Sniper Elite 5 Preview Big Hitman Energy Skip to content Click here to check out the GameByte Shop great games, consoles and more! Sniper Elite 5 Preview Big Hitman Energy 27 April 2022 by Joshua Boyles I’ll be open and honest – before jumping into Sniper Elite 5, I had never played a Sniper Elite game before. I was reliably informed that, for the most part, these games are all about dumb sniping fun with enough gore to rival Mortal Kombat. While there’s a World War II backdrop to give the player character some agency, I was under the impression these games were the epitome of an arcade shooter. Jumping into Sniper Elite 5, many of my preconceptions were confirmed. This game offers an incredibly engaging stealth system that will have you constantly coming back for more. However, I wasn’t expecting to be drawing direct comparisons from the Hitman games in a way that left me desperate for more with each level playthrough. Click here to read more about Sniper Elite!ADVERT ADVERT Sniper Elite 5 Preview – Old dog new tricks Firstly, an introduction to Sniper Elite 5. If you’ve played previous entries, you probably know the score. You play as a US sniper who’s working his way through France during WW2. Set in 1944 around the events of D-Day, it’s likely that you’ll see and experience plenty of iconic set pieces from a distinct period of world history. I was able to play through the second mission in Sniper Elite 5’s campaign. Here, I was tasked with infiltrating a French Chateau where a Nazi general had set up base. Using the tools at my disposal, it was up to me to decide on how to best tackle the mission. There’s a surprising amount of options, too. Observing the lay of the land from a treeline overlooking the castle, all of your options are laid bare. Do you swing right and cut through the old farm house? What about the windmill to the left? Or do you risk it all and stroll right through the main gate. That choice is yours. Credit: Rebellion Sniper Elite 5 Preview – Just one more run… Whichever way you decide to proceed, you’ll find plenty of new traversal options in Sniper Elite 5. Rebellion has worked to add plenty more routes through levels, focusing mainly on verticality. You can now scale walls using vines and ladders to gain height quickly. This is especially useful for reaching the best sniping vantage points.ADVERT ADVERT Another conscious design change from the team comes in the addition of work benches scattered around each level. These let you customise your loadout in the middle of a play session – previously, you had to choose a loadout at the start of a level and live with the consequences. Rebellion wants players to be more reactive in their playstyles in Sniper Elite 5. This is part of a larger design pivot to something that’s more replayable. There are new non-lethal takedown options, should you opt for a pacifist run. Additionally, exploring each level fully will unlock new starting locations. It all contributes to an immense variety when played through on multiple occasions. I managed to complete two runs of the level in my brief time with the preview, and each run felt totally fresh from the other. Sniper Elite 5 Preview – Learn from the best After playing Sniper Elite 5, I’m shocked at how much the series seems to have learned from its forebears. Hitman energy is flowing through this game’s veins – even the castle level design reminded me instantly of the Paris level from IO Interactive’s recent endeavours. ADVERT ADVERT This is not a bad thing in the slightest. The Hitman games cater to such a wide range of audiences that it’s hard to see why Sniper Elite 5 wouldn’t do the same. If you’re someone who just wants to enjoy a decent bit of sniping, this game has you covered. Fancy scouring every level to experience every permutation of it? That’s also possible. I can imagine that speedrunners would also have an absolute field day here. Sniper Elite 5 doesn’t seem like it’s going to blow the formula out of the water, but it certainly goes a long way to make the series concept more intriguing than it ever was before. Early access was provided to GameByte by Rebellion for preview purposes only.ADVERT ADVERT Featured Image Credit: Rebellion TweetShareSharePin Follow us on @GameByte @gamebyte GameByte GameByte GameByte Noobs Play @GameByte @gamebyte GameByte GameByte GameByte Noobs Play External Links Policy GameByte Staff About GameByte Advertise with us Careers Ambassador Program Contact Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Manage Cookies Preferences Submit Your Content FragHero Sporf 9 to 5 Life Social Chain Social Chain Agency