With less than an hour before early access is available, critical reviews have gone live for IO Interactive’s 007 First Light. According to Metacritic, the PS5 version currently has an 88 Metascore based on 51 reviews. The PC version is also sitting at a comfortable 87 Metascore based on 24 reviews. Expect both of these to fluctuate as more impressions roll in.
However, thus far, critics have praised the presentation, writing and gameplay. Above all else, they’re impressed with how well First Light captures the iconic superspy. Calling it potentially the “best James Bond game ever,” VGC said, “The way IOI has translated the Bond fantasy into a 14-hour globetrotting epic is masterful. It’s a game full of spectacle, humour, action, and romance. Everything James Bond should be.”
The Guardian is similarly glowing, stating that, “Very few fans get to play in the sandbox of their obsession like IO has here. As far as Bond video games go, nobody has done it better.”
Eurogamer was slightly less effusive with its praise. “First Light isn’t the Bond game that I wanted from IO Interactive.” Nevertheless, it still had a “great time” and says “IO has proved it was the right studio to handle the license, albeit for different reasons than I expected.” There’s a sentiment that Amazon, which owns the James Bond license, wouldn’t be remiss in letting the studio handle the franchise’s gaming side going forward.
Much of this matches the glowing praise of pre-launch previews. The response to the opening 13 minutes of gameplay, which follows Bond before he joins MI6, has also been positive, and at this point, it feels like IO Interactive is set up for success.
007 First Light launches today for Deluxe Edition owners at 7 AM PDT on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Those who pre-ordered the Standard Edition will receive a free upgrade and access. Otherwise, the spy thriller goes live on May 27th at the same time for everyone else.
