What is 007 First Light?

Since the early 1990s, James Bond has been a huge part of the video game medium. Roughly 30 games have been released under the Bond licence. Spanning numerous platforms and genres, with notable titles like Goldeneye, Agent Under Fire, and Everything or Nothing, all earning a spot in many fans’ hearts. Since 007 Legends released in 2012, though, something strange happened. The games stopped coming. A suave British spy-shaped void was left in the industry, and only grew bigger as the years went by. Enter IOI Interactive’s 007 First Light, a third-person action adventure game, and Bond’s first video game outing in 14 years. But the big question on everyone’s minds prior to the game’s release was whether the game managed to live up to the expectations of fans who haven’t even had a new Bond movie to look forward to since the turn of the decade?

Given IOI Interactive’s extensive history with the critically acclaimed Hitman series, which follows the master of disguise and espionage known as Agent 47, having the Danish developer take charge of a new James Bond game felt like an even more natural fit than Bond in one of his trademark tuxedos. That being said, Agent 47 takes pride in never being seen or caught by his victims, whereas Bond is much more prone to getting his hands dirty, often finding himself in large-scale firefights or brawls with opponents he has no right to beat. A slightly different approach was needed for 007 First Light, then, and IOI Interactive certainly understood the assignment in that respect.

Developer & Publisher // IOI Interactive
Platforms // PC, PlayStation 5, XBox
MSRP & Release Date // $69.99, May 27th, 2026
Reviewed On // PlayStation 5

007 First Light Goes All in On Bond

• IOI Interactive has taken great care to adhere closely to the source material
• The game is structured similarly to a movie, which impacts the pacing negatively

From the moment the game starts, all the way through to the end credits, its clear to see just how much work IOI put in to ensuring 007 First Light feels like an authentic Bond experience. The developer’s respect for the source material is obvious, and this comes through in pretty much every aspect of the game. The story is a globe-trotting adventure that initially sees a 26-year-old Bond, played by Patrick Gibson, on the trail of a rogue 00 agent, and it takes the popular spy all around the world, including the likes of a busy nightclub in London, a bustling African marketplace and even a tropical island spa resort. This is the youngest iteration of Bond ever seen on screen, chronicling his journey through MI6 training and his efforts to achieve 00 status.

Its a bold choice of narrative, and IOI even attempts to structure it identically to a movie, with big, action-packed set pieces which crescendo before giving way to quieter moments that allow the characters and their motivations to breathe a little. The difficulty is that with a movie, this pacing feels far smoother than it does in a video game. Players will likely find themselves thirsty for the next action scene while having to walk through long corridors and having one of Bond’s allies provide the next exposition dump.

The campaign will take players roughly 15 hours to play through, but truthfully if the unnecessary fat was trimmed off, it could’ve easily been 10. This would’ve helped the general pacing massively, and it’s hard to feel like IOI didn’t try to pad out the run time a little with extensive walking/ exposition segments. The game’s conclusion, though, was undeniably satisfying and leaves the door open to potential sequels further down the line.

Character Performances in 007 First Light

• Character actors do a great job of bringing the cast to life, particularly Bond himself
• The villain is the weakest link, not particularly memorable

The story overall does its job well enough, however, and the acting and production is top notch. Gibson’s version of Bond deserves a special mention. He manages to capture the spy’s humour, confidence, and penchant for a witty one-liner perfectly, even as a more youthful character. Cast regulars Moneypenny, M, and Q all do their respective characters proud with their portrayals, too.

The villain is probably the weakest link. Bond villains are known for being flamboyant, at times visually striking, and extremely memorable- but truthfully, without going into spoiler territory, 007 First Light‘s baddie is none of those things. At times, he comes across as a cheap imitation of the movie villains he is clearly trying to emulate.

First Light’s Gameplay is it’s Best Weapon

• Both hand-to-hand combat and gunplay are well-realized in 007 First Light
• Licence to Kill mechanic ensures gunplay is a little bit sporadic

A Bond movie, and by extension, Bond himself, has a bit of everything. He’s a hand-to-hand specialist, he’s extremely comfortable with almost any weapon, he is an expert driver of anything with wheels, rudders or wings, and he’s able to talk or sneak his way out of any situation as required. This is not easy to translate to a video game- particularly if you want to cover all of the above- but IOI gave it a hell of a go.

Combat mechanics in 007 First Light are solid. Bond is a brawler, and the hand-to-hand combat feels satisfyingly weighty, and appropriately messy at times. You can punch, parry, dodge, etc., as expected, but you can also grab enemies and throw them into pretty much anything in the surrounding area, each time with a satisfying thud. Bond is also able to improvise using any makeshift weapons around him, throwing mugs and paperweights at enemies as needed to catch them off guard. Armed enemies can be disarmed too, allowing Bond to seize whatever gun they were using for himself.

Speaking of guns- the gunplay is particularly interesting thanks to the ‘Licence to Kill’ mechanic. Bond will usually be armed with a basic pistol to begin with, before finding bigger and better guns, such as the Knight- AR1 Assault Rifle, that packs a real punch. However, he cannot actually use guns unless the enemy draws their weapon and fires on Bond first, activating his Licence to Kill. This means that you can only actually use guns in specific segments of the game, massively elevating hand-to-hand combat’s importance. It’s an interesting twist, and it works for the most part, although shooting segments are perhaps a little bit too sporadic as a result. Due to how smooth and satisfying gunplay feels in First Light, players will likely find themselves wanting to do a little more of it.

Vehicles and Stealth in 007 First Light

• Vehicles handle fine in general but segments are short and almost on-rails
• Stealth mechanics work okay but can feel shallow if compared to Hitman

Bond will occasionally need to commandeer vehicles, ranging from cars to boats, but these segments feel pretty shallow overall and are almost on-rails at times. They do the job well enough, but are obviously not the game’s main priority and it shows. Cars handled fine, but one particular segment that requires Bond to operate a huge truck is borderline frustrating due to navigating extremely tight spaces. Thankfully, these segments are very forgiving, and don’t last long enough to detract from the overall experience.

The last tool in Bond’s gameplay arsenal is stealth. 007 First Light regularly lets the player decide whether to use stealth or go in fists flying, and there is little punishment for being caught other than having to fight your way out of trouble. This level of freedom should please both types of players. It’s worth noting, though, that as mentioned earlier, Bond is not Agent 47. While gadgets allow for a range of ways to silently take out enemies, Bond’s stealth options are decidedly more limited than Hitman players will be used to. He can’t wear disguises, and there are far fewer elaborate solutions for the player to create. This can make the stealth mechanics in First Light feel a little shallow in comparison. That being said, the developers likely wouldn’t have wanted to go all-in with stealth here, as that wouldn’t be in keeping with the character of James Bond or the world he occupies.

How 007 First Light’s Missions Are Structured

• First Light’s mission structure combines linear segments with open-ended sandboxes similar to Hitman
• TacSim mode allows players to play an endless variation of missions which will help replayability

007 First Light‘s structure is made up of super-linear segments, including several boss fights and car chases, interspersed with large open-ended areas. Fans of the Hitman series will be used to IOI Interactive’s huge, almost sandbox-style areas that allow for a high level of player agency, and First Light has a handful of these for players to experiment with. In these sections, there are multiple ways to approach objectives, and players can choose to distract, deceive, or even downright destroy enemies depending on what options they choose. Bond is able to attempt to bluff his enemies too, just like in the movies, and doing this will allow players to avoid potential combat scenarios.

You are able to choose from a decent amount of gadgets to use on each mission, such as a laser watch and a devastating missile-shooting pen that can clear out several baddies at a time. Choosing different gadgets to take will sometimes open up different ways to achieve objectives. Its a good incentive for those questioning the replay value of such a linear story-driven game.

In another effort to tackle replayability, IOI has included a separate game mode called TacSim, where players are able to choose from a wide range of mission scenarios and objectives to play through, chasing numerous different records of accomplishment. IOI has vowed to introduce many more scenarios to TacSim in the future, as it has similarly done with the Hitman series’ alternative game modes, in the hope that this will keep players playing First Light long after the credits roll.

Sound Design/ Visual Performance in 007 First Light

• Visuals impressive throughout
• Score is used perfectly, in-keeping with Bond tradition

First Light is a high-quality video game from top to bottom, and this shines through in all aspects. Visually, the game looks stunning, and playing on a base PS5, I encountered no issues of any kind. Environments and character models are rendered in beautiful detail, and players could be forgiven at times for thinking they are watching an actual Bond movie. The soundtrack perfectly captures that James Bond feel, from Lana Del Ray’s haunting theme song through to the subtle use of Bond’s infamous theme in the game’s score.

Accessibility Options in 007 First Light

While 007 First Light is not a particularly difficult game, IOI Interactive has still included a range of accessibility options to aid players as and when they need them.

These include 3 difficulty options, as well as features like aim assist and drive assist for players who need an extra bit of support. Other features include some actions like quick time events being auto-completed, and traversal assistance, allowing Bond to auto-climb/ jump while sprinting. Overall, the accessibility options were more than adequate for what’s expected of a game like this.

Final Thoughts on 007 First Light

007 First Light is a potent cocktail of stealth, immersive sim, high-octane action, and brutal hand-to-hand combat, with a splash of high-speed driving thrown in a mix that’s best served shaken, not stirred. The first Bond game in over a decade attempts to walk the line between multiple genres, and while the game is not without its issues, for the most part it does this successfully. A lack of consistent pacing, with fast-paced action segments stunted by extended walking sequences, does not do much to diminish the overall experience. Patrick Gibson’s performance as the famous British spy perfectly captures the cocky, confident essence that fans would expect from the character in his early days, and fans of James Bond who have been starved of a new movie for several years will find themselves well satiated by IOI Interactive’s ambitious offering.