The sniping is artful and smooth, as expected for a game with the very method in it’s name, but the primary way of taking down Nazis isn’t the only thing that’s going to move units for Sniper Elite 4. The result is as perfect as I think the feature will get, offering plenty of crunch to each and every kill and making it all the more rewarding when you, as the personality-poor Karl Fairburne, execute one of these skillful shots, taking in full consideration of factors such as the noise in your environment and – if you pick “Authentic” mode – wind lift and direction (although it’s all made fairly simple with a helpful reticle, at least if you’re playing in ‘normal’). The game’s winning feature also improves upon that of Sniper Elite 3 by getting rid of the annoyingly repetitive jet sound, making the bullet travel and enter various body parts in sharper more fluid motions (and accurate angles), and holding back on the exaggeration that made previous attempts a bit less believable. Rebellion Developments‘ latest installment in their popular tactical shooter series is a violent outing during World War II to Nazi-occupied Italy, bringing back their characteristic slow-motion kill-cam for spectacularly gory and bone-crunching x-ray fun.

You haven’t, and you probably shouldn’t (IRL), but when it comes to Sniper Elite 4 the very act of doing so is a glorious fist-pumping moment full of enough drama and thrill that it’s a distinctive pleasure amongst the 50 or so other kills you’ve taken during the same mission.

Sure, punching Nazis may be fun, but have you have ever eviscerated one with a single bullet, flung from the dangerous end of a powerful sniper rifle by a shot taken from almost 300m away? How about shooting one in the skull with a bullet that travels so fast that it rips past a young Nazi soldier’s right eyeball, bursting it immediately while bone fragments rain down onto the cold hard ground.

Sniper elite 4 skill tree