007 First Light marks the first mainline James Bond game since the commercial and critical failure of 007 Legends in 2012. With the iconic British spy’s first return in over a decade, IO Interactive had a lot of expectations on their shoulders. Thankfully, I can confirm that 007 First Light is not only the best James Bond game since GoldenEye, but arguably better than some of the more recent Bond films as well.
007 First Light’s Story Surprises
One of the things that surprised me the most about 007 First Light was its narrative elements. Initially, I went into the game expecting a loose story framed around a series of sandbox missions with Hitman mechanics. However, within the it’s opening chapter, IO Interactive makes it clear that this is a completely different beast.
007 First Light’s narrative has incredible levels of polish that is similar to top-tier studios such as Naughty Dog. In fact, I couldn’t help but get flashes of Uncharted while playing through the James Bond origin story. And that’s a massive compliment, as IO Interactive did an amazing job fleshing out the game’s worldbuilding and characters.
Yes, it has the epic sandbox spy missions where players are given an infinite amount of interactive mechanics to explore. But it also has a great mix of heartfelt character moments and Hollywood blockbuster set pieces that are effortlessly woven into the campaign. This is truly IO Interactive’s best work to date. It’s also a perfect 007 story that faithfully adapts Ian Fleming’s iconic franchise to a modern series.
007 First Light Has Incredible Gameplay Variety
One thing 007 First Light gets really right is its hand-to-hand combat. It feels visceral, as every encounter is a knock-down, drag-out brawl between Bond and his enemies. However, what makes this really work is your ability to chain together melee attacks with spy gadgets and interactive objects in the overworld.
The combat actually feels very similar to the Batman Arkham games. Bond can block, counter, and quick-spam special gadget abilities. For example, while in the middle of a melee combo, you can tap a button to shoot a laser from your watch into your opponent’s eye, temporarily blinding them. This then gives you a brief window of opportunity to grapple them and slam their head into a glass window. Similarly fist fights often descend into chaos as you can grab objects in the overworld to hurl them at foes.
Speaking of gadgets, it wouldn’t be a proper James Bond game without tons of neat spy peripherals. And boy does 007 First Light have a lot of them! One of my favorites is a dart that you can shoot NPCs with that makes them feel nauseated and sick. This, of course, can be used to move guards away from blocked doors. But it can also be used to subdue a character so you can pickpocket a key item off them while they are distracted.
In 007 First Light, combat is actually split into three categories. The first one is stealth, which has you utilizing Q’s wide arrangement of spy gadgets to avoid combat. However, after you are engaged with the enemy, combat is then transitions into either non-lethal or “Licence to Kill” modes. Once a foe draws a gun on you, license to kill is automatically triggered. The game then shifts to all-out war with intense gunplay that would make even Call of Duty blush.
007 First Light’s Open World Maps Are Gorgeous
007 First Light has some of the best level designs out of any James Bond game to date. They are a perfect blend of linear narrative story sections and open world exploration. Story moments have Bond scaling mountainsides, or high-jacking a plane mid-flight. However, in most chapters, you are eventually let loose into fairly open sandbox map.
In these sections, you are given a ton of freedom to choose how to progress the story. A standout mission early on in the game that exemplifies this is a chateau in Slovakia. Without getting into spoilers, this is a massive, sprawling manor, and Bond has to find a way to infiltrate it while blending in. What 007 First Light does really well, though, is it allows players to discover various clues and options to move the mission forward on their own terms.
For example, in the Sahara Desert level Aleph, I had an option to try to win money by gambling. Knowing that I generally suck at these kinds of games, I decided to completely ignore this option altogether.
Instead, I walked around the busy marketplace until I found a crypto bro that was trying to convert his digital currency into cash. Using Q’s gadget, I was then able to hack their wallet and steal the money. This is just a small example of the various choices you are given.
007 First Light takes all the best level design elements of the recent Hitman games and has dramatically expanded them here. And I also just have to say that the various levels Bond visits in the game are just downright gorgeous. There is one section that literally had me feeling like I was dropped into a tropical resort from HBO’s White Lotus series.
007 First Light Introduces a New Bond for a New Generation
When IO Interactive first announced that they were making a new James Bond game, I was initially worried. Up to this point, 007 video game adaptations were always based on the James Bond films. However, 007 First Light takes a major risk by introducing a much younger Bond who is freshly recruited by MI6. However, IO Interactive’s take on the enigmatic British spy doesn’t miss a beat.
From the very opening hours, Bond is the classic charming and suave character we’ve all come to love over the years. IO Interactive didn’t fall into the trap of making the iconic character a bumbling fool or an immature brat. Instead, much of his growth is on an emotional level and coming to terms with the harshness of the espionage and spy business.
The rest of the cast of 007 First Light is also fantastic. Some standouts are the new Moneypenny, who is Bond’s trusty operator and veteran MI6 veteran John Greenway. The latter serves as both an antagonist and mentor. I also found the game’s masked villain and plot to be a classic 007 storyline while still feeling fresh, as it tackles modern themes in really interesting ways.
007 First Light Has a Lot of Replayability
Overall, 007 First Light took me around 25 hours to beat its main storyline. However, once the campaign ends, it doesn’t stop there. One of the game’s best features is the TacSim (or Tactical Simulator). It reminds me of the underrated Metal Gear Solid VR mission spinoff games. You are able to revisit key locations in the story while tackling new missions.
But the game mode has a very RPG-esque quality to it. When you first start, all of your weapons and gadgets are locked. As you complete missions and improve your score, you earn points, which can then be redeemed to unlock these items. The extra mode even lets you dress up James Bond in a variety of classic outfits from the James Bond film franchise.
Completing quests and challenges in both the story and TacSim mode will earn you some of these cosmetics. If you are someone who likes collectibles, 007 First Light has a lot of them. TacSim is so good, that I actually recommend players spend 30 minutes running through a few missions to learn combat. Even after beating the game, I was surprised to learn there were mechanics I didn’t know about.
007 First Light Review Verdict
007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye and is also one of the better Bond stories told in the last decade. IO Interactive has created a game that is a culmination of all of their best mechanics over the years. 007 First Light has the addicting sandbox gameplay of the Hitman franchise while also having an incredible narrative that matches the quality of Naughty Dog and Rockstar Games. James Bond is finally back and is better than he’s been in years.
Verdict: Best In Its Class (5/5)
Pros
- A wealth of unique spy gadgets that can be used in stealth sections as well as combat encounters.
- 007 First Light has gorgeous open-world sand box levels with endless choices to progress the main story.
- Faithfully adapts James Bond’s character with a new series and cast that still captures the magic of the 007 franchise.
- An incredible narrative that blends action set pieces, character-driven moments, and classic 007 storytelling.
- Incredible performance on PlayStation 5 pro that holds 60fps without any drops.
Cons
- There are a few puzzle sections in the game, that might go on too long for some players.
- Q’s spy gadgets require energy resource management to use them. You can also only have two equipped initially, which can feel a bit limiting.
007 First Light is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC starting on May 26, 2026. A code was provided by IO Interactive for the sake of review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 Pro.
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