You peek from behind a boulder, pull your rifle out and aim at the nearest cliff. While aiming through the scope you take a deep breath and exhale slowly before you gently squeeze the trigger. The rifle kicks as the bullet accelerates away from you at high speeds. As you continue to look through your scope you see that your bullet has hit its mark. The enemy is down, and now it’s time for the review of Sniper Elite III.
From Developer and Publisher Rebellion Developments comes the third entry into a tactical shooter and stealth game, Sniper Elite III. This game takes us back to before the events in Sniper Elite V2. This Ultimate Edition has a few key additions to the game to make it more entertaining for the fans. It has a local multiplayer mode, two-player co-op campaign mode, and normal multiplayer that pits you up against up to four players. Add in the regular multiplayer mode and we have a full game for Switch fans.
Sniper Elite III takes place in World War 2, and you play as a sniper. Now a sniper’s mission is to take out high-level targets, and they have to do it quietly. If they are discovered it usually isn’t a good thing since they were either by themselves or only with one other person during those periods. In-game you are by yourself as you maneuver through the map, and the enemy forces. Armed with your rifle, and a few other armaments, you will be tasked with taking the enemy out.
One aspect of the game that I found fascinating is the X-Ray Kill cam. This feature shows your enemy, or enemy vehicle, as you use your sniper rifle to do considerable damage to them. If you hit your mark, you will see the enemy character’s body, with the majority being the skull if you go for headshots, and you will see how the bullet penetrates them. Likewise, for the vehicles, there are times when you have to take out a gas tank, or other weak spots, to destroy key targets like mounted guns. You can watch as the bullet passes through where you hit, and then the ensuing explosions will make it feel worthwhile.
The game is set in North Africa and includes all the downloadable content from the original versions. You will traverse around the map in several different paths. Which path you choose will ultimately determine how many enemies you will encounter. Choosing how to employ traps, and your other stealth items could be the difference between life and death. During the game, you even have the chance to try and take out Hitler, and that just makes it feel like in Call of Duty where you had the chance to take out another high-profile target. These are the types of things that make the game a little more interesting and puts you into the shoes of the character you are playing.
Note: Our copy was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch with a code provided by PR.