With bigger levels than ever before, co-op and competitive multiplayer gameplay, and new features previously seen in the series, Sniper Elite 4 is poised to be the best entry in the stealth shooting franchise. Add an interesting angle on telling a World War II story on top and you’ve got me sold.
When people think of World War II, they typically envision huge battles in Europe with tanks and airplanes and beach invasions. War, of course, is much more complex than simply crashing two armies against each other to see who wins, and the development team at Rebellion is interested in highlighting some of these lesser-known situations. Taking place right after the events of Sniper Elite 3, players will shift across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy.
“It’s 1943, before the main hostilities broke out in Italy,” Tim Jones, head of creative at Rebellion, told iDigitalTimes. “It’s an interesting geopolitical situation, with a number of different factions vying for control. There’s the Italian fascists, the Nazis, and the allies themselves. You currently fight for what would become the British Secret Service, but over the course of the game are contacted by the American Secret Service as well.”
The levels in Italy will be Rebellion’s biggest yet for Sniper Elite, and feature more verticality than ever before. Thanks to an advanced AI system, this means a different experience in every game. “We create the tools and the systems for a player to be able to approach the challenge ahead, but because the AI will react differently to every little thing the player does or the AI does, you can never quite predict how things are going to play out,” said Jones. “For the dev team ourselves, we’re still surprised and thrilled every time we play it. It’s going to be fun to see how the general public enjoys it as well.”
One of Jones’ favorite new features is similar to the upgraded heart from Dishonored 2. Players can use binoculars to scout the nearby area like in previous Sniper Elite games, highlighting enemies and other important targets. As you’re spying, it will also give personal information on the targets.
“It might be a name, might be where they trained, or they like writing poetry or they’re a loner. Little snippets of information that humanize the enemy.” said Jones. “Sometimes it stops and makes you think ‘Is it OK to kill this guy?’ It’s a small touch, but it helps make the world feel more alive and more human.”
Of course, the notorious X-ray kill cam is back. This mode, which shows exactly how your shot rips through your target, often results in some pretty gruesome stuff. “Those that don’t care for it can turn it off, and we have a deep game in addition to it, but it’s sort of the cherry on the top,” said Jones.
Sniper Elite 4 isn’t just a big game in terms of size, it’s also a big game for Rebellion. It will be the first time the developer has digitally self-published a Sniper Elite game. It’s also the biggest game the developer has self-published, too.
“Rebellion has always been fiercely independent with our approach to whatever we do, whether it be using our own technology and game engine to make games, to being in control of every aspect of game making itself,” said Jones. “We’re in the position now where we can fully fund everything ourselves, so publishing for ourselves is the natural next step. We’re excited to see how it will play out, but so far, so good.”
Players will be able to enjoy Sniper Elite 4 as a single-player experience, play co-op online with a friend, play online co-op multiplayer modes and even online competitive modes. While playing a co-op campaign of Sniper Elite 4 does make stealth much more difficult, the game does allow for a “more gung-ho” style to play according to Jones.
He really wants fans to know this is the best Sniper Elite has ever been. “If you’re remotely interested in sniping as an approach or a game mechanic, Sniper Elite 4 will deliver on what you’re looking for,” he said. “It’s bigger and better in every way in terms of the depth of the gameplay, the traps, the weapons you have available to you, you can clamber around in new ways that weren’t able to previously, take advantage of the huge levels, the verticality.”
If that doesn’t sell you, Jones has one more pitch. “Bottom line: it’s always satisfying to shoot Nazis.”
Sniper Elite 4 comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC on Feb. 14. How romantic.
So what do you think? Are you interested in playing the biggest Sniper Elite game yet? What other interesting World War II stories would you like to see games explore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
