Sniper Elite: Resistance Review — The Best Nazi-Killer to Date?

When it comes to shooting Nazis from the shadows, no one does it better than the Sniper Elite series. From its humble beginnings almost 20 years ago, the franchise has radically improved upon its formula with each release, and after the fifth primary instalment in 2022, the series takes a bit of a deviation with Sniper Elite: Resistance; although, while it doesn’t carry the numerical title convention, this is essentially the natural progression for the franchise and will be extremely familiar to anyone who’s played a previous SE game.

So, more of a parallel experience than a complete detour, Sniper Elite: Resistance throws you into the shoes of a new protagonist to the series, Harry Hawker, a rough-around-the-edges British soldier who is basically a pissed-off Jason Statham — he’s great. The gameplay itself leverages the same formula and setup as previous entries. You’ll slink around levels, stab or shoot your way to targets or objectives, and high-tail it out of there before the wrath of Nazi revenge comes down on you. Thankfully, while a familiar experience, it never really seems to get old thanks to some detailed level design, various ways and routes to reach and execute your objectives, and gameplay mechanics that simply work.

As mentioned, the level design has always been one of the most important things for the Sniper Elite series. Players need long-range sniping opportunities, interesting sniping nest scenarios, and an interesting landscape to shoot within. Of course, there are multiple ways to play, and the environments need to be as labyrinthine and interesting as possible in order to allow you to creep your way through and get up close and personal, too.

Funnily enough, Resistance is the first game where normal stealth and close-quarters combat feels more interesting and appealing than sniping, perhaps due to the challenge it provides or the strategy involved in working your way around the levels. Whether it be climbing up some vines to get over a heavily guarded wall or going through an underground passage, Rebellion gives you a lot of ways to get where you want to go. Some routes are more tricky than others, and this promotes exploration and experimentation, and furthermore, the environments become increasingly trickier as the game goes on.

But, of course, if you want to stick to shooting from afar, which really is the bread and butter of the series, the trademark X-ray kill cam (which follows the bullet through an enemy’s skeleton) is as gross and glorious as ever. But, it has to be said too, it’s starting to lose its novelty a little bit. Some may still love watching every single shot go through their targets, but if you feel the trick has run its course, you can switch it off and add some more rhythm and speed to your sniping experience, which is appreciated.

You can also jump into the campaign co-operatively with a partner, which makes sneaking through the levels a little more fun as you try to synchronise your movements to avoid detection. On top of that, the series’ more beloved Axis Invasion Mode makes its return, allowing you to invade another player’s campaign (or for them to invade yours). Knowing there’s another player-controlled sniper out there trying to foil you adds serious tension to get the job done as fast as possible. There is also a more traditional 16-player multiplayer mode, along with a horde-like survival mode that can have 4 players fighting together cooperatively.

Sniper Elite: Resistance doesn’t throw too many new tricks into the pan, but it delivers another enjoyable, flexible and solid third-person stealth-action experience. Each level feels like its own little open-world sandbox experience full of cool moments, like sniper duels, sneaky infiltrations, and detonating explosions. If you’re a fan of the series, you know what you’re getting — and that should please many.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.