Given the scarcity of notable James Bond video games in recent decades and the five-year hiatus of Bond films, much anticipation rests on 007 First Light to revitalise the British cinematic icon. Developer IO Interactive, renowned for the Hitman series, has long seemed a natural fit for the role. Their games feature a suited protagonist navigating global locales and transforming social events into deadly missions, with a keen eye for corporate luxury and brutalist architecture. Even their proprietary engine, Glacier, sounds like a codename from a Bond villain's lair. A simple shift in moral alignment—from assassinating targets to serving queen and country—could have easily transformed Hitman into a Bond game.
A Different Path
However, 007 First Light eschews this straightforward approach. The game introduces a young James Bond in his pre-00 days, portrayed as a petulant, rebellious trainee. Actor Patrick Gibson initially delivers a standard insubordinate performance but warms to the role as he interacts with M, a green leader eager to prove herself, and an urbane Q who forgoes the frustrated quartermaster trope to introduce Bond to vinyl records. A scene where Q teaches Bond to tie a bow tie exemplifies excellent prequel storytelling, adding a personal touch to an iconic look.
Linear Storytelling with Stealth Elements
Given the open-ended nature of Hitman, IO Interactive's adeptness at linear storytelling is surprising. While elements of "social stealth" remain, they are repurposed for cinematic momentum and blended with action sequences. Comparisons to Uncharted are inevitable, especially when Bond leaps onto cliff edges and scrambles along rocky handholds. The game frequently places players in moments that would be cutscenes elsewhere, such as a dramatic approach to a sprawling Slovakian castle. One entire chapter is a glorified training montage, shifting between getaway driving, stealth, and gunplay while charting the evolving relationships among fledgling 00 candidates. This is on-rails storytelling executed effectively.
Combat and Set Pieces
As Bond learns the ropes, the developers seem to be finding their footing. Guns are satisfyingly punchy, but scripted fights prioritise explosive theatrics over strategy: gas tanks erupt, walkways collapse, and cranes fall. Players quickly learn to identify red barrels that trigger chain reactions, as failure to manage numbers leads to being overwhelmed. Fist fights are more enjoyable due to the commitment of virtual stuntmen. Bond is a barroom brawler, shoving enemies into bookshelves and battering them with mugs and keyboards. Similar to how waist-high cover signals incoming fights in Gears of War, players learn to view crockery and wine bottles with suspicion, as they will soon be smashed into a mercenary's face.
Stealth and Gadgets
Fists and guns come into play when stealth fails. IO Interactive introduces a fresh take on its classic lurking with a hacking watch that enables Home Alone-style antics, luring guards towards malfunctioning photocopiers before electrocuting them with a laser. Gadgets allow players to outmanoeuvre enemies, though some silliness is required when refuelling toys with batteries from TV remotes or globs of hand sanitiser. It is hard to imagine Daniel Craig scavenging for hand sanitiser.
Beyond Action: The Bond Fantasy
Unlike previous Bond games, First Light recognises that action is only part of the Bond fantasy. Bond is as much a schmoozer as a bruiser, and the game includes social set pieces at a chess tournament and a swanky product launch. The staging and atmosphere are exemplary, though the gameplay mostly involves eavesdropping on guests to locate a keycard before shooting its keeper with a toxic dart. However, a visit to a Mauritanian market and a luxury hotel getaway offer room to roam, reminding players how few developers capture the aspirational tourist fantasy. Many games have let players be a gun-toting Bond, but this is the first opportunity to be a Bond relaxing beside a glittering infinity pool in Vietnam or trying to outwit a shell game hustler. Games are now far more capable of transporting players to specific places than during the era of GoldenEye on the N64.
A Labour of Love
007 First Light will ultimately be remembered for its full Bond immersion, more than occasional wonky set pieces. The game was clearly made by excitable Bond enthusiasts brainstorming "what if" scenarios: exploring Q Lab while observing underlings test malfunctioning prototypes, talking one's way out of being tied to a torturer's table, surviving a fall from 15,000 feet without a parachute, and deploying John Barry's classic scores with staggering needle drops. Few fans get to play in the sandbox of their obsession as IO Interactive has here. As far as Bond video games go, nobody has done it better. 007 First Light is released on 27 May, priced at £59.99/$69.99/€69.99.
