Sniper Elite: Resistance review – So average, it’s fine
RebellionSniper Elite: Resistance is another rock-solid entry in the long-running shooter series, bringing all the decision-making and graphic kills we’ve come to expect. But with a paper-thin story and a lack of innovation across the board, it’s unlikely to bring in players who aren’t already sold on Sniper Elite’s signature brand of stealth.
Over the last 20 years, the franchise has made a name for itself with tactical stealth and, most importantly, the gruesome and realistic X-ray kills introduced in V2. While this felt fresh and exciting back in 2012, the most recent entries, including 2022’s Sniper Elite 5, have adopted the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is more of the same, offering another enjoyable romp across war-torn France in the dusty boots of a new protagonist. But even for someone who’s only dabbled in the series, it’s as predictable as a German patrol.
Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshots & details
- Price: $59.99 / £54.99
- Developer: Rebellion Developments
- Release date: January 28, 2025
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S & PC
- Reviewed on PS5
New protagonist, same story
Rebellion / Dexerto In a story that runs parallel with the events of SE5, Sniper Elite: Resistance ditches grizzled protagonist Karl Fairburne in favor of the quippy Harry Hawker, a British SOE operative who’s looking to track down a Nazi superweapon in 1944 France.
It’s nothing you haven’t seen or heard in other WWII narratives and it’s certainly not the main draw for this kind of game, but it offers a nice bit of context as to why you’re sniping and stabbing your way through each level. Ultimately, though, all it’s there to do is string the nine missions together and give you a larger goal to work towards.
The missions are everything we’ve come to expect — vast open sandboxes packed with different routes to experiment with, optional objectives to complete, and Kill Challenge targets to eliminate. You’re dropped in with nothing more than your custom loadout and a series of tasks to check off, with the choice to do them however and in whichever order you see fit.
It can be a little daunting trying to plan the best route, especially if you’re not a stealth game veteran, but the freedom quickly becomes liberating. Plotting your path to each objective and determining which enemies need to be dealt with and which can be snuck past is a constantly engaging puzzle.
You don’t even need to take the sneaky approach if you don’t want to. Blitzing your way through with machine guns, pistols, and grenades is a perfectly viable (and fun) way to end the Nazi threat, and they even come with their own gory X-ray kills this time around.
Sniping is familiar but oh-so-satisfying
Rebellion / Dexerto But while you can take the guns-blazing approach, that doesn’t mean you should. Sniping is still king in Resistance and is undoubtedly the way it should be played. Being rewarded with a close-up of a bullet messing up an enemy’s insides after taking an ambitious shot from acres away feels glorious from the first squeeze of the trigger to the last, and finding ways to mask the sound in each unique area is always an appreciated challenge.
The Axis Invasion feature, which allows another real player to hijack your game and hunt you down as a rival sniper, also returns, adding an extra layer of tension as you try to kill each other first. Desperately trying to complete objectives knowing that another player could take me out at any moment has made for some heart-pounding encounters, and it makes every victory (or defeat) all the more exciting.
If this all sounds fairly familiar, it’s because the formula is virtually unchanged from Sniper Elite 5. The new missions are brilliantly designed and offer a ton of replayability if you want to find every secret or hidden entrance, but the moment-to-moment action of piercing skulls, silent takedowns, and tricking enemies by smashing bottles is tried and tested at this point.
Propaganda missions are a welcome distraction
Rebellion / Dexerto The biggest addition in Sniper Elite: Resistance is Propanga Challenges, bite-sized missions only unlocked after finding a special poster within a level. Each one puts a specific skill to the test, whether it be stealth, sniping, or general combat.
They only last a couple of minutes and are fairly easy to complete, but earning the maximum score requires mastery of the game’s systems and pinpoint precision. For example, I battled my way through the La Resistance stealth challenge and took out all enemies within the time limit, but being spotted once meant that it wasn’t even enough to earn a bronze medal.
These smaller encounters are a welcome change of pace from the slower, more methodical main campaign, and die-hard players will no doubt spend dozens of hours trying to perfect each one.
Verdict: 3/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Glorious X-ray kills on all weapons | Barebones story |
| Well-designed levels with lots of freedom | Gameplay is identical to Sniper Elite 5 |
| Propaganda missions are a neat addition for purists |
Sniper Elite: Resistance doesn’t rip up the rule book, it sticks to what it does best and delivers another set of stunning sandboxes to poke around in. The sniping and hilariously detailed X-ray kills are just as satisfying as ever, and the new Propaganda missions are perfect for those looking to test their mettle away from the campaign.
Ultimately, if you loved Sniper Elite 5, or even its predecessor, this is a welcome second helping. However, if those games didn’t do anything for you, there are no meaningful innovations or additions here that are going to change your mind.