Boom! Headshot!
Hitman Sniper Challenge kept us glued to our Xbox 360s in 2014, and with good reason: It's brilliant. Now, as luck would have it, that same formula of bite-sized, through-the-sniper-scope assassination fun is returning in a new game, Hitman Sniper, on iOS, and Android.
I've been playing the $4.99/3.99 game on an iPad Air 2 and it's a lot of fun. That classic potential for insane scoring combos is out in full force and the experience is very much like the console game. So, even though we don't usually cover mobile games, this one is worthy of your attention. So read on to see the sort of things you can shoot/kill/explode from half a mile away.
Blow people off a cliff with a giant fan
Shoot the fuse box once to attract their attention, then when they're peering into the fan with a big 'CURIOUS' denotation above their head, shoot the box again to switch the fan onto 'mega blow setting' or whatever the manufacturer's handbook describes it as. I don't know, I haven't seen it. Y'know, because it doesn't exist.
Get a double explosion kill
Naturally, you get more points for killing more guards in quick succession, which means exploding one of these outdoor heater lamps next to two targets will give you a great big score boost. It's amazing, really - most of the guards won't bat an eyelid at the noise, unless they're really close to it. There are secondary high-value targets you can hit, so catching them in the blast adds even more lovely score.
Cause an electrical disaster in someone's face
This is a bit like the fan in that you shoot the fuse box. It's just a fuse box, but I'm still a fan (groan). Again, one shot opens the door of the box, attracting attention from nearby guards, and a second blows it up in their face with an explosion of blue electric death. It's quite the spectacle, so expect the guard peering over the balcony above to see the blast and flying body and radio for help.
Splash damage. Fnar fnar fnar.
This one's great fun. You can not only blow up this guy with the outdoor lamp, but angle it like a snooker shot to toss his ragdolling body into the nearby swimming pool, concealing the corpse for even more score. Magnificent. Sadly it doesn't hit him at all if he's walked behind the corner of the building, so you need to time it just right. I've been making this my first shot in every mission because the setup is automatically, immediately perfect.
Through the scenery
You need to level up a bit to trigger the 'instinct' ability which lets you see targets through walls, but you can still tell where they are behind blinds by the icon that appears above their head, meaning you can score kills without actually being able to see them. They can run (which makes them harder to hit, admittedly)... but they can't hide. At least, not very well. Cos they have a big white box above their head.
It looks pretty darn sweet
Granted, close-up zooms are a little light on detail, but the fully zoomed-out view is beautiful on an iPad's Retina Display. I thought it was a pre-rendered screen until I moved the camera. Anyone who played the last-gen Sniper Challenge on console will feel immediately at home when they see this. I was only able to play through the first 20 missions (I say 'only'), so I'm not sure if the environment ever changes, but the missions at least keep things varied as you progress.
More to buy?
Well, kinda. There are some microtransactions built-in. But before you groan, it should be noted that the game as I've played it never shoves the store element in your face, and I didn't feel the need to spend anything in the couple of hours I spent playing it. And seeing as practice is what's going to hone your sniping abilities (gauging momentum of targets and how to use your abilities like explosive rounds), playing the game a lot is a very useful thing to so. Not to mention fun - check it out.
