By [ad_1]
Sniper Elite 5 is on the way, but details have been scarce so far. Here’s how developer Rebellion can make this sequel number one with a bullet.
Few stealth shooters have steadily improved like the Sniper Elite series. Though it’s been four years since the latest main series release, developer Rebellion has not forgotten about the franchise that put it on the map, releasing a spinoff in the stylish Zombie Army 4: Dead War and one of the community’s most requested experiences in the form of Sniper Elite VR. However, despite the series’ success and the confirmation that it’s working on a sequel, little is known about Sniper Elite 5.
Each Sniper Elite game so far has expanded the series, with Sniper Elite 4‘s vast, open areas serving as a stark contrast to the first game’s linear levels and straightforward gameplay. The fourth entry showed the true potential of the series and delivered one of the better modern third-person stealth shooters on the market. Sniper Elite 5 has the chance to refine the formula even further, taking the series to new heights. Here’s how the game could do just that.
Even Bigger Levels
Throughout each new entry, Sniper Elite‘s level design continued to grow, culminating in the fourth game’s absolutely massive levels that allowed players to take on each mission’s numerous objectives in whatever order they preferred. Of course, bigger is not always better in the world of video games,, but in Sniper Elite‘s case, the larger levels with incredibly satisfying sniper missions meant giving players more opportunities to pull off legendary shots.
The series is at its best when it delivers players more options to attack each mission, and by further increasing the size of the levels, players could find new ways to complete each primary and secondary objective. A sniper must always find the best position of attack, and expanding levels could give players even more options to take out targets with the skill of a professional.
More Assassination Options
Sniper Elite is a third-person stealth game that focuses on assassinations and espionage. Protagonist Karl Fairburne is an elite commando, entrusted with vital missions that he seemingly is the only person for the job. Time and time again, he is dropped into enemy territory against overwhelming odds, but he always completes his mission anyway. For many fans, this setup is very similar to IO Interactive’s Hitman series, albeit with less freedom. With its new game, Rebellion should take note of the Hitman series’ recent success.
Sniper Elite has obviously focused on its excellent sniping mechanics, but it’s always allowed players to take out targets in a limited amount of other ways as well. A new entry that took inspiration from Hitman‘s “World of Assassination” gameplay, allowing players to dispatch the game’s targets in a slew of inventive ways, could really make players feel like the legendary soldier that Karl Fairburne is said to be.
An Alternate History Narrative
In previous games, Rebellion has straddled the line between World War II history and fiction. Each game deftly delivered fictional missions in real-life WWII settings and, starting with the second game, even provided a bonus mission where players could actually be the man who put a bullet into Hitler’s head with its “Assassinate the Fuhrer” DLC missions.
As many films, television and other video games have proven, WWII is a great setting for telling alternate history stories. Sniper Elite 5 game has a great opportunity to lean into this and produce a great reality-based fiction story. Perhaps Karl could take down a science-fiction superweapon the Nazis have planned or assassinate the entire upper command of the Nazi regime in a climactic final mission. The spinoff Zombie Army series has focused blending Nazi history with occult elements, and the main series could learn from it by creating a far-out narrative of its own.
An Entirely New Setting
One great part of the Sniper Elite series is that each mainline game takes its stoic protagonist to a different part of the war. While the first two entries focused on the Battle of Berlin, the sequels placed Karl in northern Africa and Italy, making each game feel distinct in terms of narrative and the characters Karl fights alongside as he completes his missions.
However, for many fans, four games being set in and around the Western Front is more than enough. With Sniper Elite 5, the series needs to explore other options, such as the Pacific Theater with its intense jungle combat or the Eastern Front, battling other snipers in the rubble of Stalingrad. The game could even take the action out of WWII and feature an older Karl, embroiled in the Cold War world of espionage — a place where his skillset would be in high demand.
About The Author
[ad_2]
