After seeing roughly 30 minutes of 007 First Light, as a lifelong James Bond fan, it’s everything I hoped it could be. James Bond has some of the best and worst licensed games. GoldenEye is arguably one of the most beloved licensed video games of all-time and is a staple of any gamer from the 90s. However, games like 007 Legends, the last AAA James Bond game, shows what can happen when someone is forced to churn something out to tie-in to a movie. Thankfully, developer IO Interactive isn’t bound to any movie this time around because there hasn’t been a new James Bond film in production for the bulk of the game’s development.
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That has opened the door for IO Interactive to do something brand new with the series and go places the films never have. 007 First Light is James Bond’s origin story, detailing the circumstances which place him in the secretive MI6 program and how he becomes one of the most dangerous and charming spies in fiction. IO Interactive has finally shown off extended gameplay for the game and it proves why they are a great pick for this game.
James Bond Has Been Mishandled in Gaming Before
Before we really dive into 007 First Light, let’s look at how we even got here. There have been some awesome Bond games such as GoldenEye and 007 Nightfire, but also some major bombs like 007 Legends and the mediocre Quantum of Solace. The mistake that some developers have made in the past is that they just make it one big shooter akin to a spruced up Call of Duty campaign. While Bond is an action hero, he is also a spy… and spies don’t always go in guns blazing.
These games were almost all designed to be about combat and set pieces, which is a key piece of the puzzle, but not the only one. On top of that, a lot of the Bond games felt like they weren’t given the full backing to be more than a tie-in game. While there were standalone 007 games, games like Blood Stone (an underrated game in the franchise) felt like they were still a bit cheap. With all of that said, that’s part of the reason why IO Interactive was the perfect fit for sort of rebooting James Bond in gaming.
007 First Light Is a Proper Spy Game
007 First Light looks to be a spy game first and an action game second, allowing for much more gameplay variety than punching and shooting. Bond can talk to people for information, use gadgets to surveil the area or create distractions, and much more. IO Interactive is clearly leaning on their roots with the Hitman games by creating a social stealth experience. Instead of strong arming his way through every encounter, Bond can show his intellect and spy skills to complete his mission.
Similar to Hitman, there are even opportunities such as one where Bond can pose as a photographer or member of the press to sneak into areas he may not be able to get to otherwise. It doesn’t seem like he will be donning disguises quite like Agent 47, but simply using his charm and some props to be able to do what needs to be done.
James Bond is even able to talk his way out of conflicts if needed. If he gets caught in a restricted area, players will be able to activate an ability where he can make up some excuse for why he is back there and avoid a physical confrontation. Of course, he can also get his hands dirty if needed or use a gadget like a tranquilizer dart to defuse the situation effortlessly.
007 First Light Still Has Bond-Worthy Action Sequences
While shootouts are to be expected no matter what, developing big set pieces worthy of the 007 brand is harder to do. It’s not a stretch to say that 007 First Light is like Hitman meets Uncharted with how it combines the slower gameplay with big, bombastic moments as well. Aston Martin car chases are essential to the 007 formula and this game will check that box by allowing you to speed through beautiful locales with flashy cars and some… not so nice ones as well. Trailers for the game have shown that Bond will commandeer as giant garbage truck at one point for a chase, which will allow him to plow through opposing vehicles and structures.
Other footage has shown that there will be a Casino Royale-esque foot chase on to a crane that ends up collapsing into a building. Of course, the biggest set piece we’ve seen features Bond hacking into a plane to try and bring it down while still onboard, leading to him having to escape it without a parachute. It’s the kind of over the top action everyone loves from 007 and ensures there’s plenty of thrills for the player.
Ultimately, it looks like IO Interactive has found a way to balance all sides of James Bond for the first time in a video game. It’s a spy story and a big cinematic action game all rolled into one. If all goes well, 007 First Light will be the start to a trilogy which will likely only see all of these ideas expanded upon in a big way.
007 First Light will release on March 27th, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
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