Sniper Elite III is a tactical shooter game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by 505 Games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. It is the sequel to Sniper Elite V2.
It is set around three years prior to the events of V2, following the exploits of OSS officer Karl Fairburne as he participates in the North African conflict during World War II, and works to stop the development of a deadly new weapon and eliminate the renegade Nazi commander responsible for it.
Gameplay[ | ]
The game retains and builds on the mechanics of Sniper Elite V2. Players go through large sandbox-style battlefield maps based on locations from the North African theater of World War II.
The sniper rifle is the player's primary weapon, though additional weapons, including submachine guns and pistols (silenced or not depending on the situation) are available. In addition to hand grenades, the player can deploy tripwire booby traps, two different types of land mines, and dynamite. Binoculars can be used to tag enemies, displaying their position and movements. Small fires can be set to distract enemies or detonate explosives. The player-character can hold their breath while aiming to properly line up a shot. A red icon appears in the scope, marking the projected point of impact. There are weapon parts spread out all over the game or found when looting dead enemies, allowing players to customize their weapons in the pre-deployment menu; the menu also allows equipment loadouts.
Stealth mechanics have been reworked. An eye icon squints or opens to denote the player's level of detection by the enemy. Enemy soldiers will also have a circle meter over their heads to indicate alert status. Players are also forced to relocate periodically to prevent detection with a white ghost image to mark their last known position if spotted; enemy soldiers will search the surrounding area either individually or in groups. As in the previous game, loud sounds may be used to mask sniper shots, however, the player now has the option to sabotage generators as a means of creating noise.
A points system is instituted for actions such as stealth close-combat or using traps to kill enemies, with the points accumulating towards promotion to higher ranks. Players can go around the map to collect special reward items such as collectors' cards and unlock "sniper nests" built into the environment. Journal pages also provide further backstory into the events of the game.
V2's X-Ray kill cam system is retained as well. Where the previous game only allowed the player to see the body's internal structure at point of impact, the new game expands to visualize the rest of the cardiovascular, skeletal, and muscular systems. The player can still target vehicles, but now has a chance to shoot the engines and disable the vehicle, making it easier to destroy.
Plot[ | ]
In June 1942, during the Battle of Gazala, American sniper Karl Fairburne (Tom Clarke-Hill) takes part in an effort by British troops to stop Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps from seizing the vital port city of Tobruk. Fairburne eliminates several German artillery positions, but the enemy takes the city and he is forced to abandon his fellow soldiers. Nevertheless, his performance in the battle brings him to the attention of British Naval Intelligence, who recruit him to hunt down General Franz Vahlen, a favorite of Hitler's who is rumored to be working on a top-secret weapon.
Fairburne heads to the Gaberoun oasis in Libya, assassinating several German and Italian officers at a supply and logistics outpost while searching for intel on Vahlen. He only finds a document revealing the name of Vahlen's project: "Project Seuche" (German for "plague"). Naval Intelligence then asks Fairburne to rescue one of their agents, who was captured while gathering information on Vahlen's work. The informant is being held at Fort Rifugio, a POW camp formerly occupied by the British during Operation Compass. The Long Range Desert Group agrees to transport Fairburne in exchange for his help in capturing the German-held Halfaya Pass; Fairburne infiltrates the enemy camp and destroys several Flak 88s.
Fairburne successfully infiltrates Fort Rifugio and frees the informant, Brauer. He gives Fairburne the location of Vahlen's command, a desert village at the Siwa Oasis in Western Egypt. Fairburne, now referred to as the Wüstengeist (Desert Ghost) by the Germans for his exploits, sneaks into the town and finds out that Vahlen's discontented officers plan to betray him, having stolen his personal notebook which reveals his plan to get rid of Rommel. Fairburne kills the officer tasked to take the notebook to Berlin and escapes with Brauer's help. He discovers that Vahlen, hungry for glory and fame, intends to use his new weapon to destroy the Allies in North Africa and then go on to conquer all of Europe.
Fairburne and Brauer locate Vahlen's secret field HQ near the Kasserine Pass and open the general's personal safe, which contains a film reel that reveals "Project Seuche" is a supertank codenamed Ratte. Brauer is subsequently killed by a round from a Tiger I before Fairburne is able to destroy it. He buries Brauer, taking a bullet from his gun. As the Africa Korps begin to lose ground to the Allies, Fairburne joins the LRDG in assaulting the German-controlled Pont du Fahs Airfield, cutting off Vahlen's last supply line and finding a map leading to the Ratte production facility, which is nestled inside the Midès canyon. Fairburne enters the factory, sabotages its electrical supply and plants explosive charges to destroy the Ratte prototype, before detonating a massive pile of ammunition to level the complex. Vahlen is trapped by debris while fleeing the crumbling factory; Fairburne takes his Luger, loads it with Brauer's bullet, and shoots him in the head before escaping.
A voiceover by Fairburne during the end credits reveals that the intelligence he acquired on the Ratte prompted the USAAF and the RAF to launch Operation Chastise and the Battle of the Ruhr, resulting in extensive damage to German heavy industry and forcing the German high command to cancel efforts to build more Ratte tanks.