007 First Light Review – Worthy of the Title

007 First Light performs a delicate balancing act, introducing the first new Bond in two decades, while combining bombastic set pieces with stealth forward spycraft. This act is performed brilliantly, and the new take on Bond keeps his most memorable traits, while giving him a few welcomed new ones, too.

A story focused on how James Bond becomes the legendary 007 agent makes a clear first impression about our suave, young spy. After a mission gone wrong, Bond oversteps his status as a trainee airman, risking life and limb, along with M16’s precious asset, in order to save lives. He’s still reckless and unpredictable, and down bad for every beautiful woman he sees, but Bond is the way he is because of an inability to help when he sees someone in trouble.

His heroics earn him a spot in the 00 training program, where IO Interactive delivers a masterful training montage that seamlessly serves as a tutorial and a speedy way to get Bond up to the levels of a super spy needed for his antics throughout the rest of the game. The life of a spy remains lonely as he watches everyone he cares about be put in immense danger, but this Bond is an optimist, which helps sell his carefree attitude throughout the experience.

The story kicks off with a meeting with a former double-O agent, 009, who has been accused of treason and has reemerged for unknown reasons. The layers of mystery and discovery pay off throughout, with fun twists and turns, which, while not completely unexpected, are entertaining enough that I wanted to see what was next. The story hinges on advanced artificial intelligence designed by a technology-focused billionaire.

Obviously, an anti-AI story feels incredibly well-timed, given the constant bombardment of AI slop and misinformation in the real world, and the focus on how the tech’s promise seems to overshadow its actual capabilities. This blends well with the use of modern tech in spycraft. Bond’s smartphone is a main tool in his arsenal, and his gadgets come in the form of AirPods and other modern devices. That said, talking to people and listening to conversations, along with Bond’s constant creative thinking, make it clear how important the human element is not only to spycraft but to everything people do.

It’s not a hard stance nor that heavy of a theme, but it feels baked into everything you do. It is perhaps let down by the game’s villain and his henchman, lacking in the character department. They are both slimeballs in their own way, but the main villain is a bit more reigned in than his insane AI-forward plans and supervillain lairs might suggest. His main henchman isn’t as menacing as he feels like he should be, and his reliance on pure power makes him a tad forgettable, even if the levels themselves aren’t.

The gameplay of 007 First Light moves between three main modes. The first is stealth-focused sections, typically in larger levels. Bond has multiple avenues to success, and it’s up to you to pursue them. A level in Aleph, a black-market city in Africa, tasks you with raising $100,000, starting with nothing. The city is huge and full of opportunities. I went with a fight ring and stole a crypto wallet, but there was an entire PMC building that I could have explored that I didn’t. Instead, through fun distractions created with gadgets like a laser watch strap or poison darts that make people sick, you can create any level of chaos to slip through unnoticed.

The best choice made for these stealth sections, and for keeping the spycraft at the forefront, is the license to kill mechanic. Bond is only cleared to kill people and use firearms at all if his enemies are trying to kill him. You can break stealth and go for fist fights in these situations, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed; not being able to fall back on mowing down enemies gives more weight to these sections.

The hand-to-hand combat is incredibly fun, despite being relatively simple. You can punch, charge, parry, and dodge, but what makes it feel special is how fluid everything is. You are constantly throwing enemies or getting thrown into walls, tables, or anything in the environment. Everyone bounces off these; your punches turn into wall slams, you can throw objects at enemies to stun them, and it all culminates in an almost slapstick brawl that blends Bond with John Wick in a way that makes it not only satisfying to take down a room full of enemies but incredibly entertaining just to watch how it shakes out.

Of course, you do get to pick up a rifle and go to work on enemies fairly often. While the third-person shooting itself is fairly bland in feel, the mechanical construction here is where the juice is. Bond doesn’t carry anything besides his service pistol, so when you grab a rifle or shotgun off an enemy, the only ammo you have is whatever was already loaded. Sure, you can collect it from other enemies, but you are instead encouraged to drop, or more often throw, your weapon and grab a new one. Throwing a gun at the enemy staggers them, letting you run in for a finisher and steal their weapon to continue forward.

Bond’s gadgets still play a big part here, used to disarm enemies, detonate explosives, or drop environmental debris on groups. You might be a one-man army, but that doesn’t mean you have to play fair against your opponents.

The third type is the massive set pieces. While these are the most on-rails parts of the game, they come infrequently enough and exciting enough to still succeed. Even something as silly as driving a massive garbage truck through London streets, or running across a collapsing crane, it feels like the big, bombastic action moments really sell that Bond is as much an action hero as he is a spy.

The gameplay is excellent throughout, offering constant options and opportunities for something new to happen, without feeling overly easy on the default difficulty. While the game drags a bit towards the end, largely due to several false endings, it still delivers a story worthy of the franchise.

This is carried in large part due to the excellent performances across the board. Patrick Gibson nails a young Bond. There is nativity there, but he is still constantly charming in a way that makes you shake your head with a smile on your face. He continues the trend of Bond being an absolute horndog, charming several of the gorgeous women he encounters throughout his journey. His charm works well with his overly carefree attitude, all of which helps support his more optimistic outlook on life.

The supporting cast is stacked with strong performances and characters, with three standouts in my mind. John Greenway serves as Bond’s mentor, a jaded former agent who disapproves of Bond’s creativity and recklessness. Isola, a rival spy or agent with unknown motives, has incredible chemistry with Bond, making their odd partnership sing. And Moneypenny, who seems constantly baffled by Bond’s behavior, but is able to roll with him and keep the mission on track.