007: First Light PC Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: First Light does not break the mold in any meaningful ways, while not being a bad game either. In fact, IOI's first forray with 007 is pretty great. And with their history of updates and meaningful sequels - I look forward where 007 goes next.

4

King's Man

For the last 10 years, IOI has been making James Bond games. Hitman’s soft reboot with the World of Assassination trilogy in 2016 tapped into the spy elements the franchise was partly based on more than ever, with a globe‑trotting adventure taking Agent 47 around the world, infiltrating social events, using a vast array of ICA‑made gadgets to take out targets, and even starting to quip while getting involved in some banal situations behind closed doors. If you wanted to take part in a poker tournament, infiltrate high society in an evil villain lair on a remote island, become part of a luxury clinic in snowy Hokkaido or more — Hitman had you set. On top of that, it was a deeply immersive and infinitely replayable sandbox, while also managing to tell a great narrative through its level design, opportunities and more. The world was steeped in intrigue and lore.

When IOI was set to create a James Bond game, I couldn’t think of a more perfect fit. Announced shortly before the finale of their Hitman trilogy, playing the final instalment already felt like a test of what a James Bond game would look like. IOI added more narrative elements to Hitman 3 and told a proper conclusion to its story, while creating some of the best levels that told stories of their own with unique twists and turns. The final level in the World of Assassination trilogy, to top it all off, was a very linear affair with so much depth to it regardless, blending spectacle and gameplay mechanics. If we got a whole Bond game like that? I’d be set.

After 5 years of anticipation, and a year after its full reveal, 007: First Light has arrived. So how does it actually fare?

Shaken, Not Stirred

First Light is easily the best Bond game we’ve ever gotten, but the competition in that field has been quite dry for more than a decade now. As an action game, it shines. Blending social levels, set pieces, fantastic combat sequences and sneaking sections together, all carried by a narrative that shows how a young Bond became part of MI6 and found a purpose, the game will have you jumping from level to level with incredible pacing. If you’re looking to take a break, good luck, because First Light will keep things moving along for hours. One of the best moments in the game was struggling with an assassin, falling off a rooftop into a garbage‑filled alley, and then moving to the gala of the evening where London’s social class gathers while we look a tad bit dirty. Now that’s Bond.

IOI is known for making stealth games, and they’ve arguably made my favourite stealth games ever with the Hitman trilogy. Ironically, stealth and social stealth are the weakest parts of 007: First Light. Stealth can feel a bit clunky, with Bond not quite sticking to walls and the mechanics not running too deep here. You’re very likely to get caught and have to contain a situation in a fistfight. And certain levels that include social stealth and opportunities, like the hotel in Slovakia or the Webb gala in London, are quite a letdown. These missions give you a few options to complete your objective, but they don’t run that deep. And if you take a look behind the curtain, most levels with infiltration opportunities in a social setting take you through all of the options, and they are required. It gives the illusion of choice where there’s really none, and these sections felt like they padded out the game more than they added anything.

Lingering on the social aspect of Bond, for the settings it introduced like a chess tournament or a gala, it was a bit remiss that none of these cool settings were used for some immersive Bond action. James is known for jumping into fencing or poker tournaments to get closer to a target, and I wish IOI’s 007 would take more opportunities to blend in like they’ve expertly done with Hitman’s Agent 47. Hopefully an older Bond will join in on a poker tournament and become a more suave, dapper spy.

But for as well known as a spy Bond is, he’s more often than not a troublemaker. Both with the ladies, and with the goons. First Light shines at depicting Bond’s action origins. It boasts a deep and fun melee combat system, where you can throw goons off ledges, into fire extinguishers, throw objects and more while parrying their strikes and figuring out combos. The gunplay, and especially the shooting sections the game drops you in, are amazingly fun. Explosive, deep, and varied, they’re a good fit for challenge runs. If someone is disappointed by the lack of depth in stealth or social stealth as a spy, you’ll get whole levels of shooting sections with tons of depth to them.

The Q‑lab with our resident mad genius is one of the best parts of the game, and Q provides Bond with tons of gadgets that you can choose from to take on these combat sections. The environment is full of items to hack, interact with, or blow up. Platforms can be taken out so goons fall to their death. Machines can be activated to blow goons away. And the last portion of the game has a fantastic section with hundreds of ways for you to take on a fight. I’m not over‑exaggerating here. Any depth IOI has from designing sandbox stealth games has gone to combat. And it pays off.

Bonding, James bonding.

This version of Bond is a unique one, the youngest we’ve ever seen him, and sporting his scar from the novels. Character‑wise he’s surprisingly good‑natured. I expected a young Bond to be cocky, and to have to be humbled. And while this Bond does suffer some tragedy, he’s a boy with a heart of gold from beginning to end, sometimes naive. But with a strong sense of loyalty. He reminds me more of Kingsman’s Eggsy than James Bond. The supporting cast around Bond often outshines him, with grumpy mentor John Greenway being the highlight of the story, sporting a fantastic character arc. Greenway and Bond have a Nathan Drake and Sully‑like bond. Bond’s companions during his training days also provide a great backdrop to giving the spy… friends? And MI6’s Moneypenny and especially Q are some of their best versions in 007 history.

First Light’s story is an alright affair, with highs and lows. It has a strong start, makes middling use of some set pieces like those mentioned earlier, but can certainly nail the Bond atmosphere at times. It takes bits and pieces from every era, from Connery, to Lazenby, to Craig. Still, it feels closer to a generic action game at times than a truly unique Bond tale. The main narrative is alright, mostly serving to keep you moving from level to level. The characters and supporting cast outshine Bond. The main villain is a little underwhelming, especially as he lets Bond slip away one or two too many times. That’s how a Bond villain works but it’s a bit exaggerated here. But all in all, you’ll get a globe‑trotting adventure as you become familiar with Patrick Gibson’s version of Bond

Final Thoughts

First Light is not an endlessly replayable, half‑immersive‑sim with deep sandboxy levels. It really does lean more on the Uncharted side of things as an action game, a very good one at that. As a Bond game, it works and sets a great foundation for the character going forward. I hope IOI flexes their creative side when it comes to level design even further than they did here going forward. But they clearly have a deep passion for 007 and his history. The game is full of references to all sorts of lines and bits of Bond’s history, and I’ll happily anticipate what they’ll add to that history going forward.

About the Author

Lander Van Poucke Lander is a passionate gamer from Belgium with a flair for the dramatic. Valuing storytelling & narrative in games, he favours single-player games, RPG's & fighting games for their lore and vast array of characters.

007: First Light PC Review