Bold but not too bold, Sniper Elite 4 stays true to the World War II setting. We inevitably regret it a little, as this context lacks originality, but the developers still had the good taste to take us to the Italian front. We are therefore entitled to Mediterranean landscapes that are good for the retina, especially since they benefit from a very honorable graphic treatment. Artistic and technical qualities are therefore there, without there being any reason to cry out for a visual revolution. But these assets are all the more commendable as they are accompanied by an unprecedented opening of the maps. According to the developers, the smallest playing field in the single player campaign of Sniper Elite 4 is still three times larger than the largest of Sniper Elite 3. And we want to believe them because, indeed, the maps are huge and full of main, side and secret missions. You can fill them in any order you want, whether by careful planning or by letting yourself be carried away by the ride. Obviously, we are not in a role-playing game with countless quests, but we can count on about ten objectives per mission. Enough to spend a lot of time there, especially if you want to discover every corner of the field and pick up all the hidden objects. Among these we find letters from soldiers, who come to remind us that, however Nazi they may be, the enemies who are mercilessly slaughtered are above all human beings. Exploration is facilitated by an expanded range of moves compared to previous episodes. The hero can run crouched, climb gutters, cling to ledges, jump over the void (for example to go from one roof to another) and even, it is quite rare in video games, crawl on stairs. All this allows you to be in the best position to take shots at very long distances, but also to clear off quickly after a shot so as not to be spotted.
SNIPER AND WITHOUT REPROACH?
Indeed, a sniper knowing how to sniper must know how to remain as discreet as possible. The game is also equipped with infiltration mechanics, such as throwing stones to distract guards, whistling to attract them to you, or even moving corpses to avoid putting them on alert. . Many traps and explosives are also on the menu (mines, TNT, trapped cables, etc.), allowing you to better prepare your escape or overcome armored vehicles. Not stingy in possibilities, the game offers two functions for each object (grenade with normal or adhesive handle, normal or silent ammunition, triggering of mines on first or second contact…), which multiplies the approaches a little more. But the heart of the gameplay and what provides the most pleasure is of course the long distance shots. For this, it is advisable to identify the terrain as much as possible with the binoculars, to mark the enemies if you want to make life easier, then to go to the rifle. Then comes the sacred moment when you empty the air from your lungs, which has the effect of stabilizing the telescope, and where you aim. In the standard difficulty modes, a red diamond indicates the point of impact of the ball. A welcome help for the laziest players but a heresy for the purists, who can fortunately switch to maximum difficulty mode or customize the options in order to remove this "cheated" indication. From then on, they will have to best estimate the distance at which the enemies are, the fallout curve of the bullets, as well as the strength and direction of the wind, in order to shift their aim accordingly.
The pleasure of shooting a headshot is all the greater, especially since the "frag camera" effect that made the reputation of the series is still as enjoyable as ever.
The pleasure of shooting a headshot is all the greater, especially since the "frag camera" effect that made the reputation of the series is still as enjoyable as ever. Seeing the ball tear in slow motion the entrails of bodies that have become transparent for the occasion is a constantly renewed guilty pleasure. Brains, eyes, testicles and other internal organs burst into fascinating graphic effects that are both gory and realistic. If you ever find this effect excessive or disturbing, you are free to deactivate it in the options. Besides, it would be inappropriate to judge Sniper Elite 4 on this vicious feature, because the game is far from nag. From heart rate management that prevents you from aiming correctly after running, to the possibility of masking the sound of our shots thanks to certain intermittent ambient noises, through a skill tree that allows you to choose between two improvements at each level distinct for our hero, there is material to have fun subtly. And it doesn't matter that the briefings and cinematics of the single-player campaign lack pep, because the gameplay itself is very pleasant. In addition, it should be noted that this campaign can very well be run in cooperation. The more social players also have a "Cooperative Survival" mode and even an "Asymmetric Observation" mode, where one player is a sniper and the other a spotter. As for the multiplayer, it is available through six different modes, which judiciously extend the overall life of the game. Because with only 8 main solo missions, we are still a little hungry, even if each of them can take over an hour to complete and the replayability is high. The most annoying thing is to note that the traditional mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler is reserved for pre-orders and the Season Pass. The latter will also give access to additional solo missions, thus reinforcing the incomplete aspect of the basic game. A commercial policy that is now usual but still just as detestable and particularly strong here, which costs a point or two to the final score of the game!
