Saturday, August 6, 2022

SNIPER ELITE 5




 It’s easy, for the uninitiated, to write off the Sniper Elite franchise as a hyper-violent Nazi-killing X-ray gore fest. It is that, yes. But it’s also a paragon for excellent level design, and Sniper Elite 5 continues that trend — in fact, it features some of the best sandbox missions I’ve ever played. They sprawl across mine-riddled beaches, bucolic wineries, and coastal chateaus, capitalizing on every chance to give you a sightline, however narrow, to the next soon-to-be-shattered Nazi skull.




This was no easy task, considering that the newest outing brings the franchise to World War II-era France, quite possibly video games’ most rote destination. But developer Rebellion Developments has found new ways to make the beaches of Normandy exciting. There are elements of IO Interactive’s Hitman trilogy on display here, as the roguish Karl Fairburne is forced to sneak into bunkers and cobblestone alleys, trading his trusty sniper rifle for a silenced handgun and close-quarters know-how. There are also abundant reminders of Arkane’s Dishonored games, with multiple approaches to every objective, ranging from non-lethal to what I can only describe as very lethal. Sniper Elite 5 has elevated an already fantastic franchise to the pantheon of the immersive-sandbox greats. —Mike Mahardy