While First Light might manage to change that for the current generation of gaming hardware, there’s another Bond game from back in the day that immediately comes to mind when we think of titles that made us feel like we were MI6’s apex predator.

If you guessed Everything or Nothing, pat yourself on the back. It’s a game we absolutely loved back in the day, and is one we’d be down to play if you ever brought it up in a conversation. But why is that? What makes this one so special? We’re happy to tell you all about it, so let’s jump right in.

Being Bond

Where other experiences could often feel like licensed Bond video games, Everything or Nothing took a different route: it made you feel like you were in a playable Bond film. The man’s always been a jack of all trades, and has even become a master at many of them. That’s a distinction that other titles before this one failed to capture, doubling down on one aspect of an expansive skill set over all others, or trying to implement them only to bite off more than they could chew.

But in Everything or Nothing, you get to do everything Bond can do, and do it quite well as you begin to find your footing controls-wise, and learn more about enemy patterns and how to exploit them. Perhaps you decided to save your bullets for later, and take on your enemies the old fashioned way? Good for you, the melee system was fairly good, and you could always try to catch lone guards unawares. You could decide to try taking them all out stealthily on a whim, before a mistake derailed that plan, and your guns and gadgets came into play.

You could decide that your gadgets were your best tools in the field, bestowed upon you by Q himself and in the flesh this time. That cleverly wove in a sort of continuity with the films of the time while remaining a separate story with a seasoned hand behind its writing. That was a viable approach but with the game’s mission design and levels being the way they were, unpredictability underlined your time out in the field, and you were presented with action that was as cinematic as the tech of the time could manage.

It was an experience that felt unique, with fresh camera angles and a new POV to play with, all of which were backed up by a level of polish and the notion that the developers had as much fun making it as we had playing it. It felt like it was made for fans by fans, and that’s always a recipe for great entertainment in our book.

But of course, great presentation, visual polish, and narrative framing all work only if there’s a gameplay loop that can sustain them all throughout the experience.

Locked And Loaded

All of the great stuff we’ve talked about so far would have been for naught if the gameplay wasn’t up to par with the game’s world-building and excellent characterization of Bond. Everything or Nothing, however, managed to make playing as Bond feel like a power trip without making him feel invincible. That’s a balance that could be hard to achieve even for the best of games, and it’s especially praise-worthy considering how iconic the character it was trying to tackle already was.

Bond’s entire skill-set was at your disposal, but this one did well to take him all over the globe, and into various situations where he wasn’t going to succeed with just his guns and fists. You’d spend a fair bit of time in a gunfight before finding yourself in a very well-implemented sequence where you picked a vehicle and rolled with it. Another switch would have you trying to infiltrate areas as quietly as you could for an important objective.

Everything or Nothing paid homage to the films that inspired it by mimicking Bond’s penchant for improvisation, and how those moments of inspiration often let to set-pieces and spectacle before he returned to the shadows and hunted his prey from there. You had to be the best, your tenacity to adapt to a situation matching Bond’s own ability to shift from planned warfare to improvisational chaos, all executed with precision in the interest of his goals.

This was a game that took you from one Bond fantasy or another, carrying you away on a story that was exceptionally on-brand, and quite riveting to experience. It was exciting and brought excellent pacing on the narrative front, and enough variation in its gameplay to keep it that way throughout its runtime. Of course, its multiplayer options gave it a fairly long shelf life too, for those players who enjoyed it.

And the level of polish it brought to the table made it so immersive, it became almost as legendary as the man himself.

Shock and Awe

We’re now at the point where Everything or Nothing bridged the gap between the experience it had to offer, and the media that inspired the effort. Games that tried to emulate the movies with varying levels of success were already around (remember GoldenEye?). Exciting gameplay and a solid story are great and all, but it’s in how they were presented to us as players that made the game stand out.

Great graphics were backed up by scenes written to utilize them, and the set-pieces you played through brought the gameplay variety on offer to a crescendo, often requiring you to flit between guns, gadgets, and your skills in ways that showed just how well it understood the character and how his adventures often unfold. It was a sublime balance of great pacing, with scenes that used their locations to create unique dangers and challenges, improvisation using all the tools in your arsenal to respond to threats, and dealing with sudden escalations that were designed for adrenaline rushes.

Spectacle and set-pieces were made even better by a level of polish that we found very impressive. It brought the entire experience together, making it akin to what a Hollywood production looked like at the time. It was hard to tell whether Everything or Nothing was a video game or one insane interactive film with Bond in the leading role.

It wasn’t all perfect, though, with the game’s camera being somewhat limited, while some mission designs felt a tad dated. A recurring annoyance was the cover system that would get finicky and have us on the backfoot in intense fights from time to time. We’d also say that combat could feel rather simple once you understood how to operate with precision against your enemies. That would make the ranking system feel like it worked too well in your favor, which further simplified combat.

And yet, when those complaints could also lead to awesome moments and great memories, we found ourselves learning to live with them for a greater good, in a title that has remained among our favorite Bond experiences. Of course, we’re quite curious to see if First Light has paid attention to what’s great about this one, and how it could utilize those aspects in a way that elevates what it’s trying to do with the character.

The version of Bond we play in Everything or Nothing isn’t the one we’re seeing in First Light, and the upcoming exploration of his early days needs to take an insightful look at what that could mean, and craft ways to showcase his inexperience in the field. This is a take on Bond where he’s potentially more vulnerable, and weaving that into the usual charm and charisma that the character brings could lead to some great moments in the new game.

Of course, First Light choose an entirely different direction for the character, but the fundamentals of presenting everything we know and love about Bond in ways that feel faithful to the character are important. There’s a need for a balance between familiarity and freshness in any Bond-focused video game, but we will say that what we’ve been seeing so far has been pretty impressive indeed. It needs to let its gameplay and narrative framing wrap around the feeling of being Bond on the road to becoming a legend, just as Everything or Nothing designed itself on presenting him at his peak.

And that’s probably this title’s biggest strength. It wasn’t great because Bond could do cool stuff in it. That was something so many other titles had already managed with varying results. It was great because it uses all that cool stuff to make you feel like you’re Bond himself.

Everything or Nothing took the effort to make its players not just play as Bond, but to actually feel like him as they went gallivanting around the globe on missions. And that made all the difference.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

007 First Light’s approach to gadgets is to keep them grounded to ensure they feel practical, but bring fun and replayability too. From the gadgets revealed so far, it’s seems IO Interactive is providing a broad suite of tools and abilities to fit individual playstyles, but they’re so utterly, cinematically Bond that they couldn’t be used in the hands of anyone else (not even IOI’s “other” international assassin). With a need to manage resources in loadouts of up to four items, the idea that the studio is pushing for multiple playstyles gains traction. These aren’t infinite-use “Get Out of Jail Free” cards, but tangible tools which shape gameplay in meaningful ways. So now, let’s break down every gadget revealed so far.

Starting with the Omega Seamaster Watch – the Q-Watch. This is Bond’s nucleus from which almost everything else grows. Its face integrates into the HUD, seen in the bottom left. Its UI is surrounded by a compass which re-orientates in-line with Bond’s movement. It’ll indicate the direction to the next objective, whilst inside the face there’s a restricted area warning plus icons for battery and chemical charge. These latter two are integral to the rate at which you can use Bond’s gadgets, as every item in his toolkit consumes one of either energy source.

For every mission, you’ll need to consider your loadout, understand the rate at which gadgets use resources, and look to replenish charge by scavenging, converting found objects, or looting incapacitated enemies. It proposes a constant push-pull between utility and sustainability – do you prioritise quick destruction, or lean into patient subterfuge?

Underlining the Q-Watch as First Light’s systemic core are its various sub-functions. The Laser can be used for environmental destruction or to stun enemies by aiming it squarely at their eyes. Using battery charge, in official gameplay the Laser is shown to cut down a chandelier and incapacitate a guard long enough for Bond to rough him up with ease.

The Q-Watch is also a battery powered hacking device, used primarily to create distractions by remotely triggering electrical equipment. However, disabling security cameras and releasing locked doors are within its capability too. Now, these sort of remote triggers don’t immediately conjure thoughts of futuristic science fiction, but the Q-Lens, which the watch’s hacking ability relies on, brings clear influence from sci-fi and cyberpunk fiction. See, Q-Lens is an environmental scanner, cloaking spaces in digital blue wireframe, locating hackable devices while also highlighting enemies through walls or smokescreens.

In one of the gameplay reveal’s particularly outlandish sequences, Bond even uses the Q-Watch to access the flight control system of a moving aircraft, albeit via a scripted encounter, with the jet’s banking control transferring to you. This suggests that the Q-Watch could be useful for hacking into a range of weapons, machinery, and vehicles for Bond to improvise mayhem, but there’s no confirmation yet that this will be a prominent mechanic throughout. Here’s hoping.

Now, a lot has been made of 007 First Light encouraging various playstyles. You can enter a scene with guns blazing, take a stealthier approach, or combine the two. If you’re looking to sneak by undetected, well, there are a handful of gadgets that will assist you. The Poison Dart Phone, for instance, uses chemical charge to shoot an immobilising projectile, causing targets to feel uncontrollably sick. This tool is useful for removing guards from posts, but it also gives Bond a chance to lift keycards out of an unwell officer’s back pocket.

The Modified Earbuds are Bond’s primary line of communication with mission control, but they’re shown to be a nifty eavesdropping device too, enabling you to lift key information out of unsuspecting NPC conversations without having to break cover. Some outlets are reporting that the Earbuds can also emit a blinding light; if so, this replicates one of the laser’s functions, which doesn’t align with each of the other gadgets’ distinctive designs, so we’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, the Poison Dart Phone and the Modified Earbuds position Bond as an overseeing manipulator rather than a brute-force agent.

He does, however, bring a handful of tools that are more combat-ready too. The chemical charge consuming Smoke Pods are an item you’ve likely handled in games before. They’ll engulf surroundings in opaque fog, giving you opportunity to move through the space cleanly, take down disorientated enemies, or slip by undetected. Bringing an idea in from experience, you might find use for Smoke Pods as an escape and evasion device if things get overwhelming too. And, missible in preview footage, is the Flash Mine, a throwable sticky bomb that can be remotely detonated. This, alongside the Smoke Pods, are options that can help when things go wrong, or, instead, when you want carnage to erupt.

Not everything shown in 007 First Light’s footage comes with a clear explanation, and some of the most intriguing gadgets sit outside of what’s been formally detailed. Chief among them is a Leica-branded camera which is speculated to function as a Shockwave Camera. We see this item in Bond’s loadout during infiltration footage, but he never reveals its capability. The naming suggests some kind of concussive, crowd control function, giving Bond an alternative way of dealing with clustered enemies.

Equally curious is a handgun fitted with illuminated cartridges. Whether these indicate specialised ammunition types, tracking capabilities, or is simply there to provide visual flourish remains to be seen. Then there are the smaller, most grounded of 007’s tools – his lighter and pen. Whilst easy to overlook, the former has already been deployed during that same infiltration mission to ignite a distracting fire. Even through simple items, it seems, you’ll have plenty of scope to improvise.

Behind every gadget in 007 First Light is Q-Branch, and the game leans into Bond’s relationship with his Quartermaster heavily. See, Q here isn’t just a narrative plughole, but through mentorship he becomes the architect of Bond’s toolkit, and, presumably, his rise through MI6’s ranks. With new character Dr Tan assisting on the TAC-SIM side of operations, together they position gadgets as modular tools to be mixed, matched, and refined.

And, what is Bond fiction without a showroom of overpowered vehicles? First Light’s confirmed lineup spans a wide-range of styles and eras, from the cutting-edge Aston Martin Valhalla to the classic 1970 Aston Martin DBS, seen in yellow silhouette careening down a mountainside in the gameplay reveal. There is also the more contemporary Aston Martin DBS alongside a Jaguar XJ which Bond uses during a stint as an undercover chauffeur.

Cars are ordinarily an extension of Bond’s gadgetry, and whilst details are relatively light on exactly what high-tech gizmos Q will be loading into the game’s vehicles we do see a little taste of what’s possible through the brief glimpse of a flamethrowing rocket mounted to the back of a Triumph TF 250-X motocross dirt bike. Bond fiction always blurs the lines between transport and weaponry, so we’ve some high expectations here.

From what we’ve seen, to what we can only speculate on, the key idea here is that 007 First Light’s gadgets are not gimmicks but systems-driven tools, emphasising your choices, encouraging emergent gameplay, and perhaps supporting extensive replayability. Will more gadgets be revealed before launch? Who knows. But, the potential for creative problem-solving through the items revealed so far is undeniable.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

See, its end-of-May window comes just after some of the month’s biggest releases, but before July’s heavy hitters, with June strangely vacant of competing titles, Gothic 1 Remake aside. In other words, First Light finds itself in a potentially powerful gap.

It’s also arriving at a time when big budget, single player narratives seem to be at a crossroads, particularly as platform holders reassess where experiences of this ilk deliver the most value. Then, against this backdrop, 007 himself is under the microscope, where meta-discussion on which actor will portray the next Bond is feverishly growing now Amazon MGM Studios has officially begun casting for the next movie. And, looping this back to the game, First Light’s own Bond actor is generating discussion for how he’s characterising young 007’s persona.

However, all these factors aren’t blurring First Light’s trajectory, but instead they’re focusing its landing, giving it a chance to cut through meaningfully beyond its set-in-stone release date. If it does land well, a relatively quiet early Summer won’t be the only factor: competition is varied, players are more receptive than usual to story-driven blockbusters, and – away from games – Bond’s future is squarely in the crosshairs.

Still, there’s no denying the final weeks of May are packed. Forza Horizon 6 arrived 19th May to rapturous reception, followed closely by LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight which, judging by numerous reviews, is poised to realise the franchise’s strongest ambition to date. 007 First Light launches May 27th, making three high-profile releases within just over a week. But volume doesn’t necessarily mean direct competition.

See, in Forza Horizon 6’s case, the open world arcade racer occupies its own lane; a sprawling motorsport festival with a broad, systems-heavy appeal. LEGO Batman, meanwhile, leans into family-friendly design, co-operative play, and the enduring pull of superhero fiction. Both are significant, but neither overlaps meaningfully with First Light’s offering.

And, overlap is the key word here. Modern release calendars are less about avoiding competing titles entirely, but minimising overlap. Publishers would rather avoid fighting with other titles for limited headspace. Just look at the countless end-of-year reshuffles that are making room for Grand Theft Auto VI’s unstoppable juggernaut.

In this sense, 007 First Light isn’t so much entering a crowded battlefield, but carving a space of its own. The question, then, doesn’t ask if late-May is too busy, but whether 007’s first game in more than a decade can capitalise on being the only major title set to deliver a specific, narrative-focused, character-driven experience.

And once it’s out, as we’ve already alluded, June looks relatively light on competitors too. So, if it reviews well, its clips drive social media engagement, and online discussion remains positive, then the lead-in to July could become First Light’s exclusive runway. It’ll steadily grow its presence before its first credible competitor in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced emerges on July 9th.

The only potential spanner in the works is Summer Game Fest, which is set to flood your timeline with new announcements, world premieres, and updates for upcoming titles from June 5th onwards, diverting attention away from 007 First Light. But, while the industry continues to look ahead – perennially as it does – First Light has immediacy. It’s playable now, whereas all those future titles showcased in Summer Game Fest are not.

And, again, if First Light lands well and retains attention, by the time Summer Game Fest rolls around the game should have addressed one of its main misconceptions. See, despite what the online discourse says, 007 First Light is not Hitman re-skinned as James Bond. IO Interactive has worked diligently to ensure the experiences feel distinct from each other, in pacing, structure, and tone alike.

First Light is a linear experience which approaches, at times, on-rails design, where exploratory sections lead measuredly into explosive set pieces. It’s as far removed from Agent 47’s all-you-can-eat murder buffet as IO Interactive could muster, putting the game in similar territory to Uncharted, albeit with broader options for different playstyles than Naughty Dog’s action-adventure series. At a time when narrative-heavy, single player games are at a crossroads, this distinction matters more than you think.

See, while Sony reportedly rethinks the PS5-to-PC pipeline, citing single player exclusives as driving hardware sales, 007 First Light – as a ‘prestige’ single player third-party game – has an even greater chance to stand out. As strategies consistently fluctuate, and product confidence ebbs and flows, First Light isn’t just releasing at a time where overlap with other titles is diminished, but potentially during an identity gap in the AAA single player space.

And another strong differentiator is Patrick Gibson himself as Bond. While reactions to his version of Bond haven’t been unanimously positive, to put it mildly, with a smug, unearned confidence overshadowing his portrayal, IO Interactive, instead, claim his divisive, sometimes abrasive characterisation is deliberate.

Don’t forget, First Light’s Bond is young and reckless. He’s not yet jaded by countless hard years working as the stoic spy we know from the movies. IO Interactive’s stance is that any division Patrick Gibson’s portrayal generates is good. Their rationale: playing it safe isn’t memorable. And, their point of view mirrors the game itself, alongside the industry at large. It’s not Hitman. It’s not a traditional Bond. 007 First Light is taking risks to ensure it’s unforgettable.

And, IO Interactive’s quiet confidence is underlined by the game reaching gold status early, a surefire sign that First Light is well-placed to hit the ground running with minimal hiccups. In an era where broken launches and post-release fixes are the norm, confirmation that development is complete and the game is ready to ship should transfer some of the studio’s confidence onto you, the player. See, studios don’t always get the luxury of extra polishing time before release, but when they do, and when gold status arrives early, it’s a sign of internal stability.

Taken alongside its distinct direction, narrative-led design, and divisive take on Bond, going gold represents a broader impression: this is a game that knows what it wants to be, made by a studio that isn’t afraid to stand by it.

So, to sum up: 007 First Light isn’t launching into an empty window. However, it may not need to. Tailing a crowded, yet segmented, May but preceding a surprisingly open June, and a July that arrives just late enough, the game has genuine opportunity to establish itself before conversation shifts elsewhere, presuming it keeps its head afloat during Summer Game Fest.

More importantly, its potential doesn’t rest on calendar timing alone. No, 007 First Light showcases a deliberately divergent identity, with IO Interactive even embracing the divisive reaction to its take on Bond. At a time when big-budget single player games are in another state of transition, IO Interactive could yet prove that playing it safe is what invites your own death knell after all. Being brave and fully committing to potentially abrasive design decisions are, perhaps, the open secrets to success which more studios should follow.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, modern Tomb Raider, perhaps even elements of Ghost of Yōtei aside, there’s an entire style of tightly choreographed, cinematic AAA adventure that’s becoming increasingly rare in Uncharted 4’s wake. Have swashbuckling, globetrotting action-adventures had their day? Is there still enough appetite for a charismatic character-driven narrative comparable to Nathan Drake’s exploits?

Look – 007 First Light is not the same as Uncharted, but if you’ve been waiting for a game to deliver the same feeling – like you’re playing a movie – then IO Interactive’s upcoming James Bond origin story might scratch that specific itch. It’s hardly Nathan Drake’s return, but 007 First Light could be the closest thing to his kind of blockbuster adventure in a decade.

But first, if we’re assessing similarities between both titles we must address a common misconception: in Uncharted, you hunt for treasure, whilst as Bond, you’re engaging in international espionage. Both operate in cinematic, third-person, action frameworks, with cover shooting, scripted chaos, and spectacle at the core of each experience. Yet, it’s important to note that ‘treasure hunting’ and ‘spying’ are surface-level aesthetics. The underlying design is what matters here. In other words, the Uncharted series and 007 First Light present different fantasies, but underneath is the same structural DNA.

One of Uncharted’s great strengths, and an aspect Naughty Dog all-but perfected by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, is a consistent sense of forward motion. Exploratory segments often felt like escalation, like a puzzle being carefully put in place purely to blast into smithereens once the next awe-striking set-piece arrives. Now, given IO Interactive’s pedigree, 007 First Light is gathering undue comparisons to Hitman. Whilst Agent 47’s methodical observation, social stealth, and professional improvisation are visible touchstones in 007 First Light, the emphasis is very much on momentum-first design, putting its pacing in league with Uncharted. By bluffing past guards, or deploying gadgets designed for escape and evasion, Bond’s toolset is ample enough to forge through any situation that would otherwise force a restart in Hitman.

And then we have the protagonists themselves. Both Drake and First Light’s version of Bond are charming, steadfast, and occasionally reckless. Drake’s experienced but he’s fallible, whereas 007, in this origin story, is young, not fully formed, and still honing his craft as MI6’s blunt instrument. If there’s a question, it’s this: does he feel like Bond to play? At his juvenile age, his charisma certainly seems less earned. But is he, perhaps, closer to Drake than the developers intended? For sure, his over-confident persona brings 007 First Light’s emotional tone closer to Uncharted, whether that’s intended or not. He’s not a literal Drake with a taste for Aston Martins, but his design veers into a space Uncharted helped define.

So, if the characterisation in both games’ protagonist has overlap, 007 First Light appears to be chasing a similar energy in its set-pieces too. See, this is a huge part of what made the Uncharted series so memorable: how carefully the action was staged. Whether it was a collapsing building, a convoy chase, or a desperate last-second escape, these moments were tightly curated for maximum impact. You maintained control throughout, of course, but the spectacle itself was always guided by cinematic precision.

007 First Light features the same high-intensity set-pieces: vehicle chases, shootouts, explosions, and dramatic encounters. But, unlike Uncharted’s on-rails approach, 007 First Light frequently opens these scenarios up, giving you more agency in how they unfold.

This, contrary to our earlier point, is where a semblance of Hitman DNA begins to show. Instead of simply reacting to spectacle, 007 First Light invites you to shape it. Encounters can be approached through stealth, direct combat, social manipulation, or a blend of all three. Even in those moments where the game leads you to a shooting gallery, it doesn’t insist on taking control away from you. It leans into Uncharted’s style of cinematic framing, sure, but its authored sequences frequently mix in open-ended, pressure-driven problem solving. If Uncharted made you experience its spectacle like you’re inside of a movie, 007 First Light, by contrast, seems able to give you a hand in directing it.

Of course, blending authored set pieces and player-driven actions isn’t easy to pull off. Delivering tightly choreographed spectacle in the style of Uncharted is one thing, layering meaningful choice on top without diluting the experience is another, and this is a challenge facing 007 First Light. IO Interactive has already proven themselves through Hitman’s systemic design, but translating those ideas into a more linear, cinematic framework is a fresh test.

There’s a balance the studio is aiming to achieve: structure without lost freedom; openness that maintains pace. In this sense, 007 First Light feels like it could be an experiment in where cinematic AAA design is heading. Games like Uncharted lean heavily on direction, whereas systemic games like Hitman prioritise player expression. Rarely have the two designs intertwined at this scale. If 007 First Light succeeds, it could signal a shift in how Hollywood-style action games are presented in the future.

And yet, for all the similarities between 007 First Light and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Bond’s upcoming adventure – as alluded to already – ultimately distinguishes itself through the fantasy it’s striving to portray. See, Nathan Drake often embodies a chaotic, luck-driven anti-hero, whilst young Bond leans towards control, precision, and restraint.

Design-wise, you’ll see this difference in how combat encounters unfold. For Bond, with a license to kill which activates once opponents unholster their weapons, violence is more reactive than initiated (Hitman’s reactive DNA again, perhaps). Whilst early impressions indicate that most enemies will open fire despite only light provocation, it’s still a notable contrast to Uncharted’s occasionally dissonant approach, where Drake’s charm sits uneasily alongside the sheer volume of assailants he ruthlessly cuts through. 007 First Light’s encounter design shows shades of the Batman: Arkham series’ controlled flow – a game IO Interactive has cited as influencing the game’s combat – meaning the decision on whether to act or de-escalate hinges on you.

The result is a different, more calculated power fantasy, and this distinction is quite important. Regardless on where your opinion ultimately lands, managing your expectations – as always – is pivotal to getting the most out of 007 First Light. Yes, we’ve proposed numerous similarities by highlighting the emotional comparisons in both games, but 007 First Light is more of a hybrid experience; not fully linear nor purely scripted, but nonetheless indebted to that design philosophy.

With no new Uncharted game on the horizon, there is space for a successor to move in. If the industry has indeed moved away from this kind of game – like we speculated at the start of this feature – 007 First Light suggests, instead, that a few simple evolutions are all that’s required for cinematic, character-driven games to reclaim lost territory. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End defined a genre, but 007 First Light might just show what that genre looks like after a ten-year hiatus.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

But wait: it isn’t like the base game, insists the developer, despite featuring so many of the same weapons, tools and even some similar enemy types. That said, any fan of the original will tell you it’s about more than the sheer array of available content or the twerking Dwarves. Tweak a handful of factors, and you change the vibe into something else entirely (and potentially less agreeable).

The premise involves Hoxxes, a planet laden with precious Expenite that’s suddenly gone dark. After several failed attempts to take back its core, DRG decides to send in the Reclaimers, a crack squad of operatives who succeed at any cost. Or, as is usually the case, die, die, and die again until the enemy buckles under the attrition (or dies of boredom).

"When you’re playing solo, it even throws in some upgrades for ELIS, your little floating droid companion that provides cover fire. But in co-op, the game will randomly assign the pick order. This is where the rogue-lite structure meets co-op in annoying ways."

You have five classes to choose from, from the Falconeer, who can deploy a drone that automatically seeks out enemies and creates a barrier granting electric damage to those within, to the Slicer, who focuses on melee damage with his Plasma Blade while dashing around. Then you have wildcards like the Retcon, who can be kind and rewind to negate incoming damage (and then convert it to Rage to hit twice as hard for a period of time).

But aside from their kits and unlockable enhancements, which serve as equippable modules, like more health, increased carrying capacity, and so on, they don’t have weapons or ability upgrades to start with. Instead, you need to unlock supply caches before each run, selecting from one of three available choices, or hunt down Bio Boosters and choose one of two ability modifiers. Workbenches require locating toolkits and then selecting one of two upgrades for a weapon, equipping something else entirely – either as a backup or replacement – or further enhancing your own ability. Improving your Clearance Level will unlock additional stations for grenades and other tools.

Further to the procedurally generated levels – they’re less like the sandboxes of the base game, offering more structure and notable points of interest. Can you mine and drill in any direction? Sure, but the rallying cry of rock and stone is often more focused. Some liberal note-taking from its predecessor results in side objectives like scanning a dig site for nodes, then digging through every surface to find and deposit the ores. The Pickaxe is also essential for mining Expenite, which can be deposited into the REPD to unlock character upgrades, from flaming steps to more armor and improved ability recharge depending on damage dealt.

When you’re playing solo, it even throws in some upgrades for ELIS, your little floating droid companion that provides cover fire. But in co-op, the game will randomly assign the pick order. This is where the rogue-lite structure meets co-op in annoying ways. Any general upgrade could work for the Falconeer – play as the Slicer, however, and seeing teammates take any of the melee-focused perks can be a downer. Sure, you can tell them what you’d prefer, but that doesn’t mean they have to listen to you.

"You won’t truly know a rogue-lite without spending enough time with it – like a mineshaft, ironically enough – but just after a few hours, it’s clear that Ghost Ship Games has to dig deeper."

Furthermore, everyone needs to be present within the little circle around the REPD to receive their upgrade. What if they split up, covering more ground because that’s the most optimal strategy to net all the different upgrades (and one of the pitfalls of solo play)? Or if someone just spawned in? Have fun waiting for them, or drop whatever you’re doing and meet them en route to summon the REPD. You can – and most likely will – just keep depositing Expenite until you’re all forced together, likely at the next lift to receive your upgrades. While I appreciate how this creates friction, it’s already annoying enough when it comes to build-crafting. I don’t need the added element of trying to herd my team together.

“Well, it’s a co-op game, so what do you expect?” Remember how I mentioned that everyone splitting up is the most optimal strategy? That’s because there’s a timer. Think Risk of Rain-style, where the level becomes more challenging in terms of enemy spawns as you go along. Hit the red, and it’s a never-ending onslaught with only so much healing and armor to go around. On the one hand, I kind of like this because it encourages actually understanding the map and marking things for your teammates rather than mucking around; mastering the traversal tools and knowing whether that Expenite on the ceiling is worth the trouble.

However, it’s certainly more stressful, especially if you’re used to exploring at your own pace, Deep Rock Galactic veteran or not. The increased difficulty floor also makes solo play much more difficult because you’re forced to make tougher choices about what to prioritize (or, at the very least, dying repeatedly until you master the overall flow).

Each run comprises different floors, and you can choose a modifier for the next, either making the Corehead Creepers deal tons of melee damage in exchange for different rewards. You can spawn tons more Barnacle-like enemies that can ensnare and damage you unless rescued by a friend. Keeping all this in mind before eventually going toe-to-toe with the boss is also important, since dealing with tougher Creepers or faster tanks is hardly ideal. At least the timer resets on each floor.

You won’t truly know a rogue-lite without spending enough time with it – like a mineshaft, ironically enough – but just after a few hours, it’s clear that Ghost Ship Games has to dig deeper. The ability to equip any weapon and not be restricted by class is nice, and there are some pretty cool elemental synergies. But it currently feels like a solid foundation more than anything else.

"As it stands, you’re either going to like Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core because of its tension or ultimately reject it for the same reason."

Despite these complaints, especially when solo, I had fun with Rogue Core. When things really hit the fan, whether you’re trying to take down a boss or proceed to the next level, it can make for some hectic battles, especially as foes crawl on walls, leap from afar and throw increasing amounts of firepower at you. The responsiveness of each weapon is also on point, be it a satisfying headshot with the Bulldog Revolver or the satisfying ping of a Garand Sniper, especially when executing charged shots.

For a game preoccupied with subterranean breach and clearing, each biome feels distinct enough in its aesthetics and hazards to feel notable, especially when dealing with more complex jobs, which can have glowing crystals that emanate damage, or nodes that explode when shot. Each run also feels distinct enough between the experimental Expenite creatures that can explode and dot entire surfaces with the material, or the hostile Surveyor Drones, which provide data for a worthwhile node when shot down.

Granted, it doesn’t take long for the same set of staircases and corridors to become familiar, but it’s a small thing in the grand scheme of the level design. And of course, performance is on point while ensuring that the voxel-like composition of biomes looks as endearing as ever.

As it stands, you’re either going to like Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core because of its tension or ultimately reject it for the same reason. The rogue-lite elements, REPD upgrade nags, timer, and whatnot can all be adjusted accordingly as early access proceeds, and there’s a pretty hefty amount of content to be had. But unless you’re on board with the core gameplay, it may be hard to really embrace. If nothing else, you have to credit Ghost Ship Games for attempting something new – even if its biggest hit is most notable for the exact opposite gameplay flow. Here’s hoping it can hone a strong identity for Rogue Core throughout early access because while “rogue-lite DRG” sounds intriguing, the execution may leave some wanting.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Regardless, patch 1.08 is here, and once again, it’s fairly sizable, addressing several long-standing complaints while improving other areas, and adding things that you didn’t even know you wanted. Whether the time to slow down is tomorrow, next week or next month, let’s dive into ten of the biggest changes with this update, starting with one of the most requested…

Dedicated Tool Slot

One of the most annoying elements of the secondary weapon slot has finally been addressed, as tools finally get their own dedicated slot. No more cycling through two-handed swords to get to your pickaxe; no more frenetic shuffling past the broom, the axe, the mallet (why do you still have that?) to get to your two-hander. Tools are now in their own slot right beneath secondary weapons, with masks and circlets now residing in the Armor tab – which isn’t the most ideal for some quick thievery, but you win some, you lose some.

The Pond

While having a literal zoo with different pets and farm animals is one thing, it felt incomplete without a place for all the fishies. Rejoice, because you can now construct a pond at the Howling Hill and Pailune Camps. Any fish can be released into the pond – the more of a specific species, the greater their numbers will increase. Legendary Fish can also reside in the pond and won’t be removed under any circumstance, with the caveat being you can only have one (plus you can no longer get rid of them or sell them). If you’ve ever wanted your own personal aquarium or just a place to harvest fish for future meals, then this is a very welcome addition.

New Small Animals and A Baby Wyvern

And to further accommodate those who like creature collecting, 20 new species of small animals have been added, including a small griffon-like creature and a baby Wyvern. The latter is even more interesting because there are plans to let you raise and use it like a mount in a future update. We are officially in the “How to Train Your Dragon” arc. Perhaps the same thing could happen for the griffon? Either way, if you were hoping to expand on the miniature zoo back in camp with the likes of the rabbit-like beings from the Abyss and whatnot, now’s your chance.

Firearms for Kliff

Kliff finally discovered something more powerful than friendship – a gun. More specifically, muskets and shotguns. That’s right – he can now use both firearm types, expanding on his build potential. And one of those builds involves the Abyss Gear that has a chance of not consuming an arrow when used, since it now applies to bullets. So if you want to dash around, constantly unloading shotgun shells into a boss without mercy, have at it. Is the next step to allow Oongka and Damiane to use bows? It would certainly fit with the latter’s sense of agility, which is a good time to mention that both characters can now execute Focused Aerial Rolls for even faster traversal.

Superior Branches and Instant Refinement

The Sturdy Tree Branch has always been an unusual weapon choice – what it lacks in damage, it makes up for in Attack Speed Lv 3 and Movement Speed Lv 3, which applies passively even if you’re not using it. This makes it perfect for those relying on a two-handed weapon since it gets both buffs. Well, now you can craft a Superior Branch using regular or special tree branches at Refinement Level 10 because…well, why not? Perhaps more significant is the instant equipment refinement at the Blacksmith. No more having to confirm the materials.

Re-blockade for Bandit Camps and Ruins

Re-blockading, introduced in patch 1.05 and allowing enemies to reoccupy previously liberated areas, has been expanded. Alongside forts and quarries, you’ll now encounter re-blockaded ruins and bandit camps. There’s still a way to go in terms of adding every major liberated area to the list, but for now, this should further ensure that you never run out of enemies to practice new builds on. Or for attempting Superior Branch-only runs like a madman.

Secondary Keys, Reassigning Inputs and More

The UI improvements continue to roll in, and there are actually some pretty welcome changes. For example, you can now freely assign the shortcut keys for Inventory, Skills, Photo Mode (which now defaults to P), the Map, and Menu to your liking. All input keys can now have secondary keys assigned if you so desire. And perhaps most underrated of all – the prompt to pet an animal only pops up when you’re aiming at them with the cursor, and can be cancelled if you dodge roll.

Blackstar Improvements

No, the cooldown on Blackstar hasn’t been reduced, nor has its usage duration been lengthened, but look at it this way – at least the camera movement while aiming during flight is improved. The overall controls and camera perspective also feel better, making the actual act of flying that much more enjoyable. If that wasn’t enough, you can now use Blinding Flash on Blackstar, and while this may not seem all that significant, it’s an ideal crowd control tool when you need some breathing room from the enemies on the ground (especially those spamming projectiles).

Raytraced Sun/Moon Light Shadows

There is the usual range of graphical fixes here and there, from distant vegetation occasionally flickering to this weird iridescent (their word, not mine) that would sometimes appear on the ground. But the biggest features include ray-traced sun/moon light shadows, and the latter sounds just perfect for the new Night Tone Mode. You can toggle it in the Settings under Graphics. On the smaller but still significant side, placing objects on water surfaces now enables indicators, making the entire process that much smoother.

Separate Map Markers for Locations

Wrapping it all up is my personal favorite new addition to the map – you can now place separate markers depending on your location. On its own, that sounds exactly like the current system, but the keyword is “location.” This change ensures that the mainland and the Abyss have separate markers, and they’ll only appear when viewing those locations. Furthermore, tracking markers will now appear on the minimap, ensuring even easier navigation.

Of course, as always, there’s more. Damiane’s chain attacks after dodging while unarmed are better, making her even more of a melee menace; fish traps now allow for actually catching fish; some 2D visual assets have been replaced to “better align with the game’s art direction”; and some of Kliff’s helms now look even better. At this point, asking whether the player base is satisfied is irrelevant – the development team will continue updating Crimson Desert until it can’t, sleep and vacation time be damned. It’s getting concerning at this point.

Anyway, tune in next week when the next patch drops, and probably adds a whole new region, complete with 20 new bosses or something. Which is sarcasm, but at this point, given the run that this team is on, is it really?

Hence, we have Boltgun 2 – Auroch Digital’s sleeker, more detailed, yet still highly grungy, gory first-person shooter. After going hands-on with two missions in a demo on PC, I’m still undecided on where it could sit in the grand pantheon of essential FPSs. But one thing is for sure – as a 40K title, it can be a rip-roaring good time, as sublime when tearing through levels and laying waste to Nurgle’s troops as it is harrowing on the higher difficulties.

So let’s break down five things you should know from the demo, and whether Boltgun 2 is worth looking into when it launches this year for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Grim Dark Dive

Something that the original received extensive praise for is the atmosphere. Yes, the retro aesthetic with its sprites, ranging from the gorgeously animated enemies (if you take a second to notice before gibbing them to pieces) to the weapon reloads, remains as impeccable as ever. The environments also strike that ideal balance between catering to the Warhammer 40K grim dark palette while balancing the open areas where ranged duels play out with its more claustrophobic corridors. Welcome to the jungle, as they say – sans fun and games, with constricted pathways and mildly concealed enemies in its extensive vegetation.

But above all else, the mood is unmistakably 40K. The feeling of indestructibility, but also oppression, as if terrifying odds await at almost any turn. You’re bolstered by the heavy movement and thickset weaponry while feeling like death could arrive in a heartbeat. There’s even some occasional levity, like your floating companion detecting “37 breaches of uniform regulations” when happening upon a bunch of allies’ corpses. Quaint, and thankfully not breaking the overall tone.

Delivering Destruction in Swipes and Stabs

Of course, being able to actually destroy everything would help with that feeling and Boltgun 2 has you covered, whether it’s as the returning Space Marine or the new Battle Sister. Movement possesses a momentum of sorts that can take a bit of getting used to, both as Maelum Caedo and Nyra Veyrath. Jumping also still feels like bait for the former, as opposed to simply charging through and chainsawing the first thing you see. It can also feel a little off when you can’t activate movement abilities mid-air, but it’s not a dealbreaker (and helps maintain that sense of danger).

The weapons feel extremely robust – the titular Boltgun is explosively devastating with each shot, while the shotgun feels like a cannon with each trigger pull. Things only heat up further with the Heavy Bolter, which you hold down to unleash a stream of lead.

But while Maelum is about charging into the fray, relying on his regenerative abilities to sustain him when near death, Nyra Veyrath leans more into agility. Not that she can’t get aggressive when the opportunity presents itself – her charged sword lunges find a fine line between “all or nothing” and a fairy fencer going from one target to the next in rapid, sometimes uncontrollable, succession.

Her main abilities involve a slide for repositioning, which turns into a leap and mid-air suspension for a useful vantage point, and a Melta Bomb, which can be charged to unleash a massive explosion (and provide a valuable few seconds via time stop to properly position your throw). That she also has unique weapons, including a powerful Stakethrower and a Flamer (perfect for those annoying Nurglings), is just the icing on top.

Warranted Aggression

Whether you’ve played the original or not, there’s no denying that Boltgun 2 feels…unique for a boomer shooter. There’s no ripping and tearing per se, though it’s very much possible to simply run down enemies and unload your ammo into their carcasses. However, there are plenty of occasions where it’s advisable to hang back. Assess the situation and pick off threats, including grenade throwers and poisonous toads, from afar.

The opening jungle is especially notable in slowing down your pace as Maelum, since the swamp can poison you (don’t even get me started on the lingering toxic projectiles on the ground). On the contrary, with the mountain facility offering more than a few circumstances where enemies have the high ground, it’s often advised to just rush into their building of choice and clean house. Perfect for those who don’t have the patience for long-range battles.

Alerting the Horde

Let’s be real, though – one of the power fantasies of Warhammer 40K is fighting from underneath against relentless hordes, surviving against all odds, even as your allies perish. Boltgun 2 packs a handful of those set-piece instances, and they’re thankfully not overdone. Extracting from the jungle with the rest of Death Korps, for example, invites a shambling yet massive wave of Poxwalkers – it’s not long before the feeble attempt to break them from afar devolves into outright chaos.

Another moment like this occurs in the mountains when dealing with Khorne’s mooks on a bridge, except you have the benefit of shooting out the glass from beneath, sending them plummeting into the abyss. One wrong step, though, and you could just as easily join them (before spawning back on top, that is). Not quite as overwhelming, but those Flesh Hounds, Juggernauts and Blood Crushers are great at running you down.

Navigation Guide and Difficulty Options

Unfortunately, there wasn’t the opportunity to try out the branching levels (though I somehow managed to miss the Flamer on one run), and Boltgun 2 doesn’t offer a map. Which is perfectly fine because the Navigation Guide added in the original is available from launch itself. Simply hit N on PC, and you’ll receive a clear objective marker and a dotted path on where to go next. Granted, navigating the sequel’s environments didn’t feel all that difficult – I was practically soaring through the jungle as Nyra on a second playthrough – but on those occasions where you just want to get on with the fight rather than take in the sights, it’s very much welcome.

Four difficulty options are available – Low, Medium, Hard and Exterminatus – with the latter two upping the enemy count and damage taken. It’s where some of the nagging issues with movement can become a bit more exasperated, but it’s still an absolute thrill and fun test of your knowledge on enemy placements.

Early Conclusion

As someone who enjoyed but didn’t outright love the original, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 feels like a step up in all the right ways. It’s still very distinct with its gameplay flavor, and those expecting the standard boomer shooter experience may take a bit to acclimate. I’m keen on really diving into the branching campaign, and just how different playthroughs can feel as a result. However, between the two playstyles and distinct weapons, the solid level design, and the fantastic pixel art, Boltgun 2 is shaping up to be a bloody, well-paced, compelling journey of systemic extermination.

Yes, the franchise is quite popular among survival fans thanks to its bizarre premise and the way it bakes that weirdness into its gameplay. But there have been titles that have squandered that advantage over the years. What makes this one different? What has made two million players dive right into the depths of the alien planet it takes you to, surfacing only to get some air before you go right back to it again?

That’s what we’re here to tell you about. Let’s go!

The Story Behind The Survival

It can be easy for a survival title to take a relaxed approach to its narrative, using it to frame your actions within a specific context that makes the gameplay loop meaningful to its players. But Subnautica 2 is self-aware enough to subvert that particular fallacy, and bakes its narrative into the world’s very design in ways that make its themes become a constant undercurrent no matter what you’re doing in the game.

While that might make you expect a complex premise, that isn’t the case. It’s simple enough to get into early, and it acts as the catalyst for some very nuanced examinations of corporate apathy, the dangers of technology, the nature of reality, and a gripping story about your fellow crew members. You step into the shoes of a Pioneer who joins their comrades on the CICADA colony ship to leave your conflict-ridden home planet behind in search of greener pastures.

In typical Subnautica fashion, things don’t really go according to plan, and you’re stranded on a planet that’s more water than land. While that isn’t too bad on its own, this one’s trying to take over your mind, and you’re also left relying on a digital AI assistant from Alterra, the corporation that sponsors your trip, that seems to have plans of its own, although it’s too early to tell what those might be.

Of course, every run you take on is going to help you discover that your trip might have been ill-fated from the very start, and each new discovery brings more lore and world-building to the table in a way that has you constantly questioning your own assumptions. It helps that some of those discoveries are downright unsettling, and the story does a great job of leaving you wanting more.

However, the fact that Subnautica 2 goes harder than its predecessors is only a part of why it’s such an addictive experience. Its story is facilitated by your own diligence in exploring the planet that it takes place on, and as such, the world you’re engaging with is our next stop in our examination of what makes this one so irresistible.

A Hostile Working Environment

Even in its Early Access version, there’s a staggering amount of flora and fauna to discover in Subnautica 2, while the environments and biome variety are also quite great for what’s clearly a fraction of what the full release is intended to look like. We’ve already been to poison swamps and volcanic areas that have geysers you do NOT want to walk into at the wrong moment, lest you learn a lesson you’re not likely to forget the hard way. That’s exactly what we did, just so that you don’t have to.

But of course, curiosity is the driving force behind Subnautica 2. It’s designed to have you thinking about your personal goals within the planet’s exploratory framework, while every run gives you enough tidbits from the overarching story to keep you hooked. It helps that the crafting systems have been refined, and that most of the stuff you pick up has uses in multiple recipes. If you’re a hoarder, this one is going to have you very happy indeed.

The base building feature is another improvement over the previous games, and it’s now so intuitive that it’s become an important part of our time with the game. We’d have loved to have our buddies visit our bases when diving into multiplayer, but that’s not a part of things at the moment. It is what it is. However, making your base the best it can be feels so rewarding, thanks to a lot of options to make it your own personal showcase of the hours you’ve put into the game.

Granted, the early access version’s red walls limit how much of the planet you’re going to be visiting until future updates come along, but the chunk of it that’s currently on offer is a great showcase of better things to come, given that there’s no reason to be pessimistic about the quality of future content in this one. You might say that everything we’ve said about the planet you’re exploring is kind of taken for granted in any open-world survival title, and you’d be right.

But Subnautica 2 gets you so invested in the alien planet in a way that makes you feel like you’re a part of it, for better or worse. That every discovery builds narrative tension while dishing out new ways to engage with the world makes this planet a must-see destination for players who like survival titles or melancholic and deeply unsettling stories. Take your pick.

Lonely, But Not Alone

We’ve spoken at length about the single-player experience, but the addition of co-op multiplayer with up to three Pioneers is among the biggest and most welcome changes that Subnautica 2 brings to the franchise’s formula.

The often lonely and suffocating nature of the solo experience makes way for a cooperative gameplay loop that works very well within the game’s framework, while progression gets quite quick when you work together as a team.

It’s good that there’s a distinction between the solo experience and multiplayer since it strikes a balance between the disquieting solitude of solo runs while letting those of you who are just there to wet your feet bring some much-needed company along. It’s a nice way to weave in some player agency in how the experience is approached, while playing comes with its own ways to make the game your own.

The ability to add mutations to your character to give yourself unique abilities sets up the scope for solid build potential later down the line, while vehicles like the Tadpole are solid, but have yet to show us their full potential.

We’ll be the first to admit that Subnautica 2 isn’t perfect, but we’d ask you to remember that this is the first step in a long journey. And it’s one that has so many more milestones to its completion, and a lot of ground to cover.

The Search For A Better Future

Subnautica 2 might have had a release that most Early Access titles would dream of, but we’re afraid its challenges are just beginning. Just like how it expects its Pioneers to bring their best to each run, every update from the developers needs to sustain the momentum gained from the release build.

The lack of more content is definitely among the most prevalent complaints, and it’s one that carries the risk of fatigue and players dropping off the game as other titles compete for their attention. Although the franchise’s value offsets that risk, it needs to navigate the game’s future with precision.

Subnautica 2’s release build feels like everything comes with a ceiling that you can’t help but feel at every turn, the knowledge of its existence making you wonder just how much you can get out of the world within the red walls that are holding you back from the rest of the planet. It’s how the game breaks that ceiling, and how well it manages to do so over multiple updates that will decide if this one can be the best one in the franchise yet.

Skills of the Trade

When IOI revealed the TacSim, it also pretty much indicated how Bond would be upgrading his equipment. By earning Intel from these missions, he can, say, increase the Power of Lazer Strap (with two other unlockable slots to boost its potency). But what about his physical skill progression during the campaign? Well, there isn’t any. As the developer noted in a recent stream, Bond is “physically capable from the start,” and the focus is more on gadgets, which progressively unlock through the campaign, and how you combine those with stealth, CQC, bluffing, and more.

About 20 Hours Long

Given the focus on linearity intermixed with sandbox sections and explosive set-pieces, just how long is 007 First Light? The development team told YouTuber JorRaptor that an average player would take about 20 hours to finish the campaign. That doesn’t include the TacSim, however, where you’ll take on new objectives in previously cleared missions, gaining Intel to unlock gadget upgrades, new weapons, and outfits.

Wardrobe Usage

And there’s certainly an extensive wardrobe for Bond to unlock, not including all the outfits available in the Deluxe Edition, from the suave Desert Explorer and Silent Anchor to the tactical Gentleman Operator (complete with a tactical turtleneck – if you know, you know). Unfortunately, you can only use these in the tactical simulator. For the campaign, Bond’s clothing of choice is predetermined and not adjustable.

No New Game Plus

New Game Plus is another element that won’t be available, as per the same interview. So if you thought about embarking on a new playthrough with all the gadgets and outfits unlocked, that won’t be possible, and it’s not planned. On the bright side, IO Interactive is “open to community feedback” – maybe if there’s some demand, it could consider implementing it.

Only One Way This Ends

It seemed a given, but the development still clarified that no, there won’t be multiple endings, calling First Light a “narrative experience with a predetermined ending.” Considering the narrative arc and how we’re following Bond, as he slowly comes into his own, gaining the signature quirks we know and love while finding a place at MI6, it makes sense. But at least players are afforded some freedom on the journey.

Difficulty Settings

Of course, if you decide to replay the game, maybe to try out different approaches or a non-lethal playthrough, which appears mostly viable, there are other difficulty options. Three will be available at launch – Story, Normal and Hard – and while their exact differences remain up in the air, various previews confirmed that getting into melees with too many opponents could prove challenging, even on Normal.

“Enthusiast” PC Settings

The full PC requirements have been revealed at last. While we already knew what Minimum and Recommended would demand, IOI has also unveiled two more specifications that fall under “Enthusiast.” If you’re looking to play at High settings at 1440p/60 FPS, an RTX 4070, a Radeon RX 7800 XT or a GPU with 12 GB VRAM is required. Otherwise, the CPU requirements – a Core i5-13500 and Ryzen 5 7600 – alongside 16 GB of RAM remain the same. That also applies to playing at 4K/60 FPS on High – aside from needing an RTX 4080, a Radeon RX 7900 XTX or an equivalent GPU with 16 GB VRAM, everything else remains the same.

Ultra Settings (and a Caveat)

Which brings us to playing at 4K with Ultra settings. You’ll need a Core i5-13600K or a Ryzen 7 7700X, an RTX 5080 and 32 GB of RAM. The catch is that DLSS 4.5 is enabled for over 200 frames per second. What would the performance be like without it? Well, we don’t know. The good news is that all the other settings and specified frame rates for Minimum, Recommended and Enthusiast don’t take DLSS into account.

PC Features

As you’ve probably noticed, DLSS 4.5 is a new addition on top of the previously confirmed DLSS 4. The PC version also supports Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution alongside uncapped frame rates. It seems, however, that the developer needs more time to implement path tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction – both have been scheduled to arrive sometime this Summer.

Accessibility Options

From audio profiles and different audio output options (including mono) to customizable subtitles and English menu narration, there is a decent array of accessibility options. You can remap inputs, enable toggle or hold, and even adjust deadzones and sensitivity while also inverting the camera. For those concerned about quick-time events and other actions that require specific timing, you can enable an option to auto-complete them.

Xbox Series X/S and PS5 Modes

On PS5 Pro, First Light will offer 60 frames per second with PSSR enabled. But what about Xbox Series X and PS5? They’ll both have Performance and Quality modes, though actual frame rates and resolutions have not been shared. Xbox Series S “does not appear” to have both, according to the developer, so don’t be surprised if it sports a 1080p/30 FPS setting or such.

No Demo

Unfortunately, we won’t have the chance to test out performance ahead of launch because there’s no demo in the works. As disappointing as it may seem, it’s not all that uncommon in the industry – see Resident Evil Requiem – and since the launch is so close anyway, IO Interactive is focused on the full release.

Not Always Online (But Not Fully Playable Offline)

One key detail that the team reiterated is offline play. Yes, you can play First Light offline, and no, it’s not always online. As you probably guessed based on Hitman’s structure, however, there are caveats. First, you need to go online once to download the first patch, and then you can play…the campaign offline. Other features, like updating the TacSim’s challenges and leaderboards, will require going online. This doesn’t necessarily mean the former is offline, though, as IOI said, “Challenge completion may be cached offline and updated later when reconnecting.” But either way, you’ll need to go online on day one to play.

Cross-Save Details

Unlike Hitman World of Assassination, cross-progression as you know it won’t be available, so transferring “full save files,” as the developer refers to them, from Xbox to PC or PS5 and vice versa isn’t possible. Leaderboards will also remain platform-specific, which should prevent PC cheaters from taking over. However, it seems that challenges and other “related online progression” could transfer, perhaps because they’re tied to your IOI Account.

Deluxe Edition Details

Aside from the four bonus outfits, the Deluxe Edition offers 24 hours of early access, a weapon skin (which should take fans back to Pierce Brosnan days) and a Gleaming Pack, which coats your gadgets in gold plating. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will provide a free upgrade, but if you’re hoping to wait until after launch, then just know that the cosmetics will remain exclusive to the Deluxe Edition (though the developer may explore “different distribution” at a later time).

What I am going to dwell on is how complaints, both minor and major, have now been made redundant thanks to a rapid cycle of patches and updates. The issue of Pywel feeling empty once you have liberated all occupied areas and beaten all bosses? That one just got addressed last week, with boss rematches and the reoccupation of liberated areas now a part of Pywel’s charm. It made me wonder about how what was supposed to be a single-player experience that got quieter the more you completed it has become a sort of hybrid live-service title without the trappings of microtransactions, season passes, and the like.

It’s almost as if the developer is trying to make the world feel incomplete again, and in a good way. It’s treating Pywel like a world that continues to react to you long after you’ve rolled the credits on the main story, and perhaps even cleared out most of its map. Why do I feel that way? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Let’s roll!

A World That Pushes Back

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. Yes, there have been a ton of patches rolled out in what I’d say is a record time in comparison to other studios. Yes, they’ve addressed several quality-of-life issues that were major complaints, such as clunky controls, a lack of balance between Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka, performance problems, and inventory management issues that adversely affected the experience. Those are all gone now, and I’m going to leave them in the past where they belong.

But what interests me is the way Crimson Desert looks like it’s building a future for Pywel that I wouldn’t have even considered if not for the evidence in front of me. The latest patch makes me wonder if the developer is borrowing the philosophy of a live-service model and applying it to a single-player title. It’s bringing a sort of responsiveness to Pywel that’s very welcome for Greymanes who continue to frequent it and will probably continue to do so until it has no secrets left to unearth.

The Rematch system is the first stop on this particular train of thought. The boss designs in Crimson Desert are absolutely brilliant for the most part, a sentiment echoed in almost all critical analyses of the game across the board. I’ve previously said that their unique gear should not be discoverable in the open world, but the fact that you can now battle them as Damiane and Oongka in places where only Kliff takes them on is a very welcome addition, and there are a couple of reasons as to why I think so.

For starters, it encourages you to keep switching between the three playable characters, making them viable options when you want to take on an enemy that might have previously deterred you from doing so because your take on Damiane or Oongka wasn’t powerful enough to do so at the time. Well, you can now go back and play each fight over and over till your heart’s content.

Second, it encourages you to take advantage of the fact that you could switch your loadout with a single visit to the nearest Witch, letting you completely change how any of your characters feel when conflict occurs. You could, in theory, test out multiple builds on a boss you’re comfortable with, allowing you to see your ideas in action before you choose to commit to a particular loadout. The fact that you now get to extract resources spent on upgrading gear coming in the latest update is a fine addition to the entire Rematch system.

Of course, all of these points I’m making apply to the Re-Blockade system too. But the added advantage there is that you can now farm Abyss Artifacts with abandon if you so choose, especially since there are ways to control how the system works that I’m getting to shortly. You now get to look and feel like your best every time you unsheathe your weapon to take on anybody foolish enough to challenge a Greymane.

Aside from the gameplay, I think that the Re-Blockade feature makes Pywel feel more alive in terms of how the narrative has framed things. It was hard to believe that so many factions just meekly walked away from their strongholds with their tails tucked between their legs after a sound beating. Granted, the thought of a single individual taking down literal armies might give me pause if I were considering fighting the said individual again, but the fact that enemies now don’t take their losses quietly makes Pywel a very interesting place to be.

What’s very interesting about these two systems is that they have made Pywel a place where conflict now feels like a permanent part of its landscape. That, in turn, makes your duty as a Greymane all the more relevant from both narrative and gameplay standpoints. But nothing about all of this could be classified as weird or strange, right?

Hold that thought.

Player Controlled Chaos

While it’s good that the developer is making Pywel become a world that consistently pushes back against your actions, it’s equally important that none of the new changes are forced onto its players. Bosses don’t spawn back in places where you fought them unless you actually trigger the fight. And some helpful settings allow you to control the frequency with which enemy factions try to regain the ground they lost to you.

It’s an important factor, as it allows the game to be dynamic without sacrificing player agency in the process, which is a major part of Crimson Desert’s draw in the first place. It’s a clever way of avoiding forcing players into an endless grind while giving them full control over how alive they would like Pywel to feel as they make their way across it.

At this point, it’s a good idea to bring in a recent interview that the studio’s Head of Marketing, Will Powers, had with The Washington Post. He asserted that the studio is foregoing a roadmap in order to retain the agility it needs to respond to player complaints with both speed and efficiency, with the team’s experience enabling it to churn out patches without requiring crunch hours.

The developer is no longer treating it as a one-and-done release, but as a long-term platform it wants to keep expanding. After a strong commercial start, including major revenue and over five million copies sold, the developer is now looking beyond regular patches toward bigger growth opportunities, with DLC specifically mentioned as one possible route. The interesting part is that nothing is confirmed yet, but the wording suggests the developer sees room to build on Pywel through new content, platform expansion, continued updates, and maybe even story material that addresses the base game’s weaker narrative side.

Anyways, Crimson Desert’s post-launch support is sufficient evidence of that sentiment in my book. It isn’t just about new stuff being added to the game, but in how that stuff directly addresses structural issues that affected the gameplay. The patch notes state that the Rematch and Re-Blockade features were added to let Pywel keep the sense of challenge it offers to its players alive long after they beat the game and track down all of the mighty foes that the protagonists must bring down.

It’s a great way of solving a late-game design problem, to be sure, and it sets Crimson Desert apart from a lot of great titles out there. Why do I think so? Well, most titles roll out a release build, add in a few patches and fixes, and then remain largely static for a while before they get new content via DLC. But in Pywel’s case, the base game is being actively reworked on to make it continue to be appealing even before players have had a chance to experience it in its entirety.

Crimson Desert isn’t just expanding outward, but is also growing through introspective change that’s fuelled by a community that’s as passionate about it as its develoeprs seem to be. But that comes with risks. There’s always the chance that the studio could make the game feel unfocused or bloated if it adds in too much new content haphazardly. As a former people pleaser myself, I can tell you that trying to make everybody happy is a sure-fire way to make yourself miserable. A player-first approach is definitely welcome, but it needs to be tempered with common sense and the guts to take stands whenever they’re necessary.

But looking at how things have progressed in the last few weeks since the game’s release, I’m pretty sure that those risks have already been given due consideration. It isn’t looking like chaos piled onto an already chaotic world that has so much that it’s honestly hard to keep track of it all. But Crimson Desert’s story post-launch is a fascinating one, where it has not begun to behave like a live-service title.

The developer isn’t just fixing the game. Instead, it’s making it more reactive and quite harder to put down, thanks to insightful responses to the game’s flaws. Crimson Desert’s Pywel feels more alive than ever, and the future is looking quite bright indeed.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.