A lemon squeezed for too long turns bitter. WWII games are no different. In the crowd of countless World War II third-person shooters, Sniper Elite 5 is no exception. After a hiatus of five years after the release of Sniper Elite 4, Rebellion has returned with a brand-new entry for more. The game remains mostly the same, but it's back with a new title nonetheless. The creative limitations for each new release, over time, become more and more apparent, often lending the experience a sense of having been antiquated. Rebellion Games has been working in the background to perfect this recipe for the last ten years. The new entry somewhat fails to make the most of its potential and slightly surpasses the low bar that its predecessor established. The gameplay remains identical with slight improvement here and there, and then there’s a new plot unless you believe our generation has not exhibited enough animosity against the veteran Germans.

The narrative of Sniper Elite 5 follows the same formula as previous entries in the series, with the player's objective being to locate and disable a potentially lethal weapon. The game encourages players to go through the single-player campaign several times to fulfill all objectives, retrieve all collectibles, and open up new insertion spots. The experience would not change even if there were a few more missions. Considering that finishing a task using stealth may take up to an hour, the whole length of time spent playing the game is around ten to twelve hours, which can be nearly doubled by completing all that is available to be accomplished. Unfortunately, the game's protagonist does not undergo any significant changes, and he continues to fit the archetype of the courageous hero unable to break out of his ingrained position. In other words, the overall failure to construct a more complex storyline is proven, especially when portraying supporting players and enemies.

Karl Fairburne, an American covert agent of German ancestry, will again be thrust into the duty of foiling the Nazis' new and deadly schemes in France after his campaign in Italy. Karl Fairburne begins his adventure in Sniper Elite 5 on a relatively vast terrain with various objectives and Nazis. Players are only given the ability to fire and sneak about, all while using the game's famed X-ray murder cam to inspect each organ. Players who have completed the previous chapters will recognize the basic gameplay mechanics, while this fifth chapter has plenty of new activities.

When it comes to capturing stunning headshots, Sniper Elite 5 goes to great lengths to detract from such moments. Considering the symbolic aspects of the game, however, it's hard to avoid the impression that a significant portion of Sniper Elite 5 that does not involve accurate sniping at all. Everything about it seems laborious, from the movement, which may be either strolling or running, to the procedure of reloading. For example, Karl can't cross anything that isn't exactly level; when reloading any weapon, the camera abruptly flips from first-person to third-person view while Karl is shooting down sights.

The scenario established by the developers has a very decent flow, but it is lacking in the writing department. This is partly due to the digital acting, which is clearly not fantastic, and the overall direction, which is highly rudimentary and scholastic. As a result, the story cannot wholly catch the player's interest. However, due to Rebellion's experience, the gameplay will compel us to pursue our search for General Möller. There are, however, still some ambiguities in the gameplay. To accomplish the multiple delicate goals, the mission's structure, situated within open landscapes of significant extent, will need us to engage in action in as many different ways as we have in the past. Karl's sniper character lends itself to a stealthy approach to combat, even though it is feasible to play openly and fling our heads down at the opposing squads.

Sniper Elite 5 is divided into eight distinct scenarios, each of which has a plethora of supplementary goals and various approaches to completing the core aim. The lack of limitations forces the player to move through the campaign in a preplanned manner. The game’s choice extends to how we may carry out the missions given to us and how we can choose to remain quiet or keep our guns drawn while doing so. If you want to get into a locked area or sabotage a Nazi weapon, you may either go quickly or utilize equipment like shears and keys to discover a secondary entrance. There is a lot of freedom for mobility and the option of unlocking additional access points to the different maps, which means that infiltrations might begin from different locations inside the region. This feature makes it incredibly enjoyable to revisit the same mission to take a new way and finish all the subsidiary tasks, frequently distant from the main path and essential for the Karl Fairburne 's armament.

The storyline mode landscapes are typically large, open, and full of areas of interest that can only be found by roaming between the primary objectives. In addition, there are zip lines that allow us to go swiftly across specific locations and new climbing abilities, which will enable us to enter structures under the control of the enemy. Additionally, some of the game's stages are rougher and require more planning when approaching the enemies. Although each of its eight maps is sizable and gives the impression of being an open sandbox, this is primarily an optical illusion even though there are places that have numerous entrances because Karl can only access these entrances through climbing ropes and using the bolt cutters to unlock a few more doors.

Much like in the Hitman series of games, Sniper Elite 5 allows you to take down enemies in multiple ways. To eliminate a target, you can shoot from a distance using a sniper rifle or even engage in melee combat. It's rather convenient to take on a particular task that requires you to use environments to eliminate a target. However, the game does not have the same diversity or environmental interactions as much as the Hitman games. Furthermore, even if it is unlikely that completing a level only once would be enough to see everything, there are no more surprises after two or three attempts at it. I'd characterize Sniper Elite 5, which lacks environmental engagement in even non-targeted goals and limits the number of methods players may take to each mission.

Besides being nearly similar to its previous entries, Sniper Elite 5 is visually antiquated in terms of the animations. This is one of the most significant issues with the game, as its technology sector is not exactly in line with the present-day aesthetics. The cutscenes only amplify these criticisms since the characters move unnaturally, and their expressions are woefully out of the usual. Even with artificial intelligence, dealing with enemies may be difficult since they often do not investigate a situation in great detail when they see anything amiss at a distance while returning to their original position in a short amount of time.

Besides being nearly similar to its previous entries, Sniper Elite 5 is visually antiquated in terms of the gameplay animations. The most significant issue with the game as its technology sector is not exactly in line with the present-day aesthetics. The cutscenes only amplify these criticisms since the characters move unnaturally, and their expressions are woefully out of the usual. Even with artificial intelligence, dealing with enemies may be difficult since they often do not investigate a situation in great detail when they see anything amiss at a distance while returning to their original position in a short amount of time.

Visuals, on the other hand, along with the stunning ocean sights and a lovely villa surrounded by trees, are both revealing and pleasing, including a cover system and hidden locations. It's praiseworthy how this game's surroundings are constructed, which serve as the background for a decent stealth game. The surroundings offer areas for those who prefer sniping or playing at gunpoint. Sniper Elite 5 performs at a steady 60 fps per second on the PlayStation 5, and this version benefits from complete support for DualSense. The game uses adaptive triggers, which serve two purposes: first, they simulate the feel of pushing an actual trigger, and second, they allow the player to fine-tune their aim.

There are some multiplayer aspects to keep things interesting, while Co-op is available throughout the campaign’s entirety. Collaborating to take down enemies is more enjoyable than crawling from point to point, hoping to remain unseen. There are also a few primary PvP modes for those who'd like to invade other players. The Survival mode, which can be played alone or with a friend, requires defending a succession of locations from an onslaught of Nazi forces in different scenarios, and the Multiplayer mode, which has the usual competitive rules for up to sixteen players, rounds out the experience in a minor but enjoyable way. However, due to their limited gameplay scope, these modes give the impression that they were just included so that the game could boast a long list of features rather than being an essential part of the overall experience.

It's impossible to have the X-ray killcam without the series' trademark, which shows us the devastation our bullet causes to the hapless Nazi on duty after every successful sniper. Killcam of Sniper Elite 5 is significantly more comprehensive and dramatic than past versions. But nothing's more surprising than Karl Fairburne's ability to utilize a medkit to restore himself after being knocked by the enemy. In contrast, the enemies will stand and watch while Karl instantly brings his health back to nearly full, and only then will they be worried about getting killed by him. Not to mention that enemies in close combat will wait for a certain amount of time doing nothing or load their weapons even when standing face to face with Karl.

Sniper Elite 5 falls short of its primary influence, but it also falls within its own merits. Its restricted level design, weak features, and perplexing A.I. make it a terrible stealth game only momentarily improved by its repetitive sniper tactics. Sniper Elite's essential components of tact and stealth remain, but the game's balancing flaws have been addressed, allowing players to concentrate on the game's primary appeal: enjoyment. Fun exists in the game, but it's not where you want it. Even though the game adds a few nice tweaks to the gameplay, and the X-ray killcam is much improved, the series requires an upgrade to the next generation to ensure its long-term viability. Sniping continues to provide a satisfying experience, as it has throughout the whole of the series, but it takes too much effort to get the most out of it. If Rebellion Developments wants to continue making entries in this series in the future, they will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with something new for the next installment.

Azfar Rayan (@AzfarRayan)
Editor, NoobFeed