For years, the name James Bond has been synonymous with thrilling spy tales and heart-racing, action-packed scenes. Whether it’s a dashing black suit, a martini shaken not stirred, a golden gun, or an Aston Martin, 007 has multiple elements that make him a legendary figure. Movies such as Casino Royale, Skyfall, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and GoldenEye have captivated audiences, helping revitalize or launch the careers of famous actors.
Despite there being a number of 007 games — such as GoldenEye 007, From Russia With Love, and Quantum of Solace — none have covered the origin story of James Bond… until now. After the success of Hitman 3, could IO Interactive deliver another thrilling adventure? Find out in our 007 First Light review!
Overview
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Developer: IO Interactive A/S
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Publisher: IO Interactive A/S
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Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
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Release Date: May 27th, 2026
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Players: 1
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Price: $69.99 USD
A Serviceable Origin Story
007 First Light is the origin story of James Bond. Starting out as the lone survivor of an attack, Bond beats the odds and is able to survive and sanitize a black site — an act of heroics (or stupidity) that inevitably leads to Bond being recruited to the 00 program.
With new training and a new set of allies, James Bond, alongside his teacher Greenway, must uncover a nefarious plot and the truth behind the betrayal of a former 00 agent. After the death of his beloved teammates, Bond must take down an evil corporation set to take over England.
Overall, the story of 007 First Light is pretty run-of-the-mill and straightforward. However, some of the twists, turns, and deaths still created an impactful and emotional experience that kept me invested in Bond’s journey.
Mission Structure – A Bit Too Fetch-Quest Heavy
Throughout the story, there were multiple times when I wanted the missions to be shorter or just go back to the main story. Instead, it felt like I was constantly having to complete side objectives in order to progress the plot. Yes, the game is designed to be a semi-open world, but the amount of “go here, then go there” gets a bit tiring. In Hitman 3, you know what your objective is; you just have to accomplish it. With 007 First Light, you have a general idea of what the mission parameters are, but figuring out how to achieve them is another story. In a way, the story unfolds similarly to a movie, but you just have to hit all the plot points along the way.
Gameplay – Stealth First, Guns Second
Although 007 First Light uses the same game engine as the Hitman games, the gameplay feels a bit different. In Hitman, you can always just kill those who get in your way, and it isn’t really a problem until you try to play the missions on a harder difficulty. In 007 First Light, the stealth gameplay elements feel forced and mandatory. The game truly tries to turn you into a secret agent, where you have to think about your actions rather than acting impulsively.
In conflict situations, you cannot pull out your gun to kill enemies until someone pulls out theirs to kill you. Instead, you need to utilize Q’s gadgets and hand-to-hand combat to take out enemies. When fighting in hand-to-hand combat, you can use gadgets, but if you run out of resources, they become useless.
When enemies attack, they will have a red or yellow indicator over their heads. Yellow attacks can be countered if you are precise enough; otherwise, you will just block. If there is a red indicator, you’ll be unable to block the attack, but you can dodge it. Getting hit with multiple heavy attacks in a row will result in Bond dying.
Highs and Lows of the Action
Overall, the core gameplay in 007 First Light can be thrilling — whether it’s the gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, or chase sequences. The stealth gameplay feels a bit too heavy-handed, though, as it feels like you will die continuously if you don’t play the game in the exact way the developers intended. There are some great vehicle moments, but occasionally all you can do is drive straight, which feels like a missed opportunity for more engaging set pieces.
Multiplayer – A Notable Absence
Outside of the heavy stealth mechanics, the next major issue with 007 First Light is the game’s lack of a robust multiplayer experience. Yes, there is a game mode unlocked after completing the story, but it feels like alternate challenges of the maps the player has already completed rather than something new and fresh. For a franchise that gave us GoldenEye‘s legendary multiplayer, this omission is a genuine disappointment.
Technical Highlights
While the lack of multiplayer may be disappointing, there are two things that felt semi-refreshing:
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Not everything that is climbable is covered in yellow paint.
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When a bug occurs inhibiting the player, the game detects it and fixes the issue.
On a few occasions, I was trying to vault over an object, but the angle resulted in Bond getting stuck. After a few seconds, the game realized I was stuck and reset the area without respawning the enemies I had taken out. At another point, when I was jumping from one ledge to another, Bond got stuck floating in mid-air; the game realized the issue and refreshed once again, placing me on the ledge I was trying to reach. It’s a small touch, but one that saves a lot of frustration.
Visuals and Audio – A Cinematic Experience
While 007 First Light‘s graphics may not be state-of-the-art, they are still pretty and captivating. There are times when something looks amazing, and other times an object looks like it was from the 2010s. The game’s audio is what truly makes the gameplay experience impressive — the music, sound effects, and voice acting tie everything together and get the player’s heart racing. The voice acting of each actor brings the characters to life and really sets the mood of each scene, making you feel like you’re part of the action. If you were just listening to the main parts of the game, you would think it was coming directly from a James Bond movie rather than a game.
Verdict
007 First Light is a thrilling adventure from start to finish that is a bit too heavy-handed with its stealth and fetch-quest gameplay elements. While the game is arguably the best 007 game in the last twenty years, it does feel like it could be better. The lack of multiplayer truly holds the game back from becoming arguably the best James Bond game — which, let’s be honest, is still GoldenEye.
If you are looking for a fun narrative experience with heart-racing action sequences, emotional moments, and a great soundtrack, then you should pick up 007 First Light. If IO Interactive can add more story chapters to the game and a multiplayer element, this game can become a must-have. As it is now, it is a good origin story for a beloved franchise — and only that.
