In video games, success can often come with an unforeseen cost. When a great new idea is successful enough to warrant a sequel, that then, in turn, becomes a series, this success often comes with a demand to iterate with each following entry. To ensure fans stay interested, developers must think of new ways to engage those who over time become familiar with the base mechanics of that series while still not alienating these diehard fans. For developer Rebellion, it came to this crossroads with the fifth installment of its successful long-running series, Sniper Elite.
Sniper Elite has been going strong since the days of the PlayStation 2, but over time, it began to stagnate, especially after its last entry, the solid yet uninventive Sniper Elite 4. Rebellion knew the series needed a shot in the arm, so the developer decided to do something different, and looked to inspiration from another series that focuses on assassinations: IO Interactive's Hitman. The result is a game that feels not only feels fresh for the series, but takes Sniper Elite in a decidedly more Hitman-esque direction -- and that's an entirely good thing.
When it comes down to comparisons, it makes total sense that Hitman would influence Sniper Elite 5's gameplay. Just like Sniper Elite, the Hitman series was another long-running franchise that came close to being uninspired but reinvented itself into the most recent critically acclaimed trilogy of games, giving players more choice and freedom to approach the missions than ever before. Sniper Elite also focuses on stealth, espionage, and assassination, so injecting this newest entry with a bit of what revitalized Hitman works well and evolves the core of the series into a new and exciting direction.
One of the most striking changes Sniper Elite 5 has taken from Hitman is introducing emergent gameplay to each of its gigantic levels. Past Sniper Elite games gave players some choice in how to approach each mission, the newest entry has introduced a wealth of surprises to find within each battlefield. Just like Hitman allows players to develop missions by eavesdropping for clues, the new game allows players to listen to soldier dialogue and discover crucial intelligence hidden throughout the levels.
These discoveries can reveal new objectives and points of egress, often revealing a hidden route or unforeseen advantage. On top of this, the game constantly rewards player exploration with hidden work benches, which unlock new weapon upgrades, or optional objectives that are targets of opportunity for a seasoned commando, like protagonist Karl Fairburne.
Furthermore, each level has a dedicated target now, more than often a Nazi officer connected to the overarching narrative whereby Karl Fairburne is tracking down a mysterious prototype codenamed Operation Kraken. Players can choose to eliminate each target with a long-distance sniper shot or to complete each target's kill challenge, which requires players to take out their enemy in various different ways. One target might need to be killed by a falling chandelier, and another made to fall into a pit of wet concrete after leaning on a sabotaged railing.
These options add lot a level of experimentation to each mission and unlock a new weapon upon completion. They also bring a bit of levity to the narrative, making players feel akin to Agent 47 as he dispatches his dastardly targets in a variety of hilarious ways throughout the Hitman series.
Even moment-to-moment gameplay mechanics in Sniper Elite 5 seem taken right out of IO Interactive's most recent Hitman games. Players can find tools like a crowbar and bolt cutters that allow access to valuable loot stashes and open up new entryways and routes. This is just like the mechanic where Agent 47 can scavenge for tools to find new ways to traverse a level or take out a target with a sabotaged piece of level geometry. Fairburne even has a new Focus Mode in the sequel, which highlights nearby enemies through walls at the cost of movement speed, just like Agent 47's incredibly useful Instinct Mode.
This new focus on player choice and tweaks to the gameplay have made each mission feel more akin to a real-life infiltration by a skilled commando. Things can go wrong, and players now have more options to fight out of a mistake rather than reload a save when an alarm is tripped or the player is spotted. This sense of variability and emergent gameplay places more focus on trying out new tactics and strategies. The Sniper Elite series has always encouraged players to replay its short campaigns, and now players have more incentive than ever to do so with its fifth entry. With the Hitman series currently on hiatus, it's nice to see that Sniper Elite has picked up the slack and delivered an inspired stealth action sequel.