Rebellion is bringing us its first entry into next-gen territory with its latest title, Sniper Elite 5. Kill cams, slow-motion carnage, bullet drop, and tense gameplay is back and improved upon. SE5 is the culmination of improved mechanics and gameplay features from previous titles and makes this the best Sniper Elite experience in the series. There is a lot here that is done right and newly added features are welcome. However, this goes by saying not everything hits its mark.

Story

Karl Fairburne, a.k.a “The Shadow” to the Axis, is tasked with the heavy burden of uncovering the secrets to the Nazi’s latest plan to turn the tides of war in their favor. Karl must uncover the hidden truths of Operation: Kraken and figure out how to stop it as well as kill the mastermind behind it all, Abelard Moller.

The entire game takes place in France, in 1944, during the events of the legendary D-Day. This WWII plot will satisfy the history nuts, providing realistic scenarios that could seem plausible for the period while keeping the story moving forward at a healthy pace. You won't find anything award-winning here, a very typical war plot, but it serves its purpose well.

Gameplay

The thrill of being a WWII sniper hero is showcased with high integrity in SE5. Rebellion took additional steps to keep many aspects of the game as authentic as possible from motion capture takedowns to the various locales that are visited throughout the campaign. There is a lot here that helps keep the game grounded in its historical origins. This kind of authenticity adds to the gameplay immersion and makes SE5 feel like more than a “kill cam” gimmick, and I mean that in the best way.

The game relies heavily on stealth gameplay and favors it. Loadouts can be customized to equip any playstyle, including the action-oriented type that goes loud any chance they get. However, the real joy of SE5 comes from a well-planned sniper execution that is pulled off flawlessly. No alerts, no witnesses, and pure slow-mo kill-cam carnage.

The overall character movement feels like an improvement over previous titles. Animations seem more natural and stealth gameplay feels very reminiscent of other large area sandbox titles, a la Metal Gear. This time around, players have more options to go non-lethal during their playthrough of SE5 including hand-to-hand combat. These non-lethal attacks are much quieter and bring less attention if there are other guards nearby.

One addition to this new title is the ability to customize weapons for every game mode. Attachments and weapons are upgraded as you level up your campaign rank and help you outfit Karl to cater to the way you want to play. It's a welcome touch and a great way for players to experiment with different load-outs to see what works best for them. Hardcore Sniper Elite fans will love the options available here.

Sniping, AI, and the third-person shooting all feel very tight with few complaints. On my playthrough, AI has been a mixed bag. Enemy soldiers do not necessarily run straight to you, trying to get shot, they will try to flank and take cover often. But there are occasions when the AI might get stuck and seem completely unaware. There was a moment when an enemy soldier was going to investigate a dead body across the street from him and ended up almost getting run over by an oncoming motorcycle, the AI bounced back and completely forgot about the dead body. On another occasion, I melee killed an enemy just a few feet away from another soldier and he completely ignored the sounds of slashing and blood-curling pain because of a nearby noise distraction. The AI is not terrible but it has some hiccups.

The campaign is fully playable in co-op mode with another player. This is a returning feature from previous titles but this time you can share resources and team play is strongly encouraged. Players can mark locations and perform various dialogue lines to perform quick chats. Another new feature to the Sniper Elite series is the addition of the brand new Invasion Mode. This is a completely optional mode that allows players to invade other campaigns and stop Karl from winning WWII all by himself.

Invasion Mode allows you to customize your Sniper Jaeger and your loadout. When you invade another player’s game, you could be matched into any mission at any time. This means the other player could have just started their mission, or maybe they are halfway through, an invasion can occur at any time during the mission. I enjoyed this aspect of it because it kept you on your toes for a possible invasion at any time.

Once the invader joins, it is their sole objective to stop and kill Karl along with his co-op buddy. That's right, invasions can be switched on during co-op games as well, upping the ante. Invading players have to try to locate the snipers by marking as many of their allied soldiers as possible, that way they can alert the invader if the sniper is spotted. There are also phones scattered around the level that will pinpoint the sniper's current location for a limited time. This cat and mouse mode is a great start and it would be nice to see Rebellion build upon it for future content.

Multiplayer and survival modes are back and will feel familiar to returning players. The mechanics in SE5 are more fine-tuned and feel very fluid. It was always hard for me to get into the multiplayer in this series because the gunplay felt a bit stoic, but I am happy to report that it is very much improved and feels great.

Audio and Visuals

Guns sound authentic, the voice acting is great, and the soundtrack is very fitting. The game does a great job immersing you into this period and setting with the great voice acting from enemy soldiers and cutscenes.

The graphics aren't bad but they aren't a huge improvement over the previous entry either. Granted, this game is multiplatform and cross-gen but there isn't a glaringly obvious difference between the PS4 and PS5 versions other than some draw distance and textures seem to be a bit better. It's not an ugly game by any means, but it doesn't scream next-gen either.

Replayability

You got to hand it to Rebellion for providing such an awesome package of content in this series. Not only do you get a lengthy campaign, but it is fully playable in co-op with multiple starting locations to unlock and optional side missions to complete. Not only that but many of the missions can be completed in multiple ways. With the addition of Invasion mode, Survival mode, and various multiplayer modes, there is a lot to unpack here.

Sniper fans will be left feeling like they have plenty to do and multiple ways to do them. Add the option of customizable load-outs for every mode, cross-platform play, and of course the various difficulty settings and you’ll always have something to do. Speaking of difficulty modes, this game satisfies every type of player. From the casual Cadet to the hardcore Authentic players, this game has it all. If you want an easy-going action-adventure, you got it. If you want a hardcore sniper sim with various gameplay tweaks and options, you got it. I was extremely pleased with the load of options to choose from and players get to play the game exactly how they want.

With the addition of cross-platform play, the online community will be the biggest it has ever been. So, whether you are new to the series or a long-time fan, there has never been a better time to jump in.

What It Could Have Done Better

Invasion mode is a welcome feature and can deliver some intense moments, but it could benefit from a server browser or filter of sorts. Currently, you can not choose who you invade which is a missed opportunity, especially for those wanting to invade their friends. Also, if you only play on hardcore settings with wind settings and bullet drop on realistic, you cant filter the invasion mode to match that playstyle. You have to play by the host’s settings.

I also ran into some game-breaking bugs during an invasion that prevented me from moving. The game utilizes various barriers and bushes to keep you in a designated area, keeping you in the mission zone. I found myself trapped in a series of bushes near the start of my invasion session and could not move at all. I am sure the bug will get patched later down the road but it is worth mentioning it exists.

The game plays the best in the series, and has improved every aspect of what has already been implemented in the series before SE5, which is great news! But I do think it's time to mix up these tropes with something more outside of the box. It would have been great to see some new gameplay features that drastically change the series other than this new mode. The game feels great but it just feels very “safe.”

Verdict

Sniper Elite 5 has a lot of game to give. Rebellion knows exactly what its fans want and delivered just that. It's easily the best in the series when it comes to gameplay and content and will keep fans busy for a long while. With the inclusion of cross-play and Xbox Game Pass, it's easy to see the online community take off for this one. Let's just hope the next installment takes some more risks to reinvigorate the series and offer something truly unique that this series once was known for. More of the same isn’t a bad thing but it might get stale once you get to a series 6th installment.

Sniper Elite 5 is available now on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and EGS.