IO Interactive has spoken at length about not only capturing the essence of James Bond in 007 First Light, but also that of younger, pre-00 agent. It offers multiple options to try and let players discover the joy in them working, but it wasn’t just a matter of translating Hitman’s sandbox tactics over.
As head writer Michael Vogt states in the latest episode of “Beyond the Light,” the development team wants players to have agency but also needs them to “feel like Bond” all the time. “In Hitman, you are kind of able to go spectacularly out of character at any given moment, but you can’t really do that with Bond. That feels wrong. He’s too established.”
Thus, instead of presenting different branching choices, it’s challenging players to improvise instead. “So, your Bond can be more of a brawler, or he can be clever and talk his way out of situations, or he can stealth around and use gadgets. Those are all valid choices,” says Vogt.
“So, we use choice as a way for players to feel clever and to think on their feet like a proper 00 agent, but without ever actually breaking character.”
That lack of branching also extends to conversations with other characters. There’s always going to be one mandatory option, but you can still explore other options and learn more about the world. “So it’s about how interested you are in this world, in this situation and characters. Part of the creative approach is also eavesdropping, especially in a social arena.
“There are a lot of similarities we did in Hitman where you have to listen in on conversations to obtain hints and unlock opportunities to solve a certain objective along the way.” As you’re exploring the environment and looking for ways to bypass an obstacle, you may meet other characters and thus expand your worldview. Rinse and repeat.
Since you’ll have the opportunity to replay missions with “additional modifiers,” it’s also great way to familiarize yourself with the mission before taking on more challenges. IO Interactive has yet to really dive into those modifiers or how they’ll work, so stay tuned for more details ahead of 007 First Light’s launch on May 27th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.