Gameplay and Story

Sniper Elite VR: Winter Warrior is the same game you’d expect for a normal Sniper Elite game but instead of a controller you get to use wonky VR controls. If you’re going to get this game I recommend getting it side by side with a gunstock. Using a rifle or smg in this game is a pain in my axe. Using pistols is fun but it’s not exactly Pistol Elite VR Winter Warrior is it?

The story follows you as “The Partisan,” an Italian resistance soldier during the WWII era. Your mission is to do everything you can to banish Nazi soldiers from your homeland. During your fight you discover new Nazi wonder-weapons, I know what you’re thinking and it’s not rayguns, that might turn the tides of war and it’s your job to stop them.

In Winter Warrior you’ll use various loadouts consisting of SMGs, shotguns, snipers, and pistols to fight your way through the story. I love reloading all the weapons in this game, it’s super satisfying. The rifles are bolt-action so you have to pull back the lever after every shot to reload and you get the satisfaction of the casing hitting the floor after each shot. Reloading pistols is fun because you get you unload your clip, rip it out and slam in a new one and it makes you feel like a badass. But my favorite is the double barrel, you fold it open and shake the empty casings out then load it up with two fresh shells and slam it back closed, it’s super fun.

The sniper hunt mode in my opinion was just an invasion mode of the worst parts of the game. You’re hauled up in a room where you have to walk around and snipe other snipers, like I said, no gunstock equals no fun.

Graphics and Sound

The narration from the voice actor is fine, he’s nothing that I would hope to hear in your favorite cartoons or animated movies but he does fine here. The gun sound effects are where this game grabs your attention. From the clicks, to the clacks, to the bangs, to the booms, and the pows. It’s all very immersive and I enjoyed every bit of the gun related sound effects.

As for graphics, I hope you’re not sensitive to light because WOW. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is white and bright. Aside from when you’re underground, it is the Winter Warrior so you can expect snow but when it is daytime, the game lets you know it’s daytime. Be sure to take consistent breaks because if not you’re going to have to readjust to real lights. The X-Rays are also no different than they’ve ever been, you just see them a little closer up than you would in a console version.

Feedback

The snipers were a little too difficult to use without a gunstock, you needed to have both of your controllers in the perfectly correct position or else it would be impossible to hit your target. On top of that looking through a scope was a hassle once I got the gun in the right position. For the game being Sniper Elite, I hardly wanted to use a sniper at all.

Another thing the game would benefit from is a light sensitivity setting, sometimes being in the snowy wasteland was headache inducing.

Verdict

Honestly, it’s not a bad game at all. The gunplay is a little funky with the rifles but everything else isn’t too bad. My biggest problem is that it’s too bright and the snipers are a little weird. I know it’s a sniper focused game so that makes it hard for me to rate it highly when the thing the game should be based on is lacking. For that reason, without a gunstock I would have to put the score lower, but if I did have a gunstock I’m sure it would drastically improve my feelings of the game.

Sniper Elite VR: Winter Warrior is available now on the Meta App Store.