Seeing IO Interactive at the helm of a new James Bond video game is like watching two pieces of a jigsaw perfectly slotting together. It’s a pairing that just makes sense given the Danish developer’s track record, having recently wrapped the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy. Each game had players running a gauntlet of stealth missions, visiting stunning locales around the globe while switching disguises and employing a deadly arsenal of high-tech gadgets. In many ways, 007 First Light feels like an evolution of the Hitman formula, though it’s one that forges a new path for the studio, stepping away Hitman’s non-linear level design in favour of a more guided, cinematic experience. It’s certainly a change of pace for IO Interactive, though one the studio effortlessly adapts to.
Not a James Bond fan? That’s a-okay. While there are definitely nods to the blockbuster spy films and Ian Fleming’s original novels, First Light requires zero prior knowledge of the 007 universe. First Light offers a completely new take on familiar settings and characters, taking place in a contemporary world and updated for a new generation.
Given the level of prestige surrounding Bond – and the sheer volume of cherished source material – it takes a brave team of writers to tackle such a project, especially when you mention the words “origin story”. Thankfully, James Bond actors have passed the torch plenty of times over the decades, so seeing a new face (especially as the films look for their next star) is hardly jarring. If anything, it’s quite refreshing. Patrick Gibson’s rendition of the British super spy is no less charming or resourceful, and his youth and inexperience add interesting dimensions to a character who has been a constant throughout many of our lives. He’s supported by a team of mentors, handlers, and fellow agents who you can’t help getting attached to, mainly thanks to stellar performances from Kiera Lester (Moneypenny), Priyanga Burford (M), and Lennie James (John Greenway) to name a few.
007 First Light kicks off with a fumbled covert mission in Iceland, Bond serving as a crewman who survives when the SAS aircraft he’s aboard gets shot out of the sky. Thrust right into the thick of it, he has to infiltrate a compound overrun with mercenaries (with a little help from MI6 taking over his radio comms) and stumbles upon a highly valuable “asset”. Having defied all odds as a complete unknown, Bond’s performance lands him a fast-track pass into MI6’s spy training program as the organisation prepares to reboot its previously shuttered 00 initiative.
Iceland is the first of two tutorials, the cinematic opener followed by a series of intense drills that take place in Malta, schooling players on the game’s fairly deep and creative web of mechanics. These play out in a montage-style fashion as Bond flits between the firing range and fisticuffs before practicing stealth and even getting behind the wheel. Needless to say, IO Interactive spends a fair chunk of time onboarding players and it works pretty well, reinforcing those early story beats while teasing more advanced gameplay concepts.
If you’re expecting First Light to line up one bombastic gunfight after the next, then you’re in for a surprise. Sure, it has those, but there’s also plenty of non-combat exploration segments, usually taking place within gorgeously rendered locales that have you hunting for clues, navigating your environment, and interacting with other characters. The comparisons to Hitman are hard to shrug off in these moments, especially given the game’s world-class environmental designs with hundreds of NPCs milling around. Not only do locations look stunning and well-crafted, they also feel organic and lived-in.
Naturally, as you cross off objectives and push the story forward, the game’s focus will narrow, dropping Bond into combat scenarios, many of which can be approached depending on your preferred playstyle. At various points you’ll be able to eavesdrop on conversations to get hints for overcoming an obstacle. Complete stealth is often an option, tasking players with tracking enemy movements and quietly taking them down without being spotted.
That’s aided by the handy Q-Lens, creating an overlay that highlights hostiles as well as any resources and other points of interest at the tap of a button. In addition to simply hacking electronics remotely, the two gadgets you choose to have equipped (and only two at a time) will determine how you can interact with these points of interest. For instance, you can fry padlocks using a laser, shoot chemical darts at people to make them queasy, drop smoke bombs or stun mines, and more. Such actions help to manipulate and incapacitate foes, but they’re far from the only weapons in your arsenal. Bond’s gift of the gab can also help avoid tough confrontations, shouting to lure guards from their posts or just bluffing your way through checkpoints and confrontations.
Melee combat is highly effective with IO’s fighting system sitting somewhere between Uncharted 4 and the Batman Arkham trilogy. Red and yellow icons appear on enemies to telegraph what they’re about to do, forcing players to react with either a well-timed parry, a dodge, or a combination of the two, usually followed by a punishing counterattack. Waiting for your target to throw the first punch can be effective, though First Light does encourage players to go on the offensive, giving you the option to grapple enemies and lob projectiles that are within arm’s reach. During fistfights, Bond will make use of his surroundings, slamming grunts into walls, hurling them over tables, kicking people as you vault over objects, or even barging them off ledges. While the game’s melee segments aren’t particularly challenging – at least during those earlier missions – the level of immersion and interactivity make them an enjoyable highlight.
The same can’t be said during First Light’s shooting sequences. There are some parts of the game where gunplay is inevitable, forcing Bond into cover as enemies close in, spraying bullets in his direction. Going back to Hitman again, despite Agent 47 having a glut of firearms at his disposal, gunfights always felt like a last resort, the weapon handling in those games being fairly barebones.
In 007 First Light, these battles are far more dynamic thanks to mechanics such as Bond’s array of gadgets and a Focus meter that can slow Bond’s perception of time. As limited ammo runs dry, you can fling a gun at an enemy to stagger them for a quick takedown, Bond seamlessly snatching their weapon in the process. Players going for a nonlethal playthrough can even nullify targets by performing leg shots or disarming enemies – these often happen dynamically, and it’s huge fun to see guns go flying into the air. On the flipside, there are plenty of explosives and other hazards that can be fired at to wreak havoc, and certain segments can make that an absolute necessity.
Driving sections are another part of the game where we see IO Interactive forced out of its comfort zone. The vehicle handling here is serviceable: a bit floaty at times, but it gets the job done during First Light’s infrequent car chases. They’re fun spectacles that help break up the on-foot action but also feel like an exercise in box-ticking, given how flash motors play such a core role in every Bond caper.
We still have a stretch of the game’s to see, but from what we’ve played of 007 First Light so far, it’s an incredibly well-executed action adventure with a truly engrossing story, slick presentation, and layered gameplay systems. For the past decade or so, it feels like publishers have continued to obsess over player engagement numbers, padding their games with open-world bloat or shaping them into live services designed to last for many months after their initial release. We wouldn’t be surprised if IO Interactive unveiled a roadmap of upcoming features and content for First Light – there are TacSim challenges to replay segments – yet the core game feels like the kind cinematic singleplayer experience we hope to see more of.
