Test – Sniper Elite 5: Stealth operation during occupation

The stealth game series is back with a major fifth installment. Again in the skin of Karl Fairburne, this time it is necessary to thwart a top secret plan that the Nazis are preparing in the heart of France in 1944.

After a mostly well-received fourth episode in 2017 and a less compelling VR conversion, the Sniper Elite series returns with its fifth major episode. The license remains in the hands of the team that saw it born since we owe this new opus to the English developers at Rebellion. Without revolutionizing the series, this fifth episode further solidifies the formula installed for a few games. Sniper Elite 5 is available on PC, both next-gen and previous-gen consoles from Playstation and Xbox, and also in Game Pass.

French landscapes are in the spotlight in this fifth episode.

This new Sniper Elite offers a solo campaign of about ten hours as well as several multiplayer modes. The single player mode immerses us again in the Second World War. We again embody the sniper Karl Fairburne who, during a mission on the coast of Brittany, is brought to help the French resistance. Together, they will very quickly discover that the Nazis are preparing a secret operation to take over the allied forces: Operation Kraken. Our protagonist will then go to different places occupied by the German army to find information on this project and to prevent its implementation. If the beginnings of the scenario are effective, the plot unfortunately lacks interest in the long term. The secondary characters are very forgettable and the scenario is quickly set back to make room for the gameplay.

If the plot of Sniper Elite 5 is not its strong point, its gameplay is much more convincing. The title presents itself as a third-person shooter, each mission drops us into an open map that has different main and secondary objectives. Reaching a specific location and recovering information, shooting down a specific target or sabotaging Nazi equipment… All these tasks are carried out freely, leaving us to approach the objectives in our own way. It is then rather important to explore the maps correctly, which also makes it possible to find different objects of diversion, care or even different types of weapons and ammunition. Some missions are less exciting than others and the objectives would benefit from diversifying a little more. However, the maps generally offer many possibilities of approaches, with more verticality accessible thanks to the climbing abilities of our character.

Sometimes we have to use our other weapons to get out of sticky situations.

The title offers a certain realism since it is necessary to take into account different parameters to play effectively such as the sniper shooting distance, as well as the management of our heart rate and breathing. Weapons are also customizable with different components that subtly change their use. These will occasionally trigger the series’ infamous X-ray Kill Cam, this is a cutscene that accurately shows the bullet going through the bodies of enemy soldiers with plenty of gory detail. The title also offers an RPG side with experience and skill points to spend on new skills useful in combat, to infiltrate or to improve our equipment. The formula remains quite similar to that of the fourth opus and once again shows many qualities. The freedom granted is very appreciable and is as a bonus accompanied by very good feelings of play, in particular concerning the rather effective gunfights.

It is quite possible to rush into the heap and snipe anything that moves, but the stealthy approach is much more advisable as the enemy reinforcements are numerous. The title quickly shows its difficulty, it requires real discretion in the face of enemies and their sometimes very powerful artificial intelligence. The German soldiers do not escape some worries at this level from time to time, not even noticing our presence a few meters in front of them. The high difficulty is however adjustable thanks to five more or less difficult levels and to many options allowing to customize the experience a little more precisely by decreasing, for example, the realism of the shooting mechanics.

The X-ray Kill Cam is more gory than ever.

Sniper Elite 5 also offers a number of options for playing online with other snipers. Your single player mission can, for example, be “invaded” by another player who will then aim to hunt you down, thus adding additional difficulty in exchange for rewards in the event of a victory. Conversely, it is possible to invade other people’s missions and become the hunter by playing as an Axis soldier who has his own advantages. Missions can also be played cooperatively, and the title also has a multiplayer mode up to 16 players and a survival mode that asks us to resist waves of enemies. A very good amount of modes that considerably extend the lifespan. These game modes are effective and allow you to unlock a whole bunch of rewards such as experience and playable characters.

The title is doing technically without being impressive. If the sets inspired by real places in France are a great success, it is a little less the case for the characters, their modeling and much less convincing animations. The musical themes are nice but rather forgettable, and are accompanied by a dubbing, too, perfectible. Almost entirely in English, with a few touches of French and German given the historical context, this one seems to lack life at times. A point that taints a little atmosphere yet rather successful. Despite everything, Sniper Elite 5 is certainly a title that will delight fans of stealth games. Its appreciable novelties and its gameplay which leaves freedom give a formula always very effective.

Conclusion

Sniper Elite is back with a major fifth episode. Still developed by the Rebellion studio, the new opus does not revolutionize the series but offers a formula similar to Sniper Elite 4 while bringing some significant new features. We again embody the sniper Karl Fairburne during a new mission in the middle of World War II. The plot takes place in 1944 when Karl lands in France and discovers, with the help of the resistance, that the Nazis are preparing a plan to take over the Allied forces: Operation Kraken. If the scenario is not brilliant, the title focuses much more effort on its game phases. With a single-player campaign that lasts about ten hours and many online multiplayer modes, Sniper Elite 5 offers interesting content in a controlled formula. The title plays like a third-person shooter that lets us freely explore open areas in which there are main and secondary objectives. Some maps and objectives are more interesting than others, but the level design is generally very convincing. As well as realistic, demanding game mechanics that offer many possibilities, even if Sniper Elite 5 does not escape some artificial intelligence concerns. The title, however, disappoints in terms of its somewhat dated technique despite the pretty decorations.

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Sniper Elite 5

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