Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 shows off drone reconnaissance in extended gameplay trailer

Announced in 2014, 'officially' revealed in August last year, promised in January 2017, and eventually delayed till April—Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 has endured a somewhat convoluted journey so far. The last snippet of footage we saw leaned heavier on melee and fisticuffs brawling, however developer CI Games has now released a new slab of in-game footage which appears to better capture the series' tactical stealthy combat. 

Exploring the "dark depths of a slaughterhouse", the following developer-led trailer shows the player traversing snow covered woodlands, sharpshooting from cover, tracking foes via reconnaissance drones, and creating distractions to initiate ambushes, among other sleuth-like endeavours.  

There's a bit of knife play in there too, but CI has already said adopting a more hands-on approach in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 won't be without its challenges. As much as I appreciate being given the option of facing-off against bad guys in close quarters combat, I think sending a drone skyward, marking enemies from above, before taking them out from afar suits my own playstyle better. If that's you too, skip to the 3.20 mark in the video above to see the drone in action. 

"Infiltrate and exfiltrate using Sniper skills to pick off lone separatists on watch, then use Ghost skills to take out the enemy stealthily with your trusty knife," reads the trailer's description. "The game presents freedom of choice in the way that you can approach and complete your missions."

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is due in April, 2017.