During E3 2019, the Losangelina fair dedicated entirely to the videogame world, we tried firsthand Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts, the latest title of the homonymous saga to be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Unfortunately, the launch date is still unknown to us and we do not know for the moment when the game will be released on shelves around the world.
Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts, unlike its predecessor, takes a step back and presents a structure divided into areas extremely large and all to be explored, but not open world like the previous title. We are in freezing Siberia, and among the expanses of snow we must seek the best spot to clear the way and kill the intended target. The structure and philosophy of the game have remained the same. At the beginning of each mission there will be a short briefing that will introduce us to the target, explaining his misdeeds and why our client wants him dead.
During this E3 2019 we had the pleasure of being guests of the developers, who explained the innovations introduced to us, also showing us a gameplay phase. We were then able to experience an entire level of the game first hand. Our goal on this mission was to infiltrate an enemy base to assassinate a Russian scientist, all trying to make as little noise as possible, so as not to be discovered.
At the beginning of each mission it will be possible to choose the armament that best suits the San task to complete. In addition to the sniper rifle, it will also be possible to choose an assault rifle, if we do not want to use a stealth approach. We will have the opportunity to bring with us different types of ammunition: the classic ones, the heavy ones (to perform multiple kills), a new type of ammunition that does not make noise and that will reveal the presence of enemies in a certain range of action. The rifle will be able to combine a gun that will be useful in case of need, proximity detectors that will emit a sound when an enemy passes by us and various traps.
Getting into the base will not be easy at all, but we will be able to choose our favorite among several approaches, from pure stealth to frontal assault. Obviously the second solution, as far as it is possible to practice it, is not at all advisable, because the game presents a good dose of difficulty with an artificial intelligence of the enemies really not bad, so much so that at the first sound of shots we will be immediately surrounded. Using the stealth approach we will have several ways to go: it will be possible to complete the task without firing a shot and killing only the designated target. The developers obviously showed us the longest and most complete way to see all the game mechanics.
Siberia was chosen as the location for Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts because it offers different landscapes ideal for the type of game: during our test between various ambushes, camouflages in the middle of the vegetation and stealth assassins we found ourselves on top of a promontory where we will have a complete view of the entire enemy base. From here we were able to spot most of the enemies using our trusty binoculars or new special ammo.
To make the game even more realistic, in Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts it will be possible to fire up to two shots with our sniper rifle, after which the enemies will start to become suspicious and will patrol the whole area. The map will be sown with proximity markers that we will be able to identify thanks to the "sense of the sniper" and see their range of action. As mentioned before, the artificial intelligence of the enemies is quite remarkable and it will only take our slightest mistake to be identified. Unfortunately, the developers were unable to show us the end of the demo and the completion of the contract, because they were identified and were brutally murdered.
Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts is developed on CryEngine, the game engine that gave life to the famous Crysis saga and the motto: "Is Crysis running?". On a technical level, nothing to say, the game offers a good graphic rendering, with extremely detailed landscapes. NPCs are well characterized and offer good variety. Unfortunately despite the high commitment of the developers, they have not been able to reach the same level as Crysis 3 released five years ago. The framerate, at the current stage of development, was not very stable and we found obvious drops.
At the end of the presentation we had the opportunity to try the demo firsthand. From the very first moments of the game you can feel the anxiety, tension and fear of being discovered sooner than expected. We chose to go the more complicated and winding way, trying to kill our target without firing any shots. The enterprise was difficult, we walked slowly to make as little noise as possible, hid the bodies of the stabbed enemies and tried to blend in as much as possible with the environment. After many difficulties and vicissitudes, we managed to infiltrate the base. Once we sneaked up behind the enemy we killed him with a melee attack, but during the escape attempt the enemies spotted us and got the better of us.
Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts is a title that leads us to reflect and reason every single move. The title is well studied and thought out and for lovers of the genre it is certainly a must have. There are some frame rate issues, but we are confident that the developers will be able to fix everything before release.
