Developer: Denki
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS5, Switch, Switch 2
Genre: Casual
Publisher: PQube
Sniper Dan is a non-action hidden object game where you play as a handyman who solves everyday problems by firing a rifle at different objects! Developed by Denki and published by PQube, this is a pretty unusual concept, but one that I was curious to try out.
One of the things I enjoyed about Sniper Dan is that it doesn’t try to give you some complicated, movie-like story. Instead, you play as Dan, an independent “long-distance problem solver” living in the wonderfully chaotic Clumsy County. Rather than taking on dangerous assassinations or fighting enemies, Dan spends his time helping the locals with everyday problems. However, there’s one little catch: he refuses to do any of these jobs without using his trusty marksman rifle.
You’re guided through these jobs by Danielle Danvers, your cheerful handler, who sends you out to help some of the county’s rather colourful residents. This includes characters like Handy Hank and the wonderfully named Mayor Moustache. The whole thing feels like something you’d see in a Saturday morning cartoon, with plenty of silly characters and ridiculous situations. Dan himself is also quite an interesting character, as he avoids getting too close to people and seems to have absolutely no sense of personal space, yet somehow the locals are perfectly happy to let him solve their problems with a rifle.
The gameplay itself is pretty straightforward. Think of Where’s Waldo, but instead of finding someone in a crowd, you’re using a sniper rifle to fix things from a distance. You’re given a list of jobs and a few cryptic hints across six different locations, ranging from busy harbours to peaceful farms. One minute you’re helping someone get their fireworks working, the next you’re popping a balloon, straightening a sign or dealing with a rather troublesome pelican.
You then need to explore these large, colourful 3D environments, figure out where the objects are hidden and take your shot. Thankfully, nobody actually gets hurt, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally shooting a person or animal. If you do happen to hit one, they’ll simply bounce off the screen, and you’ll receive a little ding against your score. It’s a silly little detail that fits perfectly with the game’s overall sense of humour.
Completing jobs earns you money and reputation, which you can then use back at your office hub to purchase cosmetics and upgrades for your rifle. These include things like improved zoom and faster reload times, giving you a little more control over how you approach each job.
The controls are pretty simple to get used to, and there’s nothing particularly complicated about picking up your rifle and getting to work. However, whether you enjoy the gameplay will probably come down to how much patience you have for constantly looking through a scope.
A huge portion of the game involves slowly panning across these massive environments while zoomed in through your crosshair, searching for tiny objects that can sometimes be quite difficult to spot. It can occasionally feel like you’re looking at the world through a paper towel tube, especially when you’re trying to find something particularly small.
On the other hand, the actual shooting feels surprisingly satisfying. There’s a nice punch to the rifle, even when you’re firing at something as harmless as a beach ball, and the aiming itself feels accurate. It’s a strange combination, but there’s something quite enjoyable about lining up a shot and watching a little problem get sorted out from halfway across the map.
That said, I did find the reload times a little frustrating at times. Even after unlocking some early upgrades, reloading can feel slower than it needs to be, especially when you’re just trying to get through a quick list of objectives. It’s not a massive issue, but it can interrupt the otherwise relaxing flow of the gameplay.
Your office hub also has a few extra activities to mess around with, including timed Emergency Jobs and arcade minigames like air hockey and bowling. I really like the idea of having these additional activities, as they give you something else to do between missions. However, the controls for the minigames could use a little more work, as they don’t always feel as smooth or responsive as I’d like.
Visually, Sniper Dan looks like someone has brought a colourful toy box to life. The environments are bright and cheerful, while the characters have these chunky, rounded designs that remind me of little plasticine figures or oversized Lego characters. It gives the game a really distinctive look, and I think it suits the goofy nature of the gameplay quite well.
There’s also plenty of little details scattered throughout the environments, including photo opportunities, hidden features and background gags. I found myself getting distracted from the actual objectives more than once, simply because there was something ridiculous happening in the background. You could be searching for a missing gear and suddenly find yourself spending ten minutes watching a walrus taking control of a boat. It’s these little moments that help make the environments feel alive, and they give you a reason to look around beyond just completing your objectives.
The audio, on the other hand, is a little more average. The background music has that typical Saturday morning cartoon feel, which works well enough, but it can become a little repetitive during longer play sessions. The sound effects are much more enjoyable, though. There’s something really satisfying about hearing a balloon pop or a little metallic clink when you’ve successfully fixed something. For the first twenty minutes or so, I found the music pretty catchy, but after spending a while searching through the same environments, I could definitely see myself turning it down and putting on a podcast instead.
Sniper Dan was a game I wasn’t really expecting to play, but I’m glad I gave it a go. There’s something surprisingly relaxing about putting on some music, heading into a cosy farm level and slowly scanning the treeline to shoot a missing bolt onto a tractor. It’s a simple concept, but one that works quite well when you’re in the mood for something casual.
However, after playing for more than two hours, I did start to find the gameplay a little tiresome. While the different jobs and environments help keep things interesting, the overall loop can become repetitive, especially when you’re spending so much time searching through the same large areas. Some of the slower reload times and less-than-perfect minigame controls also hold it back a little.
Overall, Sniper Dan is a fun and quirky little game that’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something relaxing to play in shorter bursts. It might not be something I’d want to spend hours playing in one sitting, but it’s a nice option when you just want to switch off and enjoy some silly, laid-back gameplay. If you’re looking for a casual hidden object game with a bit of a ridiculous twist, be sure to check it out!
Overall: 7/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
