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On May 2027 2026, IO Interactive released 007: First Light, their take on the famous 007 franchise in video game form. This game focuses on an origin story that portrays a version of James Bond who is much younger than typical depictions and promises to offer players thrilling stealth gameplay, fast-paced combat, and near endless replay value. With a development team that has mastered those elements in their other franchises at the wheel, is this game worth playing or should gamers join a rival agency? Let’s pick the game apart piece by piece and make the decision for ourselves!
Now, before we begin the review, I believe something needs to be made clear. My knowledge of James Bond as a franchise is almost nonexistent. In my twenty-seven years on this earth, I have only watched three Bond films, and two of those I watched only because they had video game tie-ins.
The image of James Bond that I have in my mind is that of the pop cultural icon who has been referenced in hundreds of television shows and video games, which I imagine must differ from that of the films themselves.
As such, I cannot approach this review from the perspective of comparing this game to the movies that inspired it. Instead, I shall merely be talking about the quality of this game on its own terms without many comparisons to the films. With all of that out of the way, let’s get to talking about it.
Innovative Stealth
Let’s begin by talking about my favorite aspect of 007: First Light: Stealth, sneaking around, and infiltrating locations. A spy’s bread and butter is getting to their goal without anyone suspecting something about them, and a large part of the gameplay in this game is all about figuring out how to do that.
There are two types of stealth in this game: infiltrating a location unseen and navigating through an area filled with enemies. The former will involve the player walking around large areas filled with NPCs as they investigate and eavesdrop on people in order to figure out what they need to do to progress.
Whenever a section like this occurs, the game will try to nudge the player in the right direction with a few helpful hints and the occasional quest marker, but for the most part, it is up to the player to look around, think, and figure out exactly what they need to do to get Bond into the location he wants to enter.
I absolutely loved these infiltration segments. Walking around a location and being able to slowly see multiple different ways I can proceed unfold before my eyes, and getting to choose how I go about doing them was the best part of the game for me. Figuring out how to trick a security guard into thinking I’m a guard who was late for his shift or setting a small fire in order to draw attention away from an open window entrance always made me feel like a genius.
The second type of stealth section, the ones where Bond must make it through an area unseen or otherwise fight every enemy, is much closer to the type of stealth that one sees in most AAA games these days. The player is able to crouch around cover and take down enemies with stealth takedowns as they slowly make their way to the other side of the room and transition into the game’s next set piece.
While these sections of the game are fun enough and I enjoy them, they just don’t feel anywhere near as creatively inspired as the infiltrations. Whenever a typical stealth section came along, I just felt like I was going through the motions until the game would once again transition into the parts I truly loved.
Bond, of course, has access to many gadgets that can be used for both distracting people during infiltrations and taking out enemies in stealth sections. One could use their phone dart to make an NPC sick enough to pickpocket their keys, or you could use that same gadget on a security guard in order to make him puke and not notice you as you walk right up to him for a stealth takedown.
Every one of Bond’s gadgets has multiple uses like this. From the iconic laser bracelet to AirPods that function as miniature grenades, the player is always encouraged to experiment with their entire arsenal and see what ways they can think of in order to progress.
Fans of IO Interactive’s Hitman series will be happy to see that the disguise mechanic from those games has made a return here. If Bond gets a hold of a keycard or a funny hat, then any enemy in an area will see him as one of them and treat him as if he belongs. This applies to both infiltrations and normal stealth sections and can lead to quite a few humorous infiltrations as the player will be able to walk directly to their goal, instantly rewarding those willing to explore.
I would say that I had the most fun with 007: First Light whenever I treated the title like a pure puzzle game. Figuring out exactly how to get the right disguise or key in order to walk directly into a location or figure out how to go through a stealth section without even going near enemy guards always brought a look of pure joy to my face.
Playing through the game this way was also much more rewarding than trying to brute force my way past a solution, as whenever I found a new trick for getting through an area, the game would reward me by saying I completed a new challenge, and completing several sets of challenges unlocks new costumes to wear.
Satisfying Fisticuffs
While I would first and foremost describe 007: First Light as a stealth game, getting caught isn’t the end of the world. Gamers will not be met with instant failure if a guard sees them, as James Bond is plenty capable of fighting back.
Fist-fights in this game can best be described as a 3D beat-em-up. While the game introduces them as a purely defensive thing where Bond must counter attacks before punching an enemy, everything changes once the player discovers the grab button.
Throwing enemies around, chaining fist combos on them, and then blocking an incoming enemy in order to do the same to them is addictingly fun. Add on the fact that Bond can grab random objects like bricks and glass bottles and quickly chuck them at an enemy’s head mid-combo, and it’s hard not to compare fist fights in this game to arcade classics
One of the most ridiculous and fun moments of the game for me was when Bond ended up in an escape sequence where he needed to get to a helicopter within a time limit. I attempted to do this sequence normally one time before I remembered that the player is giving i-frames during grabs. I then succeeded not by shooting my way through the area, but by grabbing an enemy, throwing him towards the exit, and repeating until I was close enough to run.
For those who don’t want to time their punches or grabs, the game is more than willing to accommodate you. Whenever an enemy is downed, Bond can pick up and use whatever weapon they were just using. Pistols, shotguns, and SMGs, there is no shortage of weaponry to throw around. What there is a shortage of, however, is ammunition.
Whenever the player picks up a gun in this game, it’s very rare for it to have more than 8 bullets, and unless you’re really good at getting headshots, you’re going to be using them all very fast. This creates a fast-paced atmosphere during gunfights where the player is constantly switching to new guns and literally tossing away the one they just ran out of ammo for at the nearest enemy.
To be completely honest, gunfights were my least favorite part of the game. While I would still describe them as passable, there’s nothing too unique about them compared to the rest of the game, which is almost always doing something that can only be done with a character like James Bond.
My annoyance at these sections was likely increased by how little health Bond seems to have during them. It will take only a few gunshots to take the good spy out of commission, which will lead to either a lot of reloading checkpoints for me or a slow-paced experience where I need to stay in place at every other piece of cover.
Considering that even the stealth sections of this game are designed in a way where the player is always able to move forward and not wait for someone to move, the way these shooting segments slow down the pace of the game (when one would expect them to do the opposite) was quite disappointing to me.
Overall, while melee combat was enjoyable and shooting sections didn’t ruin the experience for me, I felt this aspect of the game paled in comparison to the sheer creativity on display with the amount of methods the developers gave the player for making it through a section stealthily and I would heavily encourage anyone to at least give each stealth checkpoint a few attempts before you decide to go out guns blazing.
Near-Endless Replayability
Something that I have alluded to several times in the review so far is the replayability of 007: First Light. IO Interactive’s main mark on the game industry is the gameplay loop of their Hitman games. One where the player is expected to replay stages over and over in different ways in order to figure out new ways to complete them and clear various challenges.
While full stages in 007: First Light are structured very differently from those in Hitman, they are split into multiple sections that the player can easily load from the game’s main menu. This makes replaying just an infiltration or an action sequence quite easy and encouraged, almost as if each stage of First Light is composed of multiple smaller, bite-sized stages.
Replaying specific sections over and over to find a new way to solve them or search for a specific action that will clear a challenge is outright addictive. I was able to put tens of hours into the game just replaying story stages before I even touched the Tactical Simulation menu.
Satisfaction isn’t the only reward the player will receive during these replays, either, as it features a large number of alternate costumes for the player to wear. This makes the already fun experiences of clearing challenges actually rewarding and makes me want to do it even more.
While a single playthrough of just the story of First Light will take only around twelve to fifteen hours, players willing to complete challenges and get the full experience will spend much, much longer on the game and truly get their bang for their buck on this purchase.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with 007: First Light. I went into this game with very few expectations due to my lack of familiarity with the James Bond franchise, but I found myself having a blast with the game from start to finish. While I have my issues with the gun combat and with the sneaking segments, which did something more original, every part of this game was masterfully crafted and is a must-play for both gamers and fans of the 007 film franchise.
007: First Light
Bottom Line
007: First Light is not only a great new interpretation of James Bond but a great game in general. While the combat of the game doesn't do much new, the incredibly engaging stealth segments and the near endless replay ability of this title will keep the attention of any gamer for the rest of the year. Do not miss out on this great spy title.
