We haven’t seen the greatest spy in fiction since 2021, and his return is a success so far. IO Interactive, the developers of the “Hitman” series, took on a massive undertaking when they announced that they would be developing a James Bond game.
I’ve played through chapter three, which is the entire tutorial for the game, and as of now, I cannot recommend it enough.
This starts with the characterization of Bond himself. I grew up with Daniel Craig’s Bond, so seeing a younger, unestablished agent is a new experience that I think works really well. The brash, young Bond has made the story exciting and fresh so far, and I think playing through him in training was a very cool move.
The pacing of the story is a bit slow through the three chapters and prologue I have played, but I can’t wait to see it develop further, especially after the ending of chapter three, which kicks off the plot.
What really brings this game together is the level design. IO Interactive has made a name for themselves by their high, sprawling levels that have multiple ways to get a mission completed in “Hitman: World of Assassination.” “007 First Light” continues this, but in a more story-centric game. I was surprised how well they pulled this off.
You see it in the first open level of the game, where Bond is in a rave bar and must get information. The game gives you two ways to get upstairs. I found a third secret way to get up by sneaking a stamp onto my hand and making my way upstairs.
The way that you can tackle all of these objectives is just so well done and cool; it really makes you feel like a spy, and whenever you do one of these, it feels like something unique that no one else has done.
The gadgets that you can use also make this so cool. To sneak a stamp on, I used the dart phone that makes people sick for a short while. These gadgets completely open the game up and allow for unlimited ways to tackle any of the paths that you choose to follow.
However, once Bond gets detected, stealth goes out the window. Bond gets into a bar fight near the end of the mission, which escalates into a brawl.
The hand-to-hand combat is so well done, and the way that Bond’s punches feel is fantastic. Each fight carries so much weight, and I love how Bond uses his environment. The fact that you can grab, ram, and push enemies into things is so fluid, and it allows for a lot of improvisation in the gameplay.
This is at its best when you get into a gunfight. The ammo in the game is extremely limited, so this leads to you unloading a magazine into an enemy, throwing the empty gun at them, doing a melee finisher and getting their gun. It is so cinematic, and the way you can do all of that while incorporating his gadgets opens endless possibilities in gameplay.
“007 First Light” is one of the most cinematic games that I have played. It oozes classic Bond charm and style, and part of this is due to the cutscenes. This is IO’s first real-time handling of a story game with this many cutscenes, and it is impressive how great it looks. If they were any worse, it would completely take you out of the immersive gameplay, but luckily they pulled off the cutscenes just like the gameplay.
After about five hours of playing, I cannot wait to get free time to play more. The combat is snappy and immersive, and the open levels are a blast to work through, and the different paths allow for replayability. As of now, “007 First Light” is a blast, and I can’t wait to see how the plot develops.
