SNIPE HUNT

SNIPER ELITE: RESISTANCE continues to deliver pulpy thrills

- By Jake Tucker

Nazis are pretty much the definitive bad guys. They're perfect videogame fodder because you never have to feel bad about punching, shooting or exploding them. And for sad real-world reasons, it's never felt more cathartic to do so. Sniper Elite: Resistance couldn't have come along at a better time. Channeling the spirit of a classic World War II movie, there's daring romps and blockbuster beats aplenty.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is the first spin-off for the Sniper Elite series that doesn’t have you fighting zombies, and it’s clearly hoping to capture some of the magic of 2022’s Sniper Elite 5. You play as new recruit to the series Harry Hawker, fighting arm in arm with several of the French Resistance characters from Sniper Elite 5 and romping around the countryside. It feels a lot like playing an expansion pack for Sniper Elite 5, with familiar enemy behaviors, mechanics and tools. But that’s no bad thing—Sniper Elite 5 was a huge step up in quality, and Resistance feels like half a step forward again, full of excellent playgrounds for the series’ trademark mix of long-range sniping and guerrilla warfare.

There are just seven main missions, but they’re all huge and took me about 90 minutes to play through. The French locales are varied, inviting you to crouchwalk your way through farms, castles, secret bases and more. Importantly, each of the levels feels distinct, with a good mix of tight corridors, interesting geometry to stealth your way through and, of course, some perfect viewpoints for sniping.