IO Interactive is braced to step out of Hitman’s shadow with 007 First Light, but don’t expect Agent 47 with a martini in hand. In fact, Bond here hasn’t yet developed the refined palette nor expensive taste of his traditional movie or novel counterparts. No, First Light, instead, rethinks what a James Bond game can be, exploring his origins and framing the action as instinctual rather than precise. Through cinematic storytelling, flexible mechanics, and semi-emergent gameplay, here’s fifteen things you need to know before you buy 007 First Light.
A Young Bond Origin Story
007 First Light charts Bond’s emergence, before he became MI6’s blunt instrument. He’s sharp, and evidently has enough talent for an exciting career in espionage, but he’s still learning. Idealistic, impulsive, occasionally optimistic, James here is a fledging agent operating on instinct over calculation. However, this juvenile Bond frames First Light’s gameplay. You’ll rarely execute a perfect plan, instead figuring things out in real time. Straight off the bat, it’s clear IO Interactive has smartly aligned the game’s narrative hook with both gameplay and character development.
Missions Prioritise Creativity
IO Interactive are leaning into their systemic design strengths cultivated in Hitman, but with even less rigidity. In First Light, 007’s missions are built around the idea that there are always multiple solutions – at least three as quoted in a “Beyond The Light” dev diary – with different infiltration routes, scattered objects, tools, and environmental opportunities in play. You could slip through a restricted area undetected, manipulate security systems, cause distractions, or simply blow things up. Whatever path you choose, the game is designed to encourage your creativity.
Four Core Gameplay Pillars
Facilitating your creativity, First Light’s missions are structured around four distinct, overlapping approaches: Spycraft is Bond’s subterfuge toolkit, where eavesdropping, pickpocketing, and distracting yield useful information. Instinct is a resource which reflects his intuition and reflexes, used for silent takedowns, bluffs – more on bluffs later – or executing perfect shots. Gadgets flesh out 007’s options, and we’ll give you an overview of these later in the feature too. The final pillar, combat, fuses gunplay with close-quarters brawling. The idea here is that you can lean into whichever philosophy seems most appropriate for any given scenario, and likely blend all four across an entire mission. The key is adaptability; like Bond, you won’t be locked into a role.
Stealth and Combat Have Equal Footing
Unlike Hitman, where stealth rules the roost, First Light treats stealth and combat as equally viable. You can ghost through situations, but if things get loud the game will effortlessly pivot to explosive gunplay. Also, however, you can use de-escalation tactics, where you’ll lean on James’ charisma to bluff your way past workers or talk yourself out of suspicion, though higher level personnel are harder to fool. Where Hitman was about neatly completing objectives, First Light’s throughline is “forward momentum”; Bond keeps moving, even if plans fall apart.
Combat is Improvised
Moment-to-moment combat reflects the game’s flexible ethos. Gunplay shapes the equation, of course, although you’ll often be grabbing whatever firearms you can find in the heat of battle, then lobbing the gun at your assailants once its magazine is depleted. Melee also plays a significant role, with grapples, disarms, and environmental interactions feeding encounters. In short: the game encourages you to use whatever is at hand. Objects like fire extinguishers can be used as makeshift explosives; even snooker balls can be used in a fight. In another character’s hands, improvisational combat could come across as messy. But, even though Bond here isn’t the finished article, he shows finesse in his spontaneity.
Non-Lethal Play is Viable
007 First Light allows you to take down enemies without killing them; using non-fatal targeting options like disabling opponents via leg shots. IO Interactive has advised that large portions of the game can be completed this way, although, with fighting occasionally forced on you, it’s unclear how successfully James can complete every mission without killing anyone at all.
Bond Doesn’t Shoot First
The non-lethal emphasis has narrative foundations too. See, Bond isn’t given free-reign to murder anyone who gets in his way – at least, not initially. His “license to kill” only becomes active if enemies draw or fire first. Of course, James being the young, impulsive agent that he is, whether this operational obligation is something you’ll always follow remains to be seen. The grizzled Bond we see in movies routinely operates outside of conventional morality – could shades of Bond’s later persona emerge in First Light?
There’s Plenty of Driving
While First Light isn’t open world, its missions feature plenty of driving segments. In the game’s lengthy gameplay feature, where James rolls a tasteful, racing green Jag, we see a relaxed, scenic stretch, although later on is a high-octane chase befitting any Bond movie. There’s range here, giving variety in each mission’s pacing. And yes, you’ll get behind the wheel of numerous Aston Martins, because it wouldn’t be Bond without them.
Q Acts as a Mentor Figure
Q’s role throughout 007 First Light isn’t just as a gadget supplier, but he acts as Bond’s mentor and teacher. Not just introducing James to tools but the mindset of espionage too, serving as a bridge into this world. Q, seemingly more so than most of the other characters, embodies the game’s origin story framework, where Bond leans on allies like Q to hone his craft.
There’re Plenty of Gadgets
Q’s toolkit includes a mix of classic gadgets and some newfound, near-experimental tech: the Q-Lens enhances Bond’s environmental awareness by highlighting meaningful information and hackable devices; a multi-functional Q-Watch activates Bond’s gadgets to create diversions and deadly traps. The Lazer Strap dazes enemies, a dart-enabled phone quietly shoots poisonous projectiles, modified earbuds produce blinding flashes of light, and smoke bombs – because of course there’s smoke bombs – provide a smokescreen that you’re probably experienced with. All these gadgets are integrated into mission design, forming the backbone of your creativity, whether stealth, distraction, traversal, or a mix of techniques, Q’s gadgets facilitate flexibility.
Moneypenny has an Active Field Role
Bond isn’t the only new face in MI6. Moneypenny is fresh into her career in covert espionage too. Here, in First Light, she’s reimagined as a field agent who maintains constant communication with Bond via an earpiece. Their relationship throughout the game reflects two operatives who are still finding their feet, both in the dangerous world they’re working and with each other. They’re familiar, but uncertain; collaborative but hesitant, reframing their dynamic compared to movie portrayals.
The Remaining Cast Also Shapes Bond
Beyond those familiar faces, First Light also introduces all-new character Greenway, who questions Bond’s readiness for fieldwork. Their friction is counteracted by M, who is younger, less authoritative but just as ambitious. She’s someone who sees potential when others don’t, and she puts faith in Bond. The main antagonist, Bawma, is positioned as both alluring and uncompromising; a classic Bond villain with a modern feel. He’s joined by other threats, including rogue agent 009, suggesting a story which blends interpersonal relationships with danger and betrayal.
TAC-SIM Mode Brings Replayability
Outside of the game’s campaign, TAC-SIM brings structured challenges based on specific conditions. This Immersive Agent Training offers leaderboards too, with earnable XP which can be spent on gadget upgrades, firearms, and outfits. IO Interactive has also confirmed that TAC-SIM will receive post-launch updates, giving you reason to keep returning.
Built on Glacier Engine
Like Hitman, First Light runs on IO Interactive’s proprietary Glacier game engine, bringing enhanced cinematography and dynamic gameplay. PC users take advantage of the game’s close collaboration with Nvidia, with support for DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation bringing sharp fidelity and smooth performance. If you’re playing on PS5 Pro, you’ll be pleased to see 007 First Light has been optimised to use Sony’s PSSR tech, capable of 60fps in quality graphics settings.
PC Requirements
Playing 007 First Light at the minimum PC requirements, you’ll need an Intel Core i5 9500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 CPU, and a GeForce GTX 1660 or RX 5700 GPU. Recommended hardware as per the game’s Steam page details an Intel Core i5 13500 or AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT graphics. 16GB RAM is the minimum no matter the rest of your setup, with 80GB storage space also needed.
