The world of James Bond is not one that I have ever had any real affinity with, nor any real knowledge of at all. As much as I hate to sound like a Gen Z drivel spigot, these are what I consider dad films, not necessarily in a derogatory manner. If your dad likes these films and watches them all the time, you, by extension, probably did the same and thus grew up with them. My dad did not, and so I find myself at the point in my life where I feel it is too late to even bother with delving into Bond, especially seeing as I have heard most of them are not great. I have seen No Time to Die, and that is all, which is obviously the worst one to have watched. I remember next to nothing about it, and it never influenced me to watch any of the others. All this being said, my ears pricked up when I heard that IO Interactive, developers of the recent Hitman games, were hard at work on a Bond game. From what I do know about Bond, that franchise is almost made for IO to make a game set in it, full of their spy espionage calibre that they have showcased prior. Whilst that DNA is certainly felt in 007 First Light, this is so much more than just a Hitman game with a Bond coat of paint. It takes a clear love for the Bond IP and mixes together the likes of Uncharted, Deus Ex, and Hitman to create a slick, high-octane, story-driven feast that is one of the best games of the year so far. Even if you are not familiar with Bond, there is a lot to love here and I guarantee you will have a good time.

007 First Light follows the origin of the legendary James Bond, taking you through his recruitment into MI6, all the way to him earning the iconic 007 codename. As the sole survivor of a botched operation in Iceland, Navy aircrewman James Bond stumbles into the front lines, finding himself guided by an MI6 handler to complete a new mission. Showcasing ruthlessness and recklessness in equal measure during the mission, it becomes clear to MI6 that this James Bond may be a candidate to watch. Having an issue with authority to a large degree, defying orders in order to save as many lives as possible, that is the character of someone sure of himself and of potential talent to join the spy organisation. We are placed with Bond as he shoots through the ranks of the MI6 training program, befriending other candidates and taking an issue with authority once again, in the form of the training leader, John Greenway. Becoming a fully fledged agent is not easy, especially since nothing in the job is straightforward. After unravelling a massive conspiracy surrounding an ex double 0 member, it is clear that MI6 is not clean cut and that things will never be simple. You must become Bond and use all your espionage skills to the best effect, infiltrating facilities with gadgets and stealth, but also through Bond’s signature wit and charm, bluffing your way into the most ridiculous places. If you do happen to get caught, utilise your license to kill to peak efficiency and dispatch of all witnesses as you have been trained to do so. Only through proving your skills will you earn the number and become 007.

For the gameplay alone, you are getting your money’s worth with 007 First Light because every single avenue of it is top-notch. Missions are usually set as open hubs where you have to find your way to the goal, through any means you possibly can. Be that messily by going in with fisticuffs and eventually devolving into a giant firefight, or being tactical and sleuth-like, worming your way towards your goal by stealth, gadgets, and using your surroundings to your advantage. The latter is obviously more of what IO is known for in Hitman, but it has been done in a way that feels quintessentially Bond and with so much room for people to do things the way they want to do them. Its infiltration gameplay feels very immersive sim like, Deus Ex, probably being the closest example. Much like in that series, you can use your gadgets to bypass things, paving a route for you to go to the goal purely through improvisation. There is rarely a set path for you to go down, and the game encourages you to use a wide variety of ways to complete your mission. I loved trying to avoid people as much as possible, taking stealthy routes through vents, and preferring to stay out of sight. Sometimes situations will just be sprung upon you, though, letting you discover information that may give you an idea or change your existing plan completely. The eavesdropping mechanic is so fun and a perfect choice for Bond. He just whips out his phone, pretending to text whilst listening to vital information that somebody is blabbing about. In the club training mission, for example, I needed to get up to the upstairs bar, and I heard somebody say that a man tried to climb the lights up to it, which gave me an idea to do the same. But then I also overheard somebody on the phone telling their friend to say their name, ‘Jones’, to the bouncer, and then their hand would be stamped for access. Deciding to play it safe, I went to the bouncer, said the name, and walked straight upstairs to the private bar. There are so many scenarios that are exactly like this, and it offers so much replayability for subsequent playthroughs, as each mission can be done a handful of different ways. If you do happen to be caught or just are itching for a fight, the combat is great, in both melee and gunplay scenarios. Guns all feel excellent to use, and the cover system, combined with that, makes it feel very Uncharted-like, which is the biggest compliment. The melee is the highlight, though, and the different combos, grabs, and environmental interactions all make for gleefully messy scrapes. The fact that all these systems are so refined and allow for so much player agency in how they want to do the mission is so great. I love this immersive sim approach, and it was a stroke of genius for a Bond game, letting you stumble through a mission and still end up pulling it off after lots of improvisation.

The story and world of 007 First Light are also great, and although it might be a rather typical spy action-thriller story, it feels very much like a love letter to Bond and the genre he has made his own. This is full of the twists and turns that you would expect from one of these stories, and it is consistently engaging from point to point. There are moments where it can get a bit daft and over the top, even for Bond standards, but those moments are fleeting and do not impact the bite of the overall narrative. It deals with very modern themes of the mistrust of AI and questions crucially: how can we rely on AI to accomplish human tasks without the nuance of human experience? Closely related to this is its dealings with CEOs and how they see their AI creations as infallible and will go to any effort to make sure they are seen as the perfect innovation for the future. It is an important story to tell, and it is a very brave and direct deconstruction of the AI bubble that is still blowing up, even now. The story is exceptionally well-paced, and even if some gameplay sections might overstay their welcome, the story that is running through it never does. It flows so well from point to point, giving Bond a realistic and gradual growth of confidence to become the legend we know him as, figuring out the plots that are conspiring around him, and nurturing his ability to expose them and confront them. How the plot raises the stakes in tandem with this growing prowess and confidence from Bond is very well done, and you, as the player, grow with him and thus deal with the rising threats much more professionally and with all the finesse of a super spy. It helps that being a spy in this world has never felt this cool in a game. MI6 feels mysterious, but also really stylish, the Q lab being a particular highlight. There are so many different projects being developed, and you could spend ages walking around there and finding easter eggs in the form of all its gadgets. Gadgets that you use in the field also just feel amazing. Every single time I used my laser watch to open a vent or drop a hanging box on somebody’s head, I felt like a true, calculated spy. The characters at MI6, new and returning from the games, are all great, particularly Greenway, who has such a well-written story that will likely bring a tear to your eye. The real star here, though, is Patrick Gibson as Bond himself. He is cheeky, suave, and witty in all the right ways, and he embodies this character so perfectly. He nails it, and even if everything else was lacklustre, I would still play a sequel if he were involved.

007 First Light is a must-play this year, even if you have no interest in Bond whatsoever. I myself have gone from not caring about Bond to maybe giving some of the films a go, purely down to this game and how well done everything is. Narratively, it shines through its intelligent tackling of modern AI issues, but it also works as just a great celebration of spy action-thrillers and Bond films alike. It helps that this is an origin for the character, serving as a convenient entry point for everybody, no matter your history with the franchise. But above all, this is a kick-ass video game that is an absolute joy to play. The shooting and punching are adrenaline-filled madness, the set pieces are crazy and over-the-top in the best way, and its immersive sim approach to level design is wonderful. I think that aside from the Bond label, this is the kind of game that feels made for me, as it is a fusion of some of my favourite games of all time. If you love any of the games I have mentioned in this article, I strongly encourage you to give this a go because I highly doubt you will be disappointed.