“Is James Bond still relevant?”
That is the age-old question that has followed the 007 film franchise throughout its more than 50-year existence. With every soft reboot and recast, people inevitably ask whether James Bond still has a place in what was, at the time, considered the “modern” era. Time and time again, that question has been answered the same way: absolutely. You don’t get to 25 films by worrying about relevance.
Ironically, the question feels far more appropriate in the gaming space.
It’s been 14 years since the last James Bond game, 2012’s disastrous 007 Legends. While many gamers still revere 1997’s GoldenEye 007 as one of the most influential console shooters ever made, the rest of Bond’s gaming history has been considerably shakier, nor stirred. Only 2003’s Everything or Nothing came close to capturing the feeling of actually starring in a Bond movie. Between inconsistent quality and such a lengthy absence from the medium, including an entire generation where Bond skipped the PS4 and Xbox One altogether, the franchise’s presence in gaming was effectively dead.
When IO Interactive was announced as the new steward of the Bond license, I was cautiously optimistic. Their recent Hitman trilogy delivered a level of sandbox creativity and playful espionage that often reminded me of the larger-than-life Bond adventures from before the Daniel Craig era. Combined with IO’s knack for stylish presentation and polished production values, they seemed like the perfect studio to bring 007 back into the spotlight.
Now that the game is finally here, does this partnership earn its license to kill?
ON HIS MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
007 First Light serves as an original take on the James Bond origin story, following a young 26-year-old Bond before he earns his 00 status. Set in a modern era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, the game smartly uses that backdrop to ask whether a character like Bond is still relevant in a world that seems determined to automate everything. It’s a surprisingly effective angle, and one that helps give the story more substance to what could have been a traditional James Bond tale. Paired with a cast of highly likeable characters, both new faces and familiar Bond staples like M, Q and Moneypenny, 007 First Light often feels like it could sit comfortably alongside the films. The pacing is excellent, the set pieces are thrilling, and more often than not it feels like you’re playing through the 26th Bond movie.
A big reason the story works as well as it does is that IO Interactive was given the freedom to do its own thing with the character. Patrick Gibson’s take on Bond clearly takes cues from previous iterations. You can see a bit of Daniel Craig’s physicality, Pierce Brosnan’s swagger, and Roger Moore’s sense of humor throughout the performance. At the same time, he never feels like he’s doing an impression of any of them. The result is a version of Bond that feels fresh while still feeling unmistakably like James Bond. More importantly, it’s the most fun Bond has been in a very long time. IO manages to bring back some of the larger-than-life energy that disappeared during the Craig years while still giving the character enough weight and seriousness when the story calls for it. Sorry Denis Villenueve, whoever you hire for your upcoming Bond movie’s got a tall order to fill now. Patrick Gibson’s Bond is a great new Bond and I’m extra eager to see where they go from here in future sequels.
LICENSE TO KILL
The gameplay in 007 First Light is essentially IO Interactive’s recent Hitman sandbox design wrapped inside an authored action-adventure game in the vein of Uncharted. Throughout most of its 15 to 20-hour campaign, you’ll be bouncing between semi-open environments that offer multiple ways to approach your objectives and more curated, linear action sequences where you’ll shoot and brawl your way through waves of enemies. These are then tied together with big cinematic set pieces that range from high-speed car chases to the kind of death-defying scenarios you’d expect from a Bond movie.
Considering the game is pulling from two very different styles of design, there was always a risk that 007 First Light would end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. The sandbox levels could have lacked the variety and creativity of Hitman, while the action-heavy moments might not have matched the polish of a fully directed adventure like Uncharted. While First Light doesn’t quite reach the highest highs of either inspiration, it gets impressively close. More importantly, the way it blends those two styles together feels tailor-made for James Bond. The result is a game that captures both the spy fantasy and the blockbuster action in a way that few Bond games ever have.
If anything, I actually appreciate how 007 First Light works as a gateway to the sandbox gameplay that made Hitman so popular. The game funnels and guides players just enough to help them understand the appeal of experimenting with different approaches without overwhelming them. As great as the recent Hitman trilogy is, its open-ended design can be intimidating at first. Because First Light has a more focused narrative, IO is able to trim down some of that complexity while still giving players a taste of the freedom that makes those games so special. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ends up creating a whole new wave of Hitman fans, specially as the game will keep getting updated via its TacSim mode, which based on the challenges it poses, seems like its where they’ll flex their sandbox muscles over time.
As for the action, there’s an intentional messiness to it that might not be the most polished thing in the world, but it helps create a level of scrappy intensity that feels perfectly suited to James Bond. The game mixes hand-to-hand combat, gunplay and stealth together extremely well, and it’s at its best when you stop treating it like a traditional cover shooter or stealth game. Instead, the fun comes from improvising on the fly. You get seen, you’re rushing enemies, shooting them in the leg to make them drop their weapons, throwing guns across the room, diving into fistfights, and somehow surviving while everything around you is exploding. It creates a sense of chaos that feels far more cinematic and much closer to the rhythm of the films. Best of all, the game actively rewards that style of play. Simply sitting behind cover and popping headshots or slowly taking out enemies one by one is entirely doable, but is often the least interesting option available to you.
LIVE AND LET DIE
007 First Light maintains an excellent pace for most of its runtime, but it does stumble a bit near the end. Chapter 7, in particular, serves as an infiltration mission that’s clearly meant to give players a breather after some of the game’s bigger action sequences. In theory, it’s a good idea. In practice, it gets bogged down by a few too many starts and stops that feel out of sync with the rest of the adventure. The game generally does a great job balancing its sandbox gameplay with its more linear story-driven moments, but the final chapters switch between those styles a little too frequently. As the story builds toward its climax, that constant shifting can occasionally disrupt the momentum rather than enhance it.
I was also a little disappointed by the boss fights. While I understand what IO was going for, First Light misses an opportunity to let its excellent combat system really shine during some of these encounters. Instead, several bosses rely heavily on environmental interactions and scripted mechanics rather than allowing players to engage with them using the full range of tools they’ve spent the entire game mastering. It reminded me a bit of Uncharted 2’s infamous Lazarević fight. The combat in First Light is so much fun that I never felt these encounters needed extra gimmicks to make them exciting.
Still, those complaints are small potatoes compared to everything the game gets right. If anything, 007 First Light reminded me a lot of Resident Evil Requiem and the way it successfully blended two very different styles of gameplay into a cohesive experience. In fact, I’d argue First Light is an even stronger example of that balancing act. At no point did it feel like the sandbox side of the game was fighting for attention with the more cinematic action-adventure side. Both styles complement each other remarkably well, and that’s not an easy thing to pull off. It’s a fine line to walk, but IO Interactive absolutely nailed it.
Special shout out has to go to the presentation in 007 First Light. IO Interactive’s Glacier Engine already gave the recent Hitman games a stylish, glossy look, and it serves Bond exceptionally well here. This is an absolutely gorgeous game from start to finish, packed with visual variety and an impressive level of polish throughout. I was admittedly a little concerned after some of the early showings, but the final product ended up exceeding my expectations. Outside of a few jumpy animations, some inconsistent character model details during gameplay, and the occasional frame drop, there really isn’t much to complain about. The game looks fantastic whether you’re playing on a base PS5 or a PS5 Pro, with the Pro version providing the extra sharpness and image quality you’d expect from the enhanced console.
Pair all of that with an excellent soundtrack that feels right at home in the Bond franchise, and 007 First Light becomes a genuine audiovisual showcase. Whether it’s the globe-trotting locations, the flashy action sequences, or simply walking into a room looking cooler than everyone else, the game consistently looks and sounds the part.
After 14 years away, 007 First Light doesn’t just bring James Bond back in style, it reminds us why he belongs in the gaming space in the first place. By successfully blending IO Interactive’s sandbox expertise with blockbuster action, delivering a fantastic new take on Bond himself, and wrapping it all in a polished presentation worthy of the franchise, First Light accomplishes what very few Bond games ever did. It’s the complete package and more importantly, it feels authentically Bond.
For years, the question wasn’t whether James Bond was still relevant. It was whether anyone could make a great Bond game again. 007 First Light answers that question with confidence. Bond is back, and hopefully he’s here to stay.
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