Sniper Online Review

The Journey of a Bullet

As I slowly squeezed the trigger, hot lead slung out into the distance. A red mist sprayed up behind a distant barricade as a satisfying “ching” brightened up my screen notifying me of another headshot. A bullet blazed by my head and I quickly took cover. Not knowing where my enemy was, I had only a few seconds to reload before being forced to rear my head again from behind my sandbag. As I peered down my scope, a cold sweat ran down my brow. I had to make a split-second decision to either, collect a power-up, take a Hail Mary attempt to hit my opponent or pray that my teammate does it for me.

This is generally a second-by-second round of how Sniper Online by FTGames goes. It takes timing, wits and a little luck to get through each match. A game that focuses solely on sniping may sound like a shallow affair, but this game comes with a surprising amount of polish and depth. When the game starts, players will find that they’re locked into playing only the Bonus Content. A mode that kind of serves as a tutorial while also allowing players to build up some XP and in-game cash. After leveling up Ranking Mode unlocks allowing players to compete against each other for the top spot. There are other modes to unlock as well, but that only happens after climbing up the ranks. With that said, Sniper Online does offer a generous amount of in-game cash and XP after each round.

Let It Rain

Money adds up fast and I bought all manner of perks, upgrades, and customizations after my first few rounds. Sniper Online offers these customizations in spades. I could change my character’s skin, stats, and abilities by using the game’s cash system and “gene pills.” Gene pills are kind of like collectible XP that players can consume to upgrade their soldier. On top of that, there’s a robust customization system for the rifles, as well. There are special chips that can be installed to make them more efficient, plus other unlockable perks. Things like stability, ammo capacity and zoom can all be upgraded with in-game cash. There are even skins that can be unlocked by way of gold bars that are accumulated with daily loot boxes.

Since this Android action game is strictly an online experience, it’s highly recommended that players have a solid connection before jumping in. I’ve had moments where I had an opponent locked in my sights. I clearly had a shot between their eyes and when I fired, it didn’t connect. I’m not sure if it’s a connection issue, or maybe something to do with the hitbox. However, it does happen occasionally and it can be jarring. Players will start off with a standard bolt-action 98K rifle. It’s an effective weapon, for a while. It wasn’t long before I needed a better rifle, especially when playing the Career Mode. I was quickly outmatched and I sorely needed a new weapon. The problem is that getting something like an SVD or M24 is ridiculously expensive and it can take some time before unlocking one.

This more or less forced me to stay in certain game modes to level up. The kicker is that players can use real-life cash to unlock these weapons at their own discretion. Speaking of which, there are no advertisements in Sniper Online. I didn’t experience one throughout all my play sessions, which kept the game running unhindered and smoothly.

Crack, Thump

Generally, however, the game sings. The title’s servers are jam-packed full of players and I was launching matches within only seconds. Unfortunately, the title’s music is nothing really memorable. It’s generally standard menu music that loops around. However, the sounds of the guns are ear-splitting and really add to the action. What’s more, The controls are silky smooth and all the commands are easy to execute. The swaying effect and recoil with the rifles make the matches feel grounded and tense.

Sniper Online may have its nagging issues, but it’s an overall solid package. There’s a lot to dig into and it can potentially go on forever with its abundant content. Anyone that enjoys playing as the recon class in Battlefield or the rifleman class in Call of Duty will surely get some joy out of this excellent Android game.