007 First Light is only a couple of days away now, and we’ve got a few things to help you with your own time with a version of James Bond that’s quite intriguing. Just like James learns the ropes of being one of MI6’s best agents, you’re going to want to know the tricks of the trade yourself if you want to ensure that all your missions go as planned.
Luckily, we’ve put in a fair bit of time with the game already, and are here to guide you through the opening hours and beyond. Let’s dive right in.
1. It’s 007, Not 047
It can be too easy to treat any IO Interactive title like it’s a part of the Hitman franchise, but that’s going to be a mistake in this one. You see, while Agent 47 relied on stealth and a quiet approach, Bond can certainly opt to do the same, but you’re not going to be triggering a level-wide red alert if you’re spotted. Levels are broken up into smaller zones to let you have a bit more flexibility in your approach, while a failure to remain on the down-low isn’t going to be punished as severely.
It’s still satisfying as hell to clear an area without anyone ever knowing you were there, but your guns and fists are a viable option in case one of your opponents sniffs you out.
2. Know Your Audience
Bond’s all about spectacle, but his definition of it could change depending on the situation. Think of it this way: First Light gives you a ton of opportunities to pull off cool stuff in any given situation but it’s up to you to discover and act on them. To that end, reading a room to see if stealth can be a good call, or perhaps bluffing your way past a couple of guards works, is a great idea and can set up some very memorable moments for you as you go along.
If all else fails, you could always pull out your guns or use your fists to keep yourself ahead of your enemies.
3. Listen In On Conversations
A good agent is always on the hunt for information that pertains to their objectives. Bond is no different, and First Light encourages you to act as a spy in almost all scenarios. It’s quite satisfying to pick up snippets of conversations that open up new ways to be the suave, slick agent you’re meant to be as you play the game, and you should be eavesdropping every time you get the chance.
You might just pick up a bit of conversation that could get you past a lot of trouble as you go along.
4. Strike Up Conversations
James Bond is a charismatic individual, and isn’t afraid to use it to his advantage. You get to lean into that side of the man in First Light, as the game encourages you to talk to NPCs instead of merely sneaking past them. Once again, they’re useful sources of information which acts as a very potent currency in the gameplay loop that IO has to offer. You never know what might come from such conversations, but it’s almost always useful to what you’re trying to achieve.
5. Remain Focused On The Mission
If you’ve had even a passing interest in James Bond as a character over the years, you know that his single-minded focus on his goals has held him in good stead over at MI6. Well, you might want to emulate that as best you can as you play this game, and concentrate on every little detail you come across.
For instance, there are missions where you’re going to have to remember names of persons-of-interest and choose the right one in conversations. There are consequences to wrong answers, mainly in the form of further problems that you’ll have to solve later on if you make a mistake. Getting it right the first time is certainly the better approach.
6. Hide In Plain Sight
Bond knows when to keep a low profile, and First Light’s disguise and impersonation mechanics let you do just that when the situation demands. You could don a parka to fool mercenaries into thinking you’re one of them, or perhaps don some formal attire at fancy parties if you’re hunting a target that’s going to be there.
Blending in until you’re ready to be seen is a valid tactic in this one, and those of you who use it are in for a lot of fun.
7. Use Your Instinct Well
Every trained agent knows to trust their gut in less-than-ideal situations, and First Light understands that quite well. Your Instinct meter is a limited resource for a reason, and we recommend you get in the habit of using it at the right moments. It lets you bring guards to you for some silent takedowns, which in turn let you refill a bit of what you’ve used. It’s also handy when you’re trying to alleviate an NPCs suspicions, and can even let you enter a sort of bullet time mode in a pinch.
Use it wisely, and you’re going to find that no mission is beyond your budding skills as an elite operative.
8. Tell A Few Fibs
First Light’s going to put you in quite a few situations where the truth becomes a spectrum, and all you have to do is make NPCs decide that you’re definitely on it. How do you manage that? By lying, of course. Don’t be afraid to use a few well-placed bluffs to make NPCs believe that you belong in an area that you’re otherwise not supposed to be in.
Lies and the social stealth mechanic are a crucial part of the experience on offer, and learning to use them as effectively as you can is key to your success.
9. Maintain Steady Nerves
If your lies fail, or your stealthy approach gets ruined by an eagle-eyed enemy, there’s absolutely no need to panic no matter how much the game tries to get you to. Just know that the game merely shifts you into a combat state that you can then clear away by using your guns or some well-placed melee hits. You’ll know you’re in the clear when the game’s UI tells you that the situation is contained and you can go right back to blending in and taking things slowly – and quietly.
Remember, unlike Hitman, failing at stealth is only a stepping stone to succeeding in combat.
10. Get Comfortable Fighting Up Close
While stealth and infiltration are great, we were surprised by how well you can use the game’s melee system to get up close and personal with your enemies. However, things can get quite hard if you don’t get used to parrying attacks and using takedowns to strategically remove pesky opponents from a fight. You have a ton of options to seamlessly switch between, and familiarising yourself with them all is going to hold you in good stead for the entirety of the adventure.
The bad guys in First Light tend to try and take you on in packs, and you’re going to have to be better at the deadly dance that is melee combat to be the last one standing. All that’s left, then, is to straighten out your suit and continue with the mission once you’re done.
11. Pay Attention To Your Surroundings
More often than not, you’re going to have something close at hand that you can use to get the drop on a particularly troublesome opponent in the event that you get into a fight. Is there an enemy giving you a lot of trouble next to a wall? Use it to knock them out with one smooth move. See a device that you can hack on the fly to take a foe or two down? Go for it. See a source of light you can overload to temporarily rob your enemies of their eyesight? Hell yeah.
Bond is known to improvise, and there’s no reason for you not to if you find yourself in a pinch.
12. Try To Save Lives Instead Of Ending Them
All that talk about taking enemies down might have you thinking that a younger, more reckless Bond might play hard and fast with the rules of his job. However, your License to Kill isn’t permission to do so indiscriminately. Bond’s always been known to dislike needless slaughter, and that hasn’t changed in the slightest.
Indeed, it’s an entire mechanic that’s been built around killing only when necessary, and you’ll need to be cognizant of that at all times.
13. Know When Your Licence To Kill Activates
Building on our last tip, your Licence to Kill kicks in only when your enemies escalate the situation by trying to use lethal force against you. You’re going to want to take every step you can to prevent things from going that far unless you’re feeling particularly bloodthirsty, or perhaps facing a frustrating mission and just want to cut loose for a bit. The options are there, but they’re often the cause of the least desirable outcomes.
However, such situations are opportunities to show off Bond’s unrivaled marksmanship. It’s quite the temptation but we’d still recommend using your guns only as a last resort in most situations if only to ensure you’re getting the best of everything else that’s on offer in First Light.
14. Try To End Fights ASAP
If you’re in a fight, we highly recommend doing everything you can to end it before one of your opponents gets the bright idea to pull out a firearm. They do that if you give them enough time to react to the lethal force that is you, and dodging bullets can get quite irksome when you have other enemies who are just begging for a few concussions and broken bones.
Ending fights before guns are drawn is also a great way to ensure that you still retain control of a situation, which might not be the case if enemies in an area hear gunshots and decide to investigate.
15. Your Gadgets Are As Important As Everything Else
We’re surprised it took us this long to get to an important part of Bond’s metaphorical utility belt. Of course he brings a variety of nifty gadgets to the table. It wouldn’t be a Bond game if he didn’t now, would it? But you must remember that while they may seem like their use cases are fairly limited, they’re actually only restricted by how creatively you choose to use them.
It’s a good idea to do a bit of testing when you unlock new ones, and see how you could try to weave them into your stealth, combat, and even infiltrations. Experimentation is a great way to find cool ways to stay ahead of those who would see you brought down in First Light, and it’s also the perfect way to play a version of Bond who’s still learning the ropes in our opinion.
16. See Things Through A Different (Q)-Lens
Speaking of gadgets, one of the most useful ones we think you should make a beeline for is the Q-lens. Think of it as Bond’s own Eagle Vision as it lets you identify enemy locations even through walls, and identify devices for you to hack when you’re out and about in the field.
This ties in well with our advice about reading a room when you enter it, and the Q-Lens is going to help you identify useful stuff a lot faster than just using your boring old eyes. Pfft, that’s so yesterday, and Bond’s all about using the latest and greatest tech to his advantage.
17. Multipurpose Gadgets
While there are a ton of these for you to find, we’re averse to spoiling any of them for you. We’re going to restrict ourselves to talking about one that shoots off a laser that you can use in many ways. In stealth, you could use it to sever ropes holding heavy objects in place, letting the resulting crash act as a distraction. In combat, you could use it to disorient an enemy and open them up for a brutal Bond beatdown. You could also use it to fry locks of doors in case there’s one you need to get past in a hurry.
The possibilities are quite expansive, and they get even more so once you collect a few of these nifty tools and bring them with you on missions.
18. Use Boss Arenas To Your Advantage
Remember when we said that you should always be on the lookout for ways to turn the environment against your opponents. That’s especially true in the game’s boss fights, as they’re invariably difficult foes who you must counter by being as versatile as you can. Bond’s tenacity against opponents who rival his own skill is a hallmark of his success over the years, and First Light cleverly encourages you to showcase that trait.
There are even a few fights that are perfect examples of all the advice we gave you regarding your gadgets, so be prepared to use them, and any environmental traps you see, as extensively and efficiently as you can.
19. Sustain Your Momentum
Of course Bond’s going to be the catalyst for some high-octane set-pieces where a methodical approach becomes out of the question, and you’re going to have to pull off some fancy stunts to achieve your objectives. They’re a part and parcel of life as an MI6 agent, and of course, they’re inevitable if the agent in question comes with the 007 moniker.
Try to keep moving during chase sequences or set-pieces, as stopping often means failure. You should always aim to stay on the move, reacting to situations as they unfold instead of trying to stop and get your bearings. It’s what sets Bond apart from the rest, after all.
20. Practice Makes Perfect
Dr. Selina Tan’s Tactical Simulation VR chamber might not seem like a big deal on the surface, but it’s a great place to go if you feel you need to further hone your skills. You get to select missions and slap on some unique challenges geared towards helping you improve gameplay in specific areas. It’s also a great way to test out new gadgets and find ways to use them to your advantage.
Of course, it goes without saying that those simulations are a great way to come to grips with the melee combat and gunplay systems too. You should make it a habit to head there for some good old-fashioned practice from time to time if you want to be as stylish as you can be when you travel the globe on missions.
And that’s a wrap on all the stuff you need to keep in mind before you dive into the early days of the legend that is James Bond in 007 First Light. It might seem like a lot to take in, but that’s only because IO has given you all the tools you need to be a version of Bond that calls to you. It’s up to you to make the most of them in an adventure that we’re quite eager to tell you more about.
Polish your guns and get a few stretches in as you wait for this one to drop, and know that we’re going to prowling its many levels right alongside you!