The result is missions that have taken this author upwards of two hours to complete, and that\u2019s without even doing everything there is to do. As you explore the surprisingly vertical environments, you\u2019ll discover intelligence and briefs which can help inform your approach \u2013 and while there isn\u2019t quite the same number of assassination options as Agent 47 has at his fingertips, you\u2019ll be surprised by some of the possibilities, which include dropping chandeliers and overloading blast furnaces. The game\u2019s missions are intended to be played over and over, with co-op and a new Axis Invasion mechanic \u2013 where rival snipers infiltrate your game online \u2013 adding to the replayability.<\/p>\n

Of course, beneath the intricately designed sandboxes and cartoon killcams, the game\u2019s beating heart rests with its gunplay. As you\u2019d expect, bullet ballistics are once again taken into account, meaning you\u2019ll need to account for gravity, wind, and weather before popping enemies in the eyes. A dense suite of customisable difficulty options mean you can determine exactly how<\/em> realistic you want the bullet ballistics to be \u2013 and difficulty can be tailored across a variety of different elements. This means if you want deeply realistic gunplay, for example, but easier to manage stealth gameplay, then you can. It\u2019s entirely up to you how you want to play.<\/p>\n

This extends to infiltration points and areas of interest. You can enable options which will guide you around the surprisingly large levels, helping you to locate specific sections that will aid you in your mission \u2013 or you can go in blind and find them for yourself. The sheer scalability of the experience is a selling point, and when paired with the immense scope of the gameplay variety \u2013 spanning traditional third-person shooter all the way through to stealth simulation \u2013 it should appeal to a variety of demographics.<\/p>\n

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The game is a serious looker, too, with photogrammetry used to create some truly authentic scenery. A distinctly Parisian soundtrack helps enhance the presentation, although some mechanics like climbing lack the precision of more polished third-person shooters. The camera can also be a little loose, although we quickly adjusted to this after tinkering with the settings for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

One neat trick is how the title takes advantage of the DualSense controller. You can toggle between third-person and first-person aiming options for all weapons, but while this is a button prompt on other platforms, Rebellion has used the PS5\u2019s adaptive triggers to create a pressure point to differentiate between the two perspectives. It takes a little getting used to but it\u2019s a smart inclusion which allows you to quickly transition between the two unique viewpoints. Haptic feedback is also well-implemented, allowing you to \u201cfeel\u201d nearby sound masks, like planes flying overhead and generators whirring nearby.<\/p>\n

While the campaign is thoroughly entertaining, the developer still hasn\u2019t solved some age-old problems, like the fact that you can get totally<\/em> overwhelmed after a simple mistake. Obviously the title encourages stealth, but it absolutely punishes any minor slip-up, and you will find yourself relying on regular saving unless you\u2019re an elite operative. The aforementioned difficulty tuning can help alleviate this problem, but just be aware that the release is particularly penalising unless you\u2019re permanently on-point. As a consequence, of course, slipping in-and-out of a level unnoticed is euphoria inducing.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a progression through-line between all of the game\u2019s modes, which extends to ribbons, medals, and cosmetic unlocks. A robust customisation suite allows you to tinker with your arsenal down to minute details like recoil recovery speed, and we suspect firearm enthusiasts will get a particular kick out of this. The online multiplayer suite includes a wave-based survival option and competitive skirmishes, in addition to the aforementioned Axis Invasion, but as we\u2019ve been playing in a pre-release environment, we\u2019ve been unable to test these features much. We\u2019ll update in due time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Sniper Elite 5 knows exactly who it\u2019s aimed at, and Rebellion is on target as always. The developer\u2019s dense French sandboxes are hugely replayable, and look fantastic to boot. There are some sloppy gameplay mechanics, like the climbing and twitchy camera, but these are easy to forgive. A wide array of difficulty options mean both super-agents and rookies can eke something out of this title, and with the release accommodating so many different play styles, it represents a real bullet to our heart \u2013 or should that be balls?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n