In order to get the best overwatch on what Resistance is, I went rifling back through my considerable collection of Sniper Elite games. I own ‘em all. Turns out I’ve been X-ray executing Jerry and exploding Führer gonads from a postcode away for 20 years and 11 games.
I reckon I’ve got the evolution of this franchise well scoped and evaluated than most. In recent years, there simply hasn’t been much in the way of new, if we’re shooting straight with one another here.
Honestly, the three biggest advancements to the formula were the X-ray killcams in Sniper Elite V2 (2012), the 2013 spin-off into Nazi zombies, and then the Dark Souls-like Axis invasion mechanic where opportunistic players tried to ruin your solo campaign. Serves you right for leaving the option on, I say.
there simply hasn’t been much in the way of new, if we’re shooting straight with one another here.
Rebellion isn’t exactly aiming particularly higher with today’s entry. In fact, there’s very little here—despite a protagonist switcheroo and a side-diversion mode—that I could tag as genuinely new to the formula.
Eagle-eyed fans will know that the new triggerman of this piece, Harry Hawker, popped up as Karl Fairburne’s co-op pal in Sniper Elites 3 through 5. But what they wouldn’t know is that while Karl was off popping fascist melons to better secure a Normandy beachhead, Harry was raising resistance-centric hell in France.
To its credit, Rebellion has attempted to give ol’ Hazza a bit more of a personality than Karl, the stoic, gravel-voiced sociopath. Our SOE operator is a bit of a geezer. Which would be a vocal improvement in my book if it weren’t for a bug that made him repeat the initial dialogue he spouts whenever using an element of the game “for the first time.”
Yes, Harry, sidearms are good for quick kills. Also, long grass is itchy but quiet. You’ve told me about twenty times over the course of nine missions. We’re supposed to be sneaking here, mate. Shut it.
It was difficult to warm to this hero for other reasons, too. Compared to previous games, there’s a dearth of meaningful mid-mission exposition for Harry and the local resistance squad he’s embedded with. The budget route was taken here, as the majority of connective narrative tissue leans heavily on slow pans across photos as disembodied voices speak.
the majority of connective narrative tissue leans heavily on slow pans across photos
And what a bunch of déjà vu objectives they’ll detail. Go find the guy and shoot the guy. Go press the button and/or pull the lever. Or, the oldest chestnut, bugger off into a vague, multi-storey building and search for intel (think: needle in a haystack).
The only real advancement to this been-there-done-that gameplay loop is Propaganda Challenges. By collecting one hidden poster per campaign mission, you’ll unlock a bespoke challenge—typically, replaying a level chunk under tougher conditions and a timer that can be engorged with specific actions.
The variants on these include Sniping Challenges, where you’ll chase headshots and environmental kills; Stealth Challenges, where ghost kills earn precious seconds; and Combat Challenges, where you basically go full non-sniper (heavy weapons and explosives). Frankly, I dislike those latter ones as they serve to highlight how rigidly animated and clunky-feeling Sniper Elite games are when compared to modern third-person shooters.
So where did I find my fun? As per always, Authentic Mode is the aspirational zenith of this game. All of the HUD and assists nonsense goes away, health regen takes a hike, weapon zoom isn’t adjustable, wind is a factor, and manually reloading a clip will ditch precious rounds.
Lots of skill is required to connect bullet to bonce. It’s not unlike playing a round of lethal golf.
I’m also still about Kill List Targets. Essentially, every level has at least one especially XP-laden VIP whose payout can be maximised if you can discover the special, preferred way to dispatch them. Sometimes it’s just with a unique weapon. Other times you need to employ Agent 47 levels of creativity to kill them in a certain spot with a specific environmental hazard.
employ Agent 47 levels of creativity to kill them in a certain spot
When it comes to the long haul, you can unlock perks, and poring over quadruple loadouts and workbench customisations should keep the gun nuts among you happy. Why four setups of gats and gear? So you can’t blame your tools when you screw up in the very different combat scenarios that are Campaign, Survival, Axis Invasion and PvP. It’s also worth noting that your XP grind for perks is separated between Solo and MP modes, but, again, this is nothing new for series veterans.
Speaking of things that haven’t really changed a ton, Resistance is looking a little long in the tooth, graphically. Any character in an in-engine cutscene looks a little Team America World Police around the eyes and mouth. And the old in-mission flubs return too—like slight clipping through obstacles when mantling or climbing and imperfect physics calculations during slow-mo killcams.
Nothing too heinous. Cadavers making odd cartwheels and dropped guns merging with corpses, mostly.
All this isn’t to say that Resistance doesn’t have the chops to capture the hearts of a new generation of Lee Harvey Oswalds. Stuff like blowing a vehicle up near a group of Jerries to create an impromptu, multi-kill BBQ is still smirk-worthy.
Alternatively, I challenge you not to hit Share if you recreate “that sniper from Saving Private Ryan” shot—parking one down their scope, through an eyeball, and then the blowhole installation completes. Or there’s the even rarer “double testes” two-for-one special shot.
Those once-in-a-blue-moon moments are still magical, even though Resistance, on the whole, is an largely unimaginative rehash. If you’ve never once played a Sniper Elite title, I say pull the trigger, as this is the best it’s been (in terms of gameplay systems and netcode, at least). However, if you’re a veteran long ranger who’s been holding their breath for a sequel of genuine improvement and substance, this is going to feel like a missed mark indeed.
