Sniper Elite 5

Following on from Sniper Elite 3 and Sniper Elite 4, Karl is trying to find his way out from behind enemy lines with the help of the French resistance: but they have other ideas, seeing as he is there and possessed of skills that they could put to excellent use.

They’ve heard about Project Kraken and surmised that the Nazi’s are up to no good at all (even more so than usual) so why not send Karl – who is part of a covert US Rangers operation – to have a look? Seizing any chance to bloody the bad guys’ nose, Karl goes for it.

Karl must work quickly and quietly: in the game there is little in the way of covering ambient noise. This means that any shot should only come after you’ve carefully plotted your immediate escape.

This is not a fast and furious game, but a slow and thoughtful one – but fraught with tension so it’s never dull and is always pulse boosting. The AI is fast and responsive, and thinking ahead can stand you in good stead in later parts of the game, so be mindful right from the beginning.

Abelard Möller is the big bad, an Obergruppenführer who is the most senior of several Axis bosses that you must battle and he will give you a considerable challenge as you fight your way to the conclusion of the story arc, after many adventures, beautiful shots on target, and excitingly close escapes along the way.

The Nitty Gritty

When you make successful shots on target you will activate the X-ray kill cam: it shows the bullet’s progress, not only to the target, but into their body, showing the damage inflicted by the shot. As always, kill cam’s slow motion features is still a well-loved one.

Given the importance of the weapon to any sniper, it is no surprise that your weapons can be extensively customised. The game is linear, but offers several wide-raging options on the expansive play map so you don’t feel too constrained. Try not to forget to save before any big plan is put into play – if you go wrong, you can do it over with new choices and not too much stress.

Modes of Play

There are several ways to play the game:

Single player: You are Karl, you are on your way home, and stumble into Project Kraken and work straightforwardly to thwart it

Co-op play: Team up with a friend to play co-operatively through the adventure

Co-op play: Invasion Mode: Invasion mode lets a third-party player come in and battle snipe against you both. This feature is automatically on when you start play, but if you want to play it straight, you can switch it off again in the menu. If you decide to leave it on to see what it’s like, you are alerted when an invader is around

Survival Mode: A four player (including you) game: offers exciting shoot ’em up survival mode

Multiplayer Mode: 16 people go head to head in in multiplayer sharpshooting action