Whenever most people think of James Bond, they picture an older man full of confidence who can take on the world. This is seen time and time again in almost every film adaptation of him. But IO Interactive is looking to change up the narrative a bit by showing us a younger Bond who’s still learning what it means to be a 00. Leading up to 007 First Lights’ full release next month, MonsterVine went hands-on with the game for a couple of hours. In true Bond fashion, it involved talking our way out of sticky situations, intense gunfights, and, of course, lots of gadgets.
The game opens up with Bond right before he joins the program. We see him in a new light, with standard military clothes, aboard an aircraft. In typical video game fashion, things quickly take a turn for the worse, and it’s immediately shot down, and he’s left to fend for himself. There were a couple of things I noticed the second Bond washed ashore, bloody and bruised. The first is that the game has just as many cinematic moments as its movie counterparts, and the second is that IO found the perfect blend of stealth and action gameplay to create something truly special.
As I made my way through the raided military base, I received an order from MI6 to retrieve an item without knowing much about it, because at this point in the story, he wasn’t the super spy we all know and love. Seeing an organization that treated him like any other person was a breath of fresh air for him and further emphasized Bond’s preparation to step into a whole new world.
But despite Bond being young and fresh, he still retains many core elements we know and love. One of them is that he’s good at talking his way out of situations when need be. That’s something I got to see him do, not even an hour into the game. Once I was able to explore and run around, IO’s true DNA really started to show.
The game prides itself on giving players the freedom to complete the level however they see fit. I’m happy to report that 007 is no different. As I was making my way through the military base, I was given the option to set off things that would lure enemies in specific areas, while being able to run up to them and begin fighting every single person in my path. To keep things on theme for the mission, I opted to move as quietly as possible, and it was easy thanks to my surroundings. This involved me getting on top of bunkers, jumping through windows, and sneaking through tall blades of grass to hide from whoever was in front of me.
By the time I got to the end of the mission, it had become extremely linear, which helped create those cinematic moments. The trade-off was worth it because it meant running away from a highly trained mercenary group, through caves, and using whatever I could as cover. When I reached the end of this level, I had completed the first part of my demo.
The second part was rather short-lived because it was a tutorial on how combat works. But narratively, it showcased Bond and his peers undergoing training as they progressed through the 00 program.
But where the real meat of the build was in the third level, I got to play. By this point in the story, he’s joined the program, is well into the spy life, and understands the risks it entails. Because of this, danger came to his doorstep.
This is where melee combat started to expand. It mirrors the Batman: Arkham series in many ways. For example, First Light will tell you when to parry an attack because the attacker will turn yellow for a moment, and when it’s an unblockable attack, they’ll turn red. That’s not the only comparison, too, because once you’ve done enough damage, a prompt will appear that’ll let you knock them out right then and there.
Going fist to fist with someone feels heavy and intense, and that’s by design. It’s messy and meant to have you on your toes. Each punch feels like it carries serious weight. To help ease that, you’re encouraged to fight dirty. Whenever there’s anything nearby, like a cup, book, etc., you can throw it at them, which will often leave them open for a combo attack you can do. Another unique thing about melee fighting is that Bond is more than capable of fighting two guys at once. But the second, a third, or fourth jumps into the mix, that’s when things become complicated, and you’ll have to rely on your gadgets, your nearby items to help even out the playing field.
After I was done fighting for my life in Bond’s apartment, things took another turn. A sniper started taking shots at him, and this ultimately led me to a rooftop chase scene that involved a lot of city repairs that the UK would have to pay for with taxpayer money. As soon as the sniper’s identity was revealed, more story beats unraveled, and it became clear that MI6 was in immediate danger. With this new information, Bond was forced to attend a gala in hopes of minimizing it as much as possible.
This is where many of the spy elements came into play. Since the gala was invite-only, I was forced to pickpocket someone and steal their invitation. This was done by using my watch to shoot them in the eye with my laser, temporarily blinding them, or by using chemicals that would stun them.
Once inside the sandbox of First Light opened up. I was tasked with going to the second floor to find out where the sniper from earlier was hiding. I was presented with multiple different ways to go about this. Thanks to 007’s eavesdropping mechanic, I learned from a PR woman that a couple of journalists were late to the event. With that in mind, I convinced her I was one of them, and she showed me how to access areas otherwise off-limits.
While I was doing this, I couldn’t help but appreciate a lot of the little details. One was how alive the world felt. It was filled with plenty of dialogue moments that involved NPCs talking to one another and sometimes even about you. Other times, it would be classic Bond moments. One of which involved a woman who was throwing herself at Bond because she was so upset with her husband. Watching him reject her tastefully really stood out to me. That’s because the game is filled with many small dialogue moments with him that showcase how charismatic he is when it comes to talking to people. It’s little details like this that add an extra level of immersion.
Once everything was said and done, I ended up fighting the sniper who was shooting at me earlier. This was a rather unique boss fight because, instead of charging him head-on, I was forced to use my watch to stun him with nearby items. This meant using my laser to shoot down a chandelier that would fall on him, or hacking nearby electrical devices to stun/flash him.
After everything was said and done with the boss, things somehow escalated even further. Without giving too many story beats away, Bond was captured, and I was forced to play a mini-game where I would antagonize the person beating me up in hopes of getting him close enough to hack his phone. This was something I didn’t expect to be as challenging as it was, because I needed to read the situation and know when it was a good time to have him hit me versus when to stall so I could recover from the beating I just took.
In true Bond fashion, I eventually escaped. With the green light to use my weapons. An important thing worth mentioning, too, is that you can’t use your gun whenever you want. It’s only when the situation gets to that point. This is because, at the end of the day, Bond is an agent who must follow the Rules of Engagement. But the second your License To Kill turns on, and you’re able to return fire.
The second bullets begin to fly the game changes in more ways than one. Unlike melee gunfights, they are a lot cleaner. This is because his aim is fast and true. Each time you’re looking down your sights, he’s calm and steady despite everything around him. I found myself easily picking off people left and right. But that’s not to say it wasn’t challenging.
Even in these high-intense moments, Bond can’t help but show off. While I was fighting off someone, their gun flew up into the air, and before it had a chance to touch the floor, I grabbed it midair and immediately shot whoever was in front of me.
There are a lot of fun combos you can do. Like shooting someone in the leg, that’ll have them fall to the ground and expose themselves. Or by charging headfirst into a firefight and using whoever is in front of you as a meatshield. My personal favorite, though, was giving them a one-two punch followed by a couple of shots to the chest. You can mix up combat in so many different ways, and using your gadgets can easily turn the tide of a fight, but doing that is easier said than done. If you happen to run out of ammo, you can simply throw your gun at them and proceed to beat the hell out of them.
Despite feeling like a killing machine, he is still human after all. Like melee combat, you have to be smart about how you expose yourself. Because if you simply run into a fight without a plan, you’ll end up dead the second you run out of ammo.
By the time I was able to make it out of the gala, I found myself putting the pedal to the metal in a dumpster car while a group of men tried to kill me. Just like the incident with the sniper, it caused a lot of destruction that would most certainly raise taxes to help repair the damage I made.
As soon as I got to safety, my demo officially ended. Ultimately, I walked away even more excited than when I first sat down to play it. IO Interactive proved that they know what it takes to create a memorable Bond experience. As I’m writing this, I can’t help but wonder how the overall story will play out. That said, I’m extremely excited to see what 007 First Light has to offer upon its full release next month on May 27.
