Sniper Dan Review – A Bizarre Indie That Hits The Bullseye

We live in the age of creative and bizarre indie game concepts. While triple A blockbusters are putting more and more stock into presentation and graphical fidelity over innovation, on the other end of the spectrum we have goofy, fun indies combining genres you could never comprehend the creative process behind. So in walks Sniper Dan to further separate the bizarre and creative indies from their more serious triple A contemporaries. What at first seems like a straightforward package, turns out to have a lot more on offer than first impressions would suggest. Does this niche idea hit the bullseye? Or does Sniper Dan suffer from potato aim?

Sniper Dan puts you in the shoes of, well… Dan. Not your average grizzled sniper, Dan isn’t looking to assassinate anyone, in fact he has strict rules against shooting humans or animals. Dan is hired to find and execute problems the locals are having with his trusty sniper rifle. One part shooter and another part Where’s Wally simulator, Sniper Dan brings a family friendly charm to such a creative concept, and for the most part it works great. 

Each map aside from the first level has 3 separate days with 3 separate checklists to complete. We earn money for each job done which can be used to purchase rifle upgrades and customisation for Dan and his office. We also earn ratings based on time efficiency, not using any hints and avoiding sniper shots on bystanders. It’s a very relaxed experience, and even when there was a little bit of slow down when looking for one last task on the map, there is still a charming layout to these levels with secret easter eggs and funny gags you can set off with your sniper. 

While the game may look like a Roblox creation at first glance, the map design is a true standout in Sniper Dan. No puzzle is too obscure to feel unfair, yet there is enough detail and depth to these levels to keep you occupied just long enough to feel satisfied by the end of your runtime. One thing to consider is the minimal movement on these maps. For the most part, these levels feel like a LEGO diorama with quite a few of these world events shown with no motion. There are pockets of movement, be it some cars and a small amount of pedestrians and animals, but I would have liked some more motion in some later levels to make progression feel more substantial. I would say there is no real difficulty spike in the main questline aside from some maps being a bit bigger and denser than others. 

While the campaign is rather relaxed and simple, perfect for kids or adults looking for something chill, it’s the extra content this game delivers on that makes this a more worthwhile package. I would go as far as to say this is a perfect completionist game even for people who don’t normally go for the full 100% in games. A lot of my appreciation for this game came from the variety of content outside the main questline, and I believe it’s this extra care that makes Sniper Dan a bit more than just a silly gag game for the weekend. This is also where you get a little more challenge to the game that’s lacking during the main path.

First of all, you eventually get access to a bonus stage on each level. These are essentially target minigames that test your speed and accuracy. You can also unlock 3 sport mini games, bowling, tennis and air hockey. These have you playing against the cpu using your rifle to aim and blast the ball or puck. These are also tied to the trickiest achievements in the game, and I loved the extra challenge they offered. 

Each level also has time attack modes. These are frantic races against the clock to clear all the map’s objectives as quickly as possible. It’s also important to mention that objectives and items can move on subsequent playthroughs, meaning you’ll need to get a deeper knowledge of each area. There is also an ammo based mini game that requires you to complete levels with minimal ammo. However this mode doesn’t feel particularly challenging as you can shoot ammo boxes around the map to replenish your magazine.There are photography challenges to find on every map that act relatively similar to the main quest, but instead of sniping, you snap the best possible picture of the event with your camera. 

The only bonus content I wasn’t a fan of were the answering machine side missions. These have you looking for one item on a map. These are usually something simple like a box or pan of food. These really felt tedious as with no other task on the map other than these single objectives, it really was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I feel Sniper Dan could have done without these side quests as there was already a good selection of extra content on offer.

With what Sniper Dan sets out to accomplish, that being a low stakes comedy search and snipe game, I’m happy to say that it accomplishes this goal. If you can look past the simple graphics, gameplay and lack of story, you’ll find an endearing little indie with plenty of funny gags, great diorama style levels and a handful of great bonus content for the completionists out there.

Next time you want a stress free experience with a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, I recommend Sniper Dan to fill that spot. Where else are you going to be tasked with shooting poop off a posh man’s shoe into a bystanders face?