Sniper Dan takes the familiar hidden-object formula and gives it a decidedly unusual weapon: a sniper rifle. Developed by Denki and published by PQube, the PS5 game casts Dan as a professional problem solver who uses his rifle to fix everyday problems rather than eliminate enemies. It is a ridiculous premise, but one that establishes the game’s playful tone immediately. There isn’t much of a conventional narrative beyond Dan’s increasingly strange business, with the focus instead on discovering what kind of bizarre situation awaits in each new location.
The basic gameplay is simple. From an elevated position, the player scans colorful, densely populated 3D environments through Dan’s scope, using clues to determine what needs fixing before taking the appropriate shot. Some objectives are obvious, while others require considerably more observation and interpretation. That works particularly well when a cryptic clue suddenly makes sense and the correct target is discovered among all the distractions. The six locations are packed with visual jokes and ridiculous situations, meaning there is usually plenty to discover even when it has nothing to do with the current job.
There is more variety here than the basic premise initially suggests. Jobs are spread across several days, with optional assignments, urgent requests and tougher boss-style challenges adding some variation. Money and reputation earned from successful jobs can be spent on rifle upgrades, costumes and office decorations, while bonus games and modes such as Time Attack and Ammo Hunt provide additional distractions. The rifle upgrades are useful rather than merely cosmetic, particularly when improving reload speed, ammunition capacity and zoom, although they don’t fundamentally change how the game is played.
Accuracy is important because Dan’s rifle is strictly a problem-solving tool. Shooting people or animals is penalised, and stray shots can hurt the final ranking or even cause a mission failure. Most standard jobs aren’t especially demanding, though, with the main challenge coming from finding the target quickly enough to achieve the best rank. The controls suit that straightforward design, but the limited interaction can also become Sniper Dan’s biggest problem. There is only so much mileage to get from moving the scope, zooming in and pulling the trigger, and the formula can start to feel repetitive once the novelty wears off.
Fortunately, the game’s humor does a lot of work to keep that formula entertaining. The bright, colorful environments are filled with absurd little scenes, strange animals and characters getting themselves into increasingly silly situations. Successfully completing certain jobs can trigger amusing visual payoffs, giving some objectives an extra sense of surprise. The presentation is therefore one of the game’s strongest aspects, although the sheer amount of visual clutter can sometimes make searching more frustrating than satisfying. The audio is less distinctive, with no voice acting and fairly unobtrusive music, but the various shooting and impact effects fit the comedic tone nicely.
The clue system is similarly inconsistent. Figuring out a vague instruction through careful observation is satisfying, but some clues are obscure enough to leave the player searching through an entire environment without a clear idea of what to look for. Limited hints can help, although spending valuable reputation on them can make getting stuck particularly irritating. Replayability receives a boost from changing target positions, collectibles, secrets and additional challenges, but there is ultimately a limit to how much incentive the game provides once most of those discoveries have been made.
Sniper Dan works because Denki understands that the appeal isn’t really in the shooting but in the process of figuring out what should be shot. Its simple mechanics are used creatively, and the game’s colorful environments and silly situations provide enough personality to carry the experience for a good while. At the same time, the lack of mechanical depth, occasionally frustrating clues and relatively limited reasons to return after completing the available content prevent it from sustaining its charm indefinitely. Still, for players who enjoy hidden-object games and don’t mind a deliberately uncomplicated structure, Sniper Dan offers a pleasantly strange and often amusing take on the genre.
Score: 7.5/10
I appreciate that shooting people or animals is penalized—it keeps Dan’s rifle strictly a puzzle tool. The upgrades feel useful too, especially zoom and reload speed, without changing the core loop.