If you're including the spin-off Nazi Zombie Army titles, Sniper Elite 4 from Rebellion is actually the seventh entry into the acclaimed series. The last main title released came out nearly three years ago, and the wait between games has left players in anticipation for protagonist Karl Fairburne's next adventure. Boasting the largest, almost open-world, levels of the entire series, Sniper Elite 4 promises to be one of the greatest sniper games of all time, according to publisher/developer Rebellion; have they been able to make good on their word?
The events within Sniper Elite 4 take place immediately after its predecessor, although this time around the franchise is set in Italy and during 1943; a setting that is made known both visually and audibly, unlike the portrayal of Africa in Sniper Elite III. When the Royal Navy hears rumors of a new Nazi war weapon, they send the Orchidea, a massive freighter, to the island of San Celini to investigate. The ship is then sunk by the new Nazi war machine, which is none other than a radio guided anti-ship missile. Of course, OSS sniper and Lieutenant Karl Fairburne is then assigned to the case, and with every assassination he is led deeper and deeper into the war plans of the Nazi regime. To say that the storyline is fantastic would be extreme, but it's enjoyable; yet it's all entirely predictable for anyone who has played any previous Sniper Elite game.
There's a total of 8 single player campaign missions, and each one can be completed in roughly an hour; this is taking into account that you're picking up all of the collectibles, and completing the secondary objectives. This is where the major problem with Sniper Elite 4 lies: It's a game that likes to think that it has extensive open-worldish maps, and certainly they look large enough on the in-game map screen, but in all actuality they don't feel nearly as big as they're made out to be. Also, admist these "sprawling" maps and "expansive" campaign, there's ultimately nothing to do, that is of course unless you're submitting to the filler content that is collecting letters, documents, and shooting hard-to-find eagles; there are secondary objectives for each level, but even they end up being collecting a document most of the time, or dispatching heavy artillery with a bomb, or sometimes you're blessed with eliminating another target.
In the almost three year gap between Sniper Elite III and 4, Rebellion have not made much of an update to the franchise. This latest title feels, looks, and plays like the previous installment, although this time around Karl can jump gaps and climb obstacles, even though he can't lift his foot high enough off the ground to get over some small rocks. There are also new unlockables that are rewarded through leveling up; unlockables and upgrades that you cannot use with Authentic difficulty for whatever reason, mind you. There are also medals and ribbons that you can work toward achieving, a concept that was stripped directly from Gears of War 2. The game does have a co-operative mode, where you can play either the campaign or two specially co-op designed levels, as well as participate in the Survival mode. Survival is a wave-based mode where you must defend a control point from being captured by 12 waves of Nazi forces; in the base game, there are only three maps for this rather bland content.
Everything about Sniper Elite 4 just screams mediocre, perhaps it's due to Rebellion's over-hype of how large the levels were supposed to be, or maybe it's because of how empty those medium sized levels feel due to a severe lack of things to do. Overall, anyone who enjoyed Sniper Elite III will find enjoyment in this fourth entry, but the asking price of $66.49 CAD feels rather steep for a game that comes across as a slightly larger re-skinned version of its predecessor. It's also high time that Rebellion start thinking of reworking their once flagship bullet x-ray camera shots. This is really a title that could go either way, depending on the individual, so choose wisely where you want to put your hard earned cash.
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