007 First Light review - nobody does it better than IO Interactive

Like the movies, James Bond games are an event. Despite a flurry of Pierce Brosnan adventures and Daniel Craig tie-ins over a decade ago, the absence of Bond in gaming is sorely felt. When Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave Hitman creators IO Interactive the keys to 007 First Light in November 2020, it felt like the ultimate match made in heaven between an IP and a studio. But have those six years of waiting paid off? Yes, considerably.

Billed as an origin story, 007 First Light creates a new backstory for James Bond that explores a concept we've only glimpsed on the big screen: how he became a 00 Agent. This isn't Casino Royale, where he earns his 00 status in the opening. It leans more into tendencies of Charlie Higson's Young Bond, Anthony Horowitz's Forever and a Day, or Jeff Parker's James Bond: Origin comic series. We're meeting an inexperienced and naive Bond during his career in the Royal Navy. There's no Commander Bond, just a humble aircrewman following orders. It's here where we meet him, during a mission gone wrong in Iceland.

From the get-go, it's an immediate step up in storytelling execution for IO Interactive. Although the Hitman games have their flourishes of cinematic cutscenes, especially in the World of Assassination trilogy, First Light is far more polished and confident. The opening cutscene breathes with skillful cinematography, echoing the work of Robert Elswit's lensing on Tomorrow Never Dies or Roger Deakins' rich, deep shadows in Skyfall. That style carries across First Light's narrative, framing scenes in gorgeous anamorphic cinematography. After Bond's initial introduction, he becomes entangled in MI6 by sheer luck, and thus begins a journey we've never quite seen before.

But before I gush about becoming James Bond, I need to address a certain feat of wizardry. I don't know what they're feeding the developers at IOI, but this runs like a dream on the Asus ROG Ally Z1E. I'm playing through SteamOS at 20W TDP. The game defaults to low settings and a lower resolution, but don't let that fool you. My ROG Ally can easily handle it at 1080p, with textures set to medium, FSR upscaling, and in-game frame generation. With these settings, it runs comfortably between 45-60fps, depending on how busy the action is. This can go higher, of course, if you take your TDP up to 25W or 30W Turbo.

With Lossless Scaling/Decky LSFG enabled, I can coast along at around 70-80fps, with virtually no input latency. I'm curious to see how First Light's Steam Deck verification fares, but considering the Hitman trilogy runs decently on Valve's handheld, I'm expecting similar results. Seeing a triple-A game of this caliber run so well on a handheld PC is fantastic, and it makes me eager to see how it'll translate to the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version later this year. So now you know it holds its own, performance-wise; let's get back to being James Bond.

Rather than simply dropping you into Bond-inspired set pieces, First Light succeeds astonishingly at something far trickier: making you embody Bond himself. GoldenEye 007 and Everything or Nothing are great emulators of a Bond thrill, but this is different. I find myself not just using Q-Lab gadgets or my trusty Walther PPK - I'm thinking, reacting, and operating how I think Bond would. I'm predicting his methods, adopting his confidence and mindset. The first step toward this is mastering the basics through a rigorous MI6 training course. And let me tell you, combat is exquisite in First Light.

Combat takes the right notes from Uncharted's playbook. I can beat enemies to a pulp, brawler-style, like Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. For starters, Bond can deliver stomach-crunching gut punches, heavy kicks, and shoulder barges. Pair all of this with parrying, sidesteps, and throws, and you're playing your enemies for fools in no time. And guess what? There's no punishment if this is your preferred playstyle. It's hard not to think of Hitman across First Light's 15-hour story, but that's not a bad thing, either.

You see, you can't just kill everyone in sight. MI6 grants you a License to Kill at appropriate moments where enemies have a clear intent to eliminate you with lethal force. That's typically when they're toting an arsenal of assault rifles, handguns, snipers, or shotguns. In the meantime, it's all about bare-knuckle warfare…or avoiding combat entirely if you can. First Light flexes these muscles through its pitch-perfect pacing, which weaves between more linear sections and larger levels that encourage improvisation and exploration. I'm partway through my second playthrough of the upcoming Switch game, and I'm discovering things I hadn't even considered. IOI telegraphs some methods of success more clearly than others; that's because the studio isn't going to spell everything out for you - and this rocks.

You can track opportunities discovered through eavesdropping on conversations, observing your surroundings, and letting yourself walk off the beaten path. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing on the open-ended sandboxes of Hitman 3, but it's just big enough to deliver the feeling of being Bond. One of the best examples of this sees Bond recovering enough cash to lie his way into an arms deal. Speaking to another journalist about this, we've gone about it in completely different ways. He even suggested using Bond's Q-Lens for a particular objective, which I hadn't even considered. In this regard, it adds a decent layer of replayability to the story.

I know what you're thinking: how is the stealth? Using his charm and gift of the gab as a weapon in itself, sneaking around and chancing my way to my objective is a lot of fun. Why go in for a massive brawl when I can toy with my enemies through gadget trickery or environmental hazards? Or, what if I confidently walk through restricted areas, avoiding lines of sight like a shadow in the night? However, it doesn't always go to plan, and that's when you may need to pull the trigger.

First Light's gunplay, again, shows just how far IO Interactive is pushing itself forward. It shares more with Kane and Lynch 2's frenetic firefights than it does Hitman's calculated action. Gunfights feel exceptionally responsive, with a satisfying oomph to each round fired. Even if you're just sticking with Bond's PPK like a purist, dispatching enemies is nothing short of grin-inducing when that License to Kill prompt appears. There's a level of tactical efficiency to it, too. It isn't just about aiming for the head. Bond can shoot weapons from out of his foe's hands, disarming them and rendering them vulnerable to follow-up bullets to the knees. Conversely, firing at their knees is a quick way to immobilize incoming threats. Throwing an empty weapon at a henchman's head is always incredible, and I'll do it any chance I get.

The real cherry on top of this is using Bond's Q-Lens and Q-Watch. Q-Lens adds a Watch Dogs-style flavor to proceedings, mapping out the environment with potential ways to distract, confuse, or even incapacitate enemies. As long as you're stocked on electronic components and chemicals, represented by everyday items like batteries or detergent in levels, you can use an array of Q-Watch functions. My favorites are the Laser Strap and Missile Pen, using the former to temporarily blind enemies for an easy hit and the latter to create a more explosive skirmish. I love how varied the various gadgets feel, allowing you to create mini loadouts during visits to MI6 across the story.

For the gadgets, their real appeal isn't just in combat. Using them to get past guards or unwitting NPCs to access restricted areas, steal objects, or gather intel is pure Bond fun. Elevating this is the ability to bluff your way out of a fight. In Bond history, he's a charismatic charmer, armed with a devilish smile and the right choice of words. Look up the word 'rizz' in the dictionary, and it'll just show you a picture of James Bond. These excuses are delightful, tapping into the suave coolness of Pierce Brosnan and the cheeky humor of Roger Moore. It's intriguing to see just how many scenarios IOI has cooked up, as your reasoning for bluffing is almost entirely different depending on the situation. Eagle-eyed Bond fans will notice a fair few nods to the books and movies in these exchanges.

Alongside fighting and gadgetry, everyone loves a good James Bond car sequence. This was probably the part of the game I felt most nervous about, as driving definitely isn't something I associate with IOI. How foolish of me to be in doubt. Driving in First Light delivers direct white-knuckle tension. Getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DBS Vantage is a magical moment. The feeling of unadulterated speed, whisking through country lanes and taking sharp bends, is superb. IOI also uses vehicles as a narrative device to welcome players into certain levels, letting you enjoy the grandeur of the lavish locations.

On that note, it is intoxicating just how much you can tell IOI loves James Bond. In a similar vein to Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, First Light is teeming with respect, love, and care for cinema's most famous spy. Achievement names call back to all manner of Bond media, whether it's beloved games, movies, puns, or underrated books across the character's six-decade history. It bleeds into the game's environment design, with sprinklings of Syd Cain and Ken Adams' genius production design in First Light's selection of exotic locales. I don't think any other Bond game comes close to replicating the sheer joy IOI exudes by having the opportunity to exist in this universe.

At the center of it is Patrick Gibson. Playing a younger Bond could be an outright failure. But Gibson pulls it all off effortlessly, giving us a rendition of the spy that deserves a rightful place on the big screen. He's exceedingly magnetic as Bond, from his superb pun deliveries, enduring naivety, and layered complexity as a 26-year-old with something to prove. When I read Bond books, I typically imagine one of the previous actors in my head in these stories. Now, it's Gibson that is my go-to imaginary Bond. He really is that good. This level of excellence is also with the game's extended cast, especially Lennie James' John Greenway, Priyanga Burford's M, and Alastair McKenzie's Q.

McKenzie's version of Q is just so damn cool. He's a fashionista who happens to be the smartest man at MI6, with a penchant for the finer things in life. To that end, you see the foundations of Bond's persona begin to form. One sequence has you directly help Bond dress for a special occasion. It's a lovely balance of sweet character building, while depicting another element of Bond's life we haven't seen up close before. James's Greenway feels like a more evolved version of Tanner from the movies, except he's willing to get dirty in the field if need be. IOI has advised me not to speak about certain villainous aspects, but let's just say one actor gives us a cunning antithesis to Bond's persona in a manner like Die Another Day's Gustav Graves.

James Bond stories carry a certain pedigree. They need to hit the beats we all expect, be it gadgets, girls, or gnarly blockbuster action that no other franchise has a hope of copying. First Light's story delivers those aspects beautifully. Several moments left me stunned, cheering and hollering at my TV, and smiling with nothing but abundant happiness. I'm genuinely surprised I didn't get a text from my sleeping girlfriend during the night, as one particular endgame moment had me shouting "holy shit, holy shit" over and over. I wouldn't dare spoil it, but I think you'll know when you get there. It's one of the strongest deconstructions of Bond as a character and pop-culture icon, too.

I genuinely care about this Bond as a person. He's not just a vessel for audience escapism and rollicking action; he's a young man navigating a world that is emotionally taxing and unforgiving at its worst. Desmond Llewelyn's Q encapsulates it with one saying in The World is Not Enough: "Never let them see you bleed." Spending time with Bond's allies is a real treat, as well. Some sequences, funnily enough, feel like they're cut from the cloth of Kingsman, rather than Bond. As a character that's often reluctant to team up, I'm happy to see Bond playing well with others.

The Flight brilliantly scores all of it. Bond music is just as important as any other element of the franchise's formula. There have been some decent Bond game scores in the past, but this one needs to convey Bond's evolution and growth as an MI6 recruit. The way The Flight teases the iconic Monty Norman theme and deploys it at the right time won't fail to fill you with joy. I'm especially pleased with how it taps into other familiar motifs, especially during one of the game's more bombastic action sequences in its Vietnam chapter. Just keep your ears open for it.

If there's one element where First Light slightly falters, it's in building its villains. I'm not permitted to get into specifics, but I will say that a bit more depth could take them a step further. It's nothing heinous writing-wise, but I don't think they're quite as memorable as other baddies in Bond's rogue gallery. I admire their purpose in shaping Bond's colder attitude, but a little more meat on the bones is required.

Beyond this action game's story, there's a suite of post-campaign content to sink your teeth into. For Hitman fans, this is where IOI truly leans into those tendencies. Introduced via Gemma Chan's winsome Selina Tan, she invites Bond to engage in TacSims (Tactical Simulations). In the game's lore, TacSims are virtual-reality training modules designed to prepare agents for field duty or to examine their shortcomings during combat. It adds another dimension to the world around Bond, as we get to visit expanded areas of MI6 frequently.

Exploring Q-Lab is a genuinely giddy time, packed with references to famous gadgets, NPCs to chat with, and a plethora of projects to marvel at. I also take great pleasure in dethroning the high scores of other agents at the shooting range. It isn't just the in-game character's First Light that lets you compete with.

Escalations test your hand-to-hand combat skills, marksmanship, and creativity through increasing levels of difficulty on familiar locales from the story. Each of them contains various sub-objectives that reward you with extra Intel, an in-game currency used to buy skins, weapons, gadgets, and buffs for Bond. Don't worry, there aren't any microtransactions. It's all purely organic progression. These sub-objectives can be anything from only using chemical-based Q-Watch gadgets, only using pistols, or identifying special ways of getting rid of enemies in levels. As you may expect, they're all dubbed with great puns and titles that give you a hint of what to do.

On the other hand, Operations, of which there are two so far, take larger levels from the story and recontextualize them as field exercises to pull off with precision. At the First Light world premiere, IOI's CEO Hakan Abrak teased that post-launch content will include additional TacSim content, weapons, and possibly gadgets. In the game's menu, there's already a preview of a forthcoming experience involving the Aston Martin Valhalla. TacSims come with leaderboards to compete on, whether you're beating your friends or other players across the world. For a brief time, I held the top spot in the entire world for a certain set of challenges. It's also here where you can outfit Bond with alternative outfits, if you fancy donning a fresh tuxedo or a casual holiday getup.

The Hitman trilogy's post-launch updates have set a high standard, so I'm very excited to see how IOI extends First Light's life in the coming months. It isn't just First Light's future that is promising, but James Bond's gaming potential has never been this high. I really hope this is the start of a potential trilogy, because First Light is a showstopping love letter to James Bond, unlike any other. As a massive Bond fan, getting hyped for something like this can be dangerous, with expectations reaching impossible heights. The fact that IOI is not only matching them, but shattering them, is something I can't express enough.

First Light feels like a monumental event for the character and an evolution of everything that IOI has been crafting over the last 30 years. Even if you're not the biggest James Bond fan, you're getting a remarkable third-person shooter that is brimming with barnstorming setpieces and first-rate care for the world's greatest cinematic and literary action hero. I'll always admire Bloodstone, Nightfire, and other Bond titles. But it's time to move over GoldenEye 007, there's a new king in town, taking the mantle of the greatest James Bond game ever.