Review: 007 First Light

007 First Light Gemma Chan PC Requirements Dev Diary Trailer Review

Developed and published by IO Interactive, 007 First Light is a brand-new espionage action-adventure game from the creator of the HITMAN franchise. Fans of the Bond franchise will know the pain of not having a good James Bond game. If you grew up in the early 2000s, chances are that you played 007 GoldenEye and you instantly fell in love with it. A few titles followed, but the franchise lost its charm, leading to its death. But now, IO Interactive is back in this wonderful world, bringing back the James Bond signature that we grew up loving. This is our review of 007 First Light on the Xbox Series X, in which we dive into a deep undercover world of espionage and drive some amazing vehicles in cool car chases.

My biggest concern when I first booted up 007 First Light was how IO Interactive would keep its two franchises apart. Both HITMAN and 007 have a lot of overlapping mechanics, but both franchises differ in a lot of ways. The most obvious difference comes in the form that 007 has a brand identity defined by certain elements, and he is not afraid of gun fights, while HITMAN usually sticks to a hardcore stealth approach rather than gun fights. Apart from these major differences, nearly all elements merge, making it extremely difficult for a layman to differentiate between the two franchises. However, after playing 007 First Light, I was amazed at how it managed to pull itself apart from HITMAN’s shadow and stand proud on its own two feet.

Naturally, there are a lot of similarities between the two games, and seasoned players will instantly notice some similarities in world design and stealth mechanics, but it all ends here. Everything else feels fresh with Bond’s gadgets, vehicles, missions, and how the car chases blend into the whole action. I was amazed at how it sometimes felt like watching a season. The narrative is very well written, and at no time was I bored or wanted to skip a cutscene. The game does not force cutscenes and narrative in your face at all times, and it is decently paced overall. This is one of the biggest strengths of the game.

I love how the game does not just throw you into the missions with the tag that here, you are Bond, here is everything, go blow things up. You start as a rookie, and it actually feels like you are weak and still learning the ropes at the beginning of the game, as Bond will struggle with tasks like stealth and fighting with enemies. After an explosive intro mission, you get the attention of the UK’s secret service MI6 and are inducted into their ‘00’ program, which was previously shut down.

The missions in the game are exactly what you would expect from a high-quality James Bond movie. You spend your time in some amazing locations like the MI6 headquarters based in England, in the open deserts of Africa, and many other cool locations. The game has you infiltrating secret parties, closed events, nightclubs, hotels, resorts, and even secret facilities for obtaining intel, chasing after villains, and completing other important tasks. These locations fit the high, glamorous life and espionage associated with the Bond franchise. Thanks to a multiple-approach system, you can easily jump back on any of the missions at a later time and try another approach to see how the mission plays out. The end results are mostly the same, but there is no harm in trying it another way.

The training feels extensive and is something that an actual agent would go through. It is presented in the form of a cinematic montage with some gameplay levels thrown in. During training, the game teaches you every aspect of being James Bond, including driving fancy cars fast, using multiple gadgets, using stealth to your advantage, and, if things do not go according to plan, switching to a weapon and erasing everyone in front of you.

After training, you jump onto your first mission, and you are allowed to use the environment to your advantage and figure out what needs to be done to complete the objective. The character development in 007 First Light is one of the best ones that I have seen in any recent game. You can clearly see how Bond evolves from a brash, newbie agent into a mature, sensible agent. He goes from his routine, chaotic approach to a more subtle one. Apart from Bond, you have regular partners in the game, such as Agent M, the leader of MI6, or Agent Q, who leads the tech side of the agency and will keep you equipped with the best gadgets available. Feeding you intel is Moneyponney on every step of the mission and so on.

I also liked how the game is forgiving in a lot of ways. If you get spotted, no worries. Contain the situation by quickly taking out one or two guards, and you will be good to go. The whole map will not instantly converge on your position. This freedom gives you a chance to really explore the true potential of your abilities. Each mission can be completed in full stealth or full assault mode unless specifically required by the agency. You are free to pick up dropped weapons of your enemies, but you are only cleared to use them if the enemy has actually presented a threat to kill Bond. Until then, you have to resort to hand-to-hand combat, which is another satisfying element of the game. If you do not want a violent end to a situation, you can try to bluff your way out, but until you take out the bluffed enemies, you cannot do it again, and there is a chance that you may fail the bluff as well.

Other stealthy approaches include using disguise and even dialogue. Choose the correct option, and you will get a pass. Fail to impress, and a fight will ensue. The enemies come in all shapes and sizes. You have the normal grunts, soldiers, guards, and then you have the heavies, which can become a pain if not dealt with quickly. One thing you will instantly notice in the game is that, unlike HITMAN, Bond does not carry and hide bodies during his stealth approach. Rather, he prefers leaving them out in the open as trophies. This alerts the enemies, but you can just take them out as well.

Bond is a master of hand-to-hand combat, and he will show it quite often in the game. On multiple occasions, you will need to beat enemies to a pulp, and Bond will happily use his skills to do so. The combat is satisfying as every punch and kick feels meaty. The enemies hit hard as well, but you can parry, counterattack, or dodge out of their way. The game also does not lock you in combat, which means that if you see that you are unable to defeat the enemy, you can run away mid-fight and just try to hide until the heat dies down.

To help you out with your missions, you have a decent selection of unique gadgets at your disposal. These range from both offensive to support. You start with the very basic gadget, your watch, which is integrated with the lens in your eyes. Using this deadly combination, you can scan environments, see friends and foes marked on the screen, and also hack multiple devices to cause distractions. Other cool gadgets include a dart gun hidden inside your phone, which causes dizziness to the extent that the enemies have to go out and vomit. Then you have a smoke bomb, which can be helpful in losing pursuers or confusing them in order to move in and take them out.

You can select which gadgets you want in the missions before heading out. Each mission has unique requirements, so your loadout will change to accommodate that. Speaking of missions, 007 First Light features some of the best open-world levels in any stealth game. These not only look gorgeous but are highly detailed, sandbox-type missions, giving you a large playground to explore. Each mission gives you multiple ways to approach. For example, during one of the early missions, I had to gain access to a building, and I was free to either cause a garden fire and go inside using a secret passage or find a press badge and go in through the main door. Similarly, once inside, for every objective, I had multiple approaches, both silent and chaotic.

Anyone who has played IO Interactive’s HITMAN games will instantly recognize this core gameplay formula, but 007 First Light really outshines and brings enough unique elements with it that it can easily be recognized on its own. Gun fights are limited by the fact that the ammo is always close to being empty. You never get a weapon with a full clip, but each clip does its job very well. You can make your life easier by shooting enemies in the legs to stagger them or in their hands to make them drop their weapons. You can also use environmental elements to kill elements like barrels. Mechanics like this make the low ammo not feel like a hindrance to combat and keep it interesting.

You will also notice other classic Bond traits, such as him being a ladies’ man and some premium branding in the game, especially when it comes to vehicles. Bond is shown to be good with ladies right from the start, and with a character design and animation as good as this, it is only natural that ladies are falling for him everywhere he goes. Similar to the movies, some pretty ladies in the game get Bond’s attention, and he gets in trouble because of them as well. These are scripted scenes and usually do not come with much choice for Bond to make in these scenarios.

Similarly, Bond has impeccable taste in cars in the game as well. Brands like Land Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and MG are all present in the game, with their officially licensed vehicles. You will drive some iconic models like the Jaguar XJ, Land Rover Defender, 2006 Aston Martin Vantage, and many others. Each vehicle features an excellent model design with some cool easter eggs thrown in the mix, relating them to their movie counterparts.

With all that said, there are, however, some gameplay mechanics that put me off, and driving is the biggest one of them. Driving cars in 007 First Light is not enjoyable at all, and at certain times, it felt like a last-minute addition to an otherwise great game. The cars handle poorly, and there is no sense of speed in the game. I loved the setting in which the car chases were set, but the actual driving was not enjoyable at all for me. Then there is the abysmal performance of the game, especially on the Xbox Series S. While it is definitely the weaker one compared with the Xbox Series X, the game’s performance seemed to drop significantly, especially during car chases. It runs much better on the Xbox Series X, but the frame-rate drops are common here as well. I will suggest that you at least try to play on a Series X, because the Series S is not really an enjoyable experience.

Coming to the visuals, it is another weaker aspect of the game, especially when you compare the game with many other recent releases. This is because 007 First Light is running on IO Interactive’s own engine rather than a mainstream engine like Unreal Engine 5, which a lot of new games seem to be using currently. The most prominent issues come in the form of details and lighting of characters and the environment. Character models look dated, and the environments miss the same level of detail that one would expect from newer releases. The foliage does not look very realistic either. While the engine does manage to deliver decently, it fails to live up to modern expectations. I am not a big fan of how this game looks on the Xbox Series consoles.

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Final Verdict:

007 First Light is the perfect return of the world’s most famous secret agent, delivering an adventure worthy of the Bond legacy. Backed by excellent performances across its cast, the game excels at balancing thrilling action, explosive set pieces, and a compelling narrative that explores the origins of a young James Bond while immersing players in the shadowy world of espionage. IO Interactive has successfully leveraged its experience with the HITMAN franchise to create a Bond universe that feels both authentic and refreshingly original. More than just another adaptation, 007 First Light marks the beginning of a new era for the franchise and stands as the most significant Bond game since GoldenEye 007. Whether you’re a lifelong James Bond fan or simply enjoy sandbox-style stealth and espionage games with richly designed open-ended levels, 007 First Light deserves a place on your must-play list.

Final Score: 9.0/10

Disclaimer: An Xbox Series X|S review code for 007 First Light was provided by FortySeven on behalf of IO Interactive. For a detailed breakdown of our scoring and review process, please refer to our Review Policy.