world layout and relaxed approach to objectives gives gamers the freedom to tackle each environment as they desire, and when combined with new climbing mechanics, opens the doors to impressive, long-distance shots. If you’re looking for a solid sniper game, you’ll struggle to find one better than this.