007 Bond First Light Review – Licenced Troubleshooter

I’ve always been a fan of sleuthing around as Agent 47, although I’ve set off quite a few alarms and then attempted rampages through levels in my time. Those never ended well, with a methodical approach being very rewarding and personally satisfying. It’s why I’ve been so darn eager to try IO Interactive’s take on James Bond, a character who shares a lot in common with Agent 47 despite their largely different personalities.

Translating Bond to a video game was a job that the studio was then quite prepared for, with both men relying on meticulous investigations, shadowy stealth, deceptive disguises, guile, and the ability and freedom to make things up as they go along in games that support that kind of thing. Well, folks, 007 First Light is here to scratch all those itches and more. It’s also an excellent and faithful take on Bond, too.

The story is probably the best place to start, and an area where I was eager to see how IO made the switch from the brooding and often sullen personality of Agent 47 to the reckless, and effortlessly charming man that Bond is. Patrick Gibson has brought a lot of heart and personality to the role to make his take on the iconic operative one that stands out in a long list of big names. There’s a bubbling confidence to this younger version of Bond, but also hints of the iron will and discipline that make him such a cool head in heated situations.

He’s backed by a supporting cast that includes comfortingly familiar names like Miss Money penny, John Greenway, M, Q, and Dr. Seline Tan, among others. Bond and his buddies at MI6 have been handled very well, and work as characters in a story that brings a very strong narrative with just the right amounts of scale, drama, and payoff, all wrapped in a stylish cocoon that makes the entire thing a pleasing sight to behold.

Man, those cutscenes are a polished bunch. IO could have easily taken things easy on that front and we might not have blamed them given that their expertise has largely been in areas other than heavily cinematic storytelling. But First Light makes it look like they’ve been at it for years, with outstanding attention to detail punctuating a level of polish very well. Step into Q’s lab for the first time, and you’re going to feel like the whole damn thing is alive. There are smatterings of dialogue choices too, along with NPCs that are quite chatty, making the world come to life in a way that makes it special.

"If you’re the type of fan who knows about Stephen Fleming, you’re going to like how Bond’s introduced to the agency that eventually becomes the stage for his legend."

It’s a good thing, then, that the gameplay is just as competent, making you feel like a younger Bond with his whole life ahead of him: confident, capable, and occasionally reckless in exactly the way you’d expect. The narrative framing fits the format with which your objectives are handed to you. You’re a new recruit at MI6 and, as such, you’re briefed on missions before heading to a loadout section that expands as you play. Which makes sense within the larger story, and is also a great way to give you a reason to prepare for each mission in a way that lets you interpret what the legend would do. It feels like you’re learning with him, and that makes things quite engaging.

It’s all quite Hitman-ish, if we’re being honest, but the intersection between IO’s past and present is a welcome presence when it’s all presented so well. That feeling only exacerbates when you drop into levels that immediately feel like they’re built to encourage a creative approach with large spaces facilitating multiple approaches to an objective, and a lot of freedom in how you choose to get there.

While some of you might find the tutorial a tad too long, I kind of appreciated how it felt like a very cool intro to a Bond movie, one where I was controlling the main man on the beginnings of his tryst with MI6. I can’t spoil anything for you, but if you’re the type of fan who knows about Stephen Fleming, you’re going to like how Bond’s introduced to the agency that eventually becomes the stage for his legend.

Things open up with the main story missions, and you’re going to be looking for every opportunity you can find as you explore massive levels. It’s a loop that’s built around discovering new ways to be cool, and then mixing and matching stuff to see what happens. That’s a really good way to encourage you to eavesdrop, bluff, find disguises, and generally play it cool. Things get even better when your gadgets come into play, and that’s especially true if you’re trying to keep a low profile.

"Bond is just agile in a way that Agent 47 could never manage, his attacks feeling fluid while their animations convey the unbridled aggression of a younger Bond who is yet to gain the efficient precision of his older, more experienced self."

You’ve got ways to make enemies sick, deploy electric shocks, use smoke bombs, plant explosive traps, and even use the environment to get the drop on unsuspecting foes. You’re encouraged to use everything you have, gathering intelligence and then acting on it as you see fit with results that are always interesting. It comes together beautifully, and is a very satisfying part of the experience.

It’s also where any similarities to Hitman end, as the combat system on offer acts as a solid differentiator. Bond is just agile in a way that Agent 47 could never manage, his attacks feeling fluid while their animations convey the unbridled aggression of a younger Bond who is yet to gain the efficient precision of his older, more experienced self. The resulting combat is brutal while still being grounded, and you can use punches, kicks, and grabs to give your enemies hell. Slamming them into walls or smashing stuff that I grabbed from around me was all very ‘free-flowing’, if you catch that reference to the Arkham franchise.

I love how the environment has been worked into combat, though. Both Bond and his enemies can use the environment in all the ways we described, and it’s a facet of the experience that reminds you that Bond is only human, and that his body has limits. It’s what grounds the combat, and does it so well, you’re going to find yourself wanting to improve and relishing new skills when you get them. The sheer physicality that the environment brings to each fight is hard to ignore because it’s prominent, and very welcome.

It’s just short of perfect, though, with a slightly high learning curve on the controls and a clunky camera in certain close-quarters fights but things click for the most part, giving you a stylish layer of action on top of the exploration and stealth bits. There are also quite a few QTEs that I could have done without. It’s 2026, for crying out loud. Of course, your Licence to Kill is going to come into play, and the gunplay on this one is solid. It’s not trying to be The Division 2, but First Light has a nice rhythm to its cover-based shooting.

"The visuals are a stunning showcase of graphical finery, working well with the voice acting to make this one a very immersive experience."

I’d say the enemy AI was a tad too inconsistent for my liking, though. They’re not the brightest tools in the antagonist’s shed, but it isn’t a major flaw as the AI is serviceable. It would have been nice to see this one shoot for something like Metal Gear Solid 5 but maybe that’s just wishful thinking. The set-pieces more than made up for it, though, and they’re genuinely memorable. We’re going to be talking about many of them in future articles, and they honestly had us thinking of Uncharted. First Light might be an attractive option if you’re on the fence and part of that particular fan base.

The level of production on the set-pieces is present across the board, and it’s among this one’s best features. The visuals are a stunning showcase of graphical finery, working well with the voice acting to make this one a very immersive experience. Detailed character models, strong atmospheric effects, and an excellent level of art direction make this one truly feel like a Bond game.

That praise extends to the audio design, with sound playing a big role in controlling the rise and fall of tension in scenes. It was especially great in stealthy sections, with the game using sound so well, I found myself breathing very quietly in my chair. The game performed quite well on our RTX 3080 Ti, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and 16 GB of RAM, sustaining a consistent 4K resolution with DLSS set to Quality. All settings were at Ultra with the exception of shadow quality, volumetric fog, effects quality, and global illumination, which were set to High.

I got 35-50 fps out of the aging RTX 3080 Ti, with drops whenever there were massive explosions. I encountered a weird moment when the game slowed down drastically when all I did was bring up my gadget selection interface, but it wasn’t anything a restart didn’t fix. I’d say your mileage may vary depending on your system but performance does feel like it’s under strain in the game’s more demanding moments.

"The few minor gripes I had melted away in the face of a game that’s as confident as its protagonist, while being a highly enjoyable trot around the globe"

You’ve probably guessed what we think about this one by now. 007 First Light is a fantastic Bond game that truly understands its source material and translates that into a great stealth-action experience for a modern audience. IO has avoided the pitfalls of making young James feel like a Hitman reskin while integrating excellent stealth, combat, and emergent mechanics that all give the game its own identity.

Its mechanics work very well with a story that puts them to use, especially during the more curated set-pieces that are brought to life by truly stunning production values and a level of polish that even a younger Bond would appreciate. It isn’t flawless but the few minor gripes I had melted away in the face of a game that’s as confident as its protagonist, while being a highly enjoyable trot around the globe, with British humor in my pocket at all times.

007 First Light sets a strong foundation for a potential franchise, and I must say that as far as origin stories for that purpose go, this one’s a hell of a start!

This game was reviewed on PC.

Note: Varun Karunakar contributed to this review.