PLOT: First Light follows James Bond as a young, resourceful, and sometimes reckless recruit in Britain’s MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6) training program, and discovers an origin story of the world’s most famous spy.
REVIEW: I love a studio that’s willing to take risks. When IO Interactive announced it was taking a break from its beloved Hitman franchise to develop and publish 007: First Light, the next game in the long-dormant James Bond video game franchise, the declaration was met with skepticism. Can IO bring something new to the Bond lineage, or will the game ship as a Hitman reskin with a martini kit as a pre-order bonus? I’m thrilled to say that not only does 007: First Light do enough to set itself apart from the Hitman franchise, it’s also the best game based on the British superspy I’ve ever played.
Instead of continuing 007’s exploits beyond 2021’s No Time to Die, First Light resets the clock, presenting us with a young, resourceful, and disobedient Bond who, after a death-defying mission where he’s solely responsible for rescuing a group of scientists, joins Britain’s MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6) training program, setting up an origin story for the world’s most famous fictional spy. Right away, the game hits you like a well-timed shoulder check with its polish, attention to detail, and lived-in world. Arguably, this aspect of the game was not a given. Before playing First Light, I was content to go easy on IO Interactive, assuming they’d get most of the game right but bungle a step here or there. Astonishingly, not only did the game meet my expectations, it exceeded them in almost every way.
The fact that IO Interactive comes out swinging the way they do with First Light is a miracle of modern gaming. I knew I was in for a treat when First Light offered what could be the best onboarding sequence I’ve ever played with a tutorial in the form of a quick and dirty montage that crests with an epic boss battle (of sorts) that ends in one of the game’s most rewarding friendships. After a short and engaging sequence, I had all the tools I needed to embark on my first mission. No muss. No fuss. Nothing but a few helpful button prompt reminders throughout the rest of the game to jog my terrible memory.
One thing I noticed about First Light was how alive the game feels. It’s obvious that IO Interactive has learned many lessons from its Hitman series. First Light feels like an evolution for the studio’s attention to stealth, infiltration, world-building, and so much more. In addition to tight movement, clever environment-based puzzles, and larger-than-life action set pieces, First Light tells an engaging Bond story that stands firmly alongside some of the character’s best films.
The writing is excellent, mixing real-world consequences, compelling relationship dynamics, whip-smart one-liners, and emotional beats that, I’m not gonna lie, had me misting up a bit when times got tough. Throughout the 17-chapter adventure, I became invested in all of the game’s main players and felt an overwhelming urge to complete the story, knowing their lives were in danger. One of my play sessions lasted 12+ hours, as I felt I owed it to Bond and his MI6 crew to finish the mission and not leave them in dire straits.
The pace of both the action and the story is fantastic, with the overall narrative about a predictive computer cover-up operation sending Bond (and his compatriots) on globe-trotting missions that drive the narrative forward with urgency. Each chapter is surprisingly substantial in how it drives the plot, enriches the characters, and shows off IO’s refined approach to making players feel like they’re one step ahead of the brilliant minds they’re matching wits with.
While I’m not as well-versed with the Bond franchise as our editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, I found myself taken by the cast. Patrick Gibson is so good as a young Bond that part of me wants to see him take on the lead role in Denis Villeneuve’s Bond 26. In the game, Bond is capable, cocky, and brash, but he’s also confronted with harsh truths as he realizes that working for MI6 requires discipline and sacrifice. First Light explores Bond at his most raw, with MI6 reps like M (Priyanga Burford), Moneypenny (Kiera Lester), John Greenway (Lennie James), Q (Alastair Mackenzie), and more, slowly coming to terms with Bond’s rebellious nature. He’s a gifted agent in the making, but without proper instruction, his impulsiveness could result in significant losses for queen and country.
Adding to the game’s opulence is The Flight’s exquisite scoring and soundtrack. Beginning with Lana Del Rey’s gorgeous Bond theme, “First Light,” the game features franchise-appropriate songs throughout. The score is grand, but also exercises restraint, choosing when and where to use Bond’s signature stinger at moments that feel perfectly timed. I often found myself standing in a hallway or overlooking a jaw-dropping vista to listen to the score. Every track, from a grand orchestral theme to a Portishead-sounding trip-hop number, is implemented with perfection.
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating. 007: First Light feels alive in ways that other games do not. Whether it’s the busy world (with crowds of people engaged in detailed conversation), the wear and tear on objects, clothing, and battle damage, or environments that change after colliding with Bond, everything feels meticulously rendered, interactive, and programmed to be interacted with. For example, during one of my fights, I shoulder-checked an enemy into a nearby wall, picture frames falling, shelving shattering to pieces, and shards of glass littering the floor like so many breadcrumbs toward the violence. At one point, my seven-year-old nephew watched me kick the snot out of a group of thugs. He began shouting (and bouncing uncontrollably on a nearby exercise ball) and calling for me to eliminate one agent after another. I’d never seen him so engaged with a game we played together.
While 007: First Light plays like the love child of Naughty Dog‘s Uncharted series and IO’s Hitman games, it stands on its own as something refreshingly fun, refined, and thrilling to play from start to finish. I wish that I’d recorded some of my gameplay, because some of the stuff I pulled off during intense combat sequences was insane. During one particular battle, I shot a firearm out of an enemy’s hand at close range, caught it in the air, emptied the clip into their stupefied face, then threw the empty pistol at another person nearby, knocking them off a ledge and into an ocean as blue as what you see on a Vietnam postcard. The scene unfolded in a matter of seconds, but it remains one of the game’s naturally occurring highlights for me.
Everything about 007: First Light hit hard for me, from the cast of characters worth caring about to the moment-to-moment action, and the majesty of the game’s elaborate, open level design that IO managed to make feel linear in a way that ensures the story retains its thrust and immersion. The distraction-based sneaking from IO’s Hitman series is another highlight. At the same time, Bond’s watch permits him access to an array of abilities that offer variety in solving puzzles, unlocking hidden goals, and smoother infiltration of highly secured areas. The gadget-based abilities require consumables, which are abundant throughout each level, making it easy to refill and reuse your toolset whenever you need to. The act of locating a key card or squeezing out globules of hand sanitizer feels unnecessary at times. Still, they could solve this minor inconvenience with a cooldown timer in the inevitable sequel.
I’m gob-smacked by how much I loved 007: First Light. I took my time with the game, resulting in over 20+ hours of explorative, hard-and-fast gameplay. Licensed games aren’t always a guarantee, but IO Interactive is clearly the right studio to revive the Bond game franchise in a way that makes it feel like a whole new way to interact with the iconic character. I laughed, I screamed, I gasped, and I almost cried while playing 007: First Light, and I think anyone interested in the action-adventure genre owes it to themselves to play this game. I’m not even the most significant Bond fan, but First Light presents the character in ways that make me see why scores of fans have been infatuated with the charming superspy for generations. First Light made me feel shaken, stirred, and everything in between.
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