There was a moment when playing Resistance that I started to feel like I’d stumbled upon a Hitman game.

Sure, it’s mostly because my mission had descended into chaos and I was maybe playing the game a bit wrong. Snipers are supposed to stay out of sight, out of mind and I was suddenly in a kitchen full of Nazis who were out for blood.

But where I feel like prior Sniper Elite games would have punished me for this because my character was never really meant to be in such a closed quarters situation, in Resistance I had all the tools I needed to fight my way out.

Submachine Guns. One shot pistols. UZIs. I was well stocked. But once I’d survived the onslaught, I felt like the game really started to open up. Eventually, I was l vaulting out of windows, climbing vines and drainpipes and getting to higher ground so I could sneak up on a Gestapo Officer and impale him through the face with a knife.

It was all in search of some hidden documents that the Nazis are trying to protect, that will lead me to some sort of super weapon they’re trying to build in order to terrorise the planet. Suddenly it felt like my guy was all that stood in the face of global domination.

And sure, I didn’t have the disguises nor did I need to be in a certain place at a certain time in order for the mission to go smoothly, but just for a moment, it reminded me a bit of Agent 47 and how far the Sniper Elite series has really come.

I remember the early days, it really was just about lining down your scope and firing from a distance. And it absolutely still is that, there’s little more satisfying than lining up a shot from miles away and watching someone’s skull crack into pieces as a bullet pierces through them. Or even getting that classic testicle shot!

But what I mean is Sniper Elite: Resistance has become more than that. There’s definitely more connection between missions now, a story that you can follow and even get a chuckle out of. And the action feels as crisp and enjoyable as ever before, even if the levels do feel a bit bloated and underwhelming at points.

All that said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t have similar feelings coming away from playing Sniper Elite 5 and when you do put the two games side by side, they do feel pretty similar in a lot of ways. One suspects this is because we’re not talking about Sniper Elite 6 here, so much as we’re talking about Sniper Elite 5.5.

So it’s probably better to think of Resistance as something of a stopgap between the big numbered franchise installments. No bad thing as the features and gameplay still rock but it might help with some expectation management of players coming into this.

There’s around 9 campaign missions to complete, with the first being something more like a tutorial. But each is full of around 20 collectibles, varying from letters sent, classified documents, dogtags, and workbenches. There’s even posters and propaganda to find and if you feel so inclined, a mode you can play where you race against the clock to remove all pieces of propaganda in one mission.

Each mission is set across different dates, all connected to the wider story and vary from night and day, through different cities and areas as you try to stop the Fuhrer’s plans. And with your actions, you’ll find yourself contributing to the game’s medal system, which in turn helps you rank up and spend skill points for permanent upgrades. You can also unlock ribbons for certain accomplishments and add them to your player tag for when you venture online.

This is where the game really opens up for longevity, as while some may find the amount of campaign missions a tad disappointing, not only do you have sandboxes to build up your medal tallies but the Axis Invasion Mode has returned. Think of it like Dark Souls invasion system where a player can randomly drop into your campaign mission while playing and start sniping at you.

It adds an element of tension to the experience and can really set the heart racing, particularly if you’re trying to stay quiet in a dense city or have got close to your objective and someone drops in to upset the apple cart. It’s not for everyone of course, and Souls-fans, particularly, will know that better than anyone, but it does at least keep the campaign missions fresh and is something you can even do to another player. Depending on how cruel you’re feeling.

Multiplayer doesn’t stop there, of course. You can host and join co-op games to play the game with a friend or random if you’re finding the objectives triky to complete. You’ve also got the vintage Multiplayer modes you know and love from Sniper Elite games. And excitingly, you have crossplay between platforms, which means the multiplayer component is broadly expanded and opened up long into the future.

Survival mode, also returns, seeing you fight off waves and waves of Nazis as you prep a base with defenses like satchel charges and landmines, then find a spot to snipe at them.

It all contributes to your wider rank where you can go on level up skills like increased health bars, improved focus, lower heart rate and deeper pockets.

Sniper Elite Resistance just feels fun to play. It’s a great dip in, dip out shooter that you really offers some moments as satisfaction as every game in the franchise has done before it. Even when playing on PS5, the Haptic Feedback on the triggers and the satisfying vibration of reloading help to immerse you even further into the games.

There’s enough longevity and variety here that it’s unfair to class this as a Sniper Elite 5 DLC. In fact, there’s more content coming in the future with a confirmed roadmap through 2025, but for those expecting a significant upgrade from a game they played a few years back may be a bit disappointed and better served waiting for whatever Rebellion are cooking up in Sniper Elite 6.

Verdict

Sniper Elite: Resistance is as enjoyable as any other Sniper Elite game out there and offers the best of all options, especially if you’re new to the series. For those returning from Sniper Elite 5, you may find this a tad disappointing as the game feels very similar and, beyond the campaign, doesn’t offer a whole lot that’s new. That said, between the multiplayer options, the medal upgrades and amount of collectibles per mission, as well as forthcoming DLC you’re going to have a great time here and for a healthy, sustained period of time while you wait for SE6.

Pros

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Sniper Elite: Resistance is available now on PC, PS and Xbox Game Pass

Played on PS5 and Xbox Series X

Code Kindly Provided by Rebellion for review purposes