Sniper Elite is one of those game series that doesn't need a massive overhaul. Because the fans love the mix of open-world action and sniper shooter as it is. Blow out Nazi villains creatively during World War II, preferably from a distance of hundreds of meters like an accurate sniper: Sniper Elite 5 also sticks to this concept.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDtkVbDqp2g

The innovations in Sniper Elite 5 are limited: sniper Karl Fairburne can slide along ziplines in the fifth part, climb a little better and slide down slopes. There are now workbenches for unlocking and attaching various weapon attachments, and you can enable enemy player invasions if you wish, as every game thinks it's Dark Souls right now.

The rest feels very familiar: you hunt down a top Nazi, infiltrate his offices and hideouts to learn more about his plans, and finally uncover that the Third Reich is working on a superweapon. So, single-handedly (or two-player co-op), you, like Karl, once again put an end to all the Nazis' sinister plans and save the day.

If you liked the very fun Sniper Elite 4 and urgently need supplies, the new fifth part is logically worthwhile, especially if you get it for free in the PC Game Pass, practically from the release.

However, fans of the series should not expect any groundbreaking innovations and innovations. Conversely, this also means that this latest branch of the series will not win your heart if you have never been able to do anything with Sniper Elite anyway.

It suits you if…
You always liked Sniper Elite anyway.
You like 3rd person shooters with open world levels.
You like to creatively troll Nazis.

It doesn't suit you if…
You are impatient by nature.
You are fed up with the Second World War as a setting.
You're short on cash and don't have a Game Pass.

Inglorious Basterds
As already mentioned, the main plot is the same as its predecessor. Nevertheless, something changes in detail: Sniper Elite 5 no longer has a uniform German soundtrack. The language settings only change written text and subtitles.

Resistance fighters speak audibly in English and French, and all German soldiers speak exclusively in Arabic and with female voices. The last part is a lie, but it must have just surprised you, right?

It doesn't dramatically affect the game, and you just read subtitles in the already short, irrelevant cutscenes or when Karl comments on picking up a new weapon. The speakers are still excellent.

The Nazis hatch many evil plans, so sniper Karl has to clean up properly again. All in all, he's not interested in anything else. That's why you start the game on a massive map on the Atlantic Wall and have to paralyze opposing defenses there.

Unfortunately, since they're all guarded by soldiers, you'll head out with your sniper rifle, submachine gun, non-submachine gun, and knife and use them at will to take down everything that stands between you and your target. You have a lot of freedom in how you proceed, from stealth to pacifism to open hail of bullets. The level of difficulty is configurable to the maximum.

Play as you wish
You can choose how attentive the AI ​​is, whether you want to deal with wind and bullet drops on long-range shots, how effective healing and regeneration are, and how much Karl can take before he dies.

Or you're lazy like me and choose from predefined difficulty levels like »Sniper« (medium), which I decided on. In this setting, the game is comparatively easy but also very fun. Here, for example, the crosshairs adapt when opponents are very far away, and you have to aim a little higher. I think it's great - if you hate it, turn it off, and everyone is happy.

Long-range kills are very easy and effective and come back with the obligatory and spectacular X-Ray killcam that shows you how eyeballs, brains, testicles, and other pierced body parts burst. I found this quite amusing for about 30 minutes, and then I disabled the kill-cam.

You can also sneak up on enemies and slash them or lovingly cuddle them to sleep and only make them pass out if you're more sensitive than me. Alternatively, the open fight with the submachine gun works great because you can easily fight and defeat several opponents simultaneously on a medium level of difficulty, as long as you don't do something foolish.

Luckily, there is very tall grass or shady alleyways to hide almost anywhere. I assume on the hardest difficulty, the AI ​​opponents have lawnmowers. There are also destructible gargoyles here and there or nets that carry some load - things that you let fall on enemies by shooting at them. There is a lot of freedom with the kills, even if Sniper Elite 5 is not Hitman.