007 First Light Reminds Me Of The Best Parts Of Hitman Games

The Hitman series creators have outdone themselves with 007 First Light, crafting an experience that feels like a refined version of their flagship franchise of professional killing. The aesthetic of James Bond isn’t one fans expected to fit over a gameplay shell like Hitman‘s, but the merging of both has led to new innovations that feel like expanded ideas from Hitman‘s greatest hits. With far greater variety in 007 First Light‘s gameplay, any hardcore Hitman fan might find great enjoyment in IO Interactive’s latest title.

The “modern” renditions of the Hitman games have developed a formula that players have grown to love over the years, with massive levels full of detail. With the addition of the single-player Freelancer roguelike mode to Hitman, players have found the game quite replayable as one of the best live service titles on the market right now. This large sandbox approach to missions and level design is something IO Interactive repeated somewhat with 007 First Light, albeit with notable changes to help make that world feel even better.

007 First Light Allows Players To Consistently Prepare & Adapt During Different Missions

One of the best parts of Hitman is how your tools can get you out of a bad spot when things go wrong, but 007 First Light removes many of the restrictions Hitman has on those types of items. James Bond’s gadgets are incredibly varied, with each providing a different benefit that opens up so many approaches to how you complete a mission. For example, your Q-Lens provides tons of information about your environment, including which objects, locations, and people you can interact with to gain an advantage.

This system can help you steal a key from a person you identify, spot which areas are restricted, or ping an unorthodox weapon to knock out someone quickly to unlock a new path. Gadgets are great for preparing for missions, adding a level of replayability based on what tools you bring at any given time. Much like Hitman, finding new ways to accomplish the same task is what makes going back through missions fun, so it’s good to see that structure elevated somewhat in 007 First Light.

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Players can carry up to three different gadgets for any given mission, but running out of resources is where the game truly shines. Mission levels are extraordinarily detailed, giving Bond almost unlimited ways to adapt to new situations. When you enter a restricted area by accident, Bond can say a smooth one-liner to bluff their way forward. Making a mistake is a gateway into a clever solution, rather than something overwhelming. Unlike Hitman, the detailed training before missions in 007 First Light gives players far more suggestions on how to react when things inevitably go wrong.

The Hitman Series Provided Opportunities To Adjust Your Approach To Taking Out Targets

Another one of Hitman‘s greatest strengths is how the series always gave you chances to take out targets without just walking up to them and shooting them in the face. Disguises helped you get close to targets, interactable environments let you make death look like an accident, and detailed levels add ways to investigate backgrounds on target behaviors. The large nature of mission areas in Hitman gave players lots of time to explore, and discover new ways to plan out the completion of their mission.

This philosophy is largely the same in 007 First Light, but without some of the tedium the Hitman series sometimes falls into. Since not every mission in 007 First Light is “go and kill a target,” the parameters of a level might look far different from one another, forcing many different approaches. Some missions even have multiple objectives, with unclear answers at first. Eavesdropping on conversation or infiltrating areas with a disguise are features shared by 007 First Light and Hitman, with the creativity of Bond’s spycraft being crucial to your success.

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007 First Light takes these great ideas from Hitman and also adds new limitations to make them feel exciting. For example, you don’t always have your “License to Kill” to quickly dispatch of a restricted area’s guards, so you need to have quick thinking to get out of a jam. Sometimes, it might be best to knock out a target, then use your previous exploration to hide their body while taking their gear. This is almost 1:1 to what players do in Hitman, reminding me of some of the tensest moments that makes playing as Agent 47 so engaging.

Careful preparation and exploration of a mission level being important in 007 First Light reminds me of the parts of Hitman I enjoy the most. Crafting intricate plans from the small details you learn about the people and environment of a given area is what makes these games appealing to many players. With 007 First Light adding extra detail, polished gameplay, and, of course, an incredibly authentic James Bond aesthetic, it calls back to the best Hitman moments with many new experiences to stick with players.

What other comparisons can you see between 007 First Light and Hitman games? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!