I havent played a Bond game since Goldeneye on the N64 but 007 First Light could finally change that

Date:
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
007 First Light is shaping up to be an excellent James Bond game that could win over Bond sceptics like myself - but can it escape the shadow of Hitman?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ill be honest: Im not really much of a James Bond fan. Ive seen a couple of the Pierce Broson films that mainly bored me, and that one with Christopher Lee and an extra nipple, but thats about it.

However, like any 90s kid who had a Nintendo 64, I adored the Goldeneye 007 game, and some of my fondest gaming memories involve crouching in a (virtual) toilet and shooting any friend that tried to find me. Apart from that,
though, I've about as disinterested in James Bond games as I was the films. However, my interest was piqued by the announcement that IO Interactive, the team behind the fantastic Hitman series of games, was making 007 First Light
, Bonds next digital adventure. Article continues below You may like 007
First Light gameplay director says players will 'see the Arkham games' in the combat, as well as Uncharted in its destructive environments 007 First Light gets new story trailer ahead of its May launch, showcasing a charming James Bond in his early years as a young recruit, new characters, and even more explosions Lenny Kravitz feeds his foes to alligators in latest 007 First Light trailer showcasing the villain's first dramatic encounter with Bond The Hitman games, especially Hitman 3 , feature a smartly-dressed killer travelling the world to exotic locations to take down villains. On paper,
that sounds very similar to the exploits of a certain Mr Bond, but I still
had my reservations. So, when I was given the opportunity to play a few hours of 007 First Light ahead of its release on May 27, I leapt at the chance,
keen to see how the combo of IO Interactive and the Bond franchise would
work. I was very pleasantly surprised. Die and let die Hitman s fancy globe-spanning locations and large, detailed levels that allow you to
complete objectives in a variety of inventive ways, seems like a perfect fit for the world of Bond, but the cold ruthlessness and moral ambiguity of Agent 47, the titular hitman of the series, doesnt match up to the wisecracking,
and fundamentally good, Agent 007 of the films Ive seen.

Of course, just because IO Interactive is making 007 First Light, it doesnt mean its going to be the same as a Hitman game - the devs are obviously talented enough that they could make a completely different type of game, but I think wed all agree that would be a missed opportunity.

At a special preview event held in a very fancy hotel that would make a perfect Hitman level, I was given a few hours to play some carefully-selected parts of the game. As 007 First Light is a far more narratively-driven game than any of the Hitman games Ive played (which could sometimes feel like a series of set pieces loosely tied together, which the episodic release schedule of Hitman 3 didnt help with), Im going to be very careful and not spoil any twists and turns, lest IO Interactive send a bald guy with a
barcode neck tattoo after me. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: IO Interactive ) In case you missed it, 007 First Light is an origin story, so the first level, which acts as a tutorial for some of the games mechanics, introduces us to a young James Bond who has yet to join MI6.

From the little I had seen about the game beforehand, I have to say I wasnt totally sure about this version of Bond. He isnt based on any particular
movie Bond, and the impression I got from the cardboard cutouts that were dotted around the banks of gaming PCs where we previewed the game, this Bond appeared to be a bit generic. Now, Im certainly no Bond fan, but one thing I do know is that Bond should never be generic.

Bond starts this level crawling out of the freezing sea and finds a
mysterious series of labs patrolled by foreign-sounding enemies. Finding a radio, youre then guided by a mysterious Agent Roth to get somewhere warm and figure out whats going on. This early part of the level has Bond suffering from hyperthermia, which is a realistic touch, but it does mean Bonds trademark quips and charm are replaced with chattering teeth and stutters. What to read next 007 First Light has its own Bond theme by award-winning singer Lana Del Rey James Bond 007 First Light PS5 controller pre-orders live now the best links and info The Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light has been delayed until 'later this summer'

While trying to avoid patrols and find warmth, youre introduced to basic stealth gameplay, which out in cold Icelandic terrain (where this level takes place), mainly involves crouching and dashing between hidden spots. About two minutes into the very first level, I was spotted by a torch-wielding
underling and riddled with bullets.

My incompetence made a nearby IO Interactive team member, who was watching me play, laugh. Are you supposed to die in a tutorial? I certainly managed it, and I felt more James Pond (a reference for the older gamers amongst us) than James Bond as I flopped around the frozen beach.

After another embarrassing death, I found a way to sneak past the bad guys, and snuck into a building where I found a nice, warm, coat. With this James Bond warming up, I was quickly warming to him as well, and the banter between Bond and Agent Roth started clicking as I explored the mysterious buildings.

Investigating, finding weapons and getting into fights all felt similar to Hitman (and not in a bad way), and after rescuing hostages, blowing up the base and mounting a thrilling escape that involved climbing perilous cliffs and being chased by vehicles in a cinematic set piece that you still have control over, I wasnt just reminded of Hitman , but also of Naughty Dogs excellent Uncharted series. I absolutely love those games, so thats a huge plus for me.

Best of all, with a final wisecrack and sly grin on his face as the level ended, I was fully on board with this version of Bond as well - especially as the screen fades to black, and Lana Del Reys Bond theme , First Light, which was recorded for the game and co-written with long-time Bond composer David Arnold, kicks in. Lana Del Rey - First Light (Lyric Video) - YouTube Watch On I then played a bit of a later level where Bond is now a new recruit in MI6 and is taking part in a training exercise. This level introduces you to more of the game mechanics, including using various gadgets, such as a watch that can be used to distract enemies and hack nearby devices. Sneaky gadgets that can get you into places you shouldnt be in, as well as getting you out of sticky situations, are mainstays of both Hitman games and Bond movies, so its here that the combo of Bond and IO Interactive begins to really shine.

It also introduces you to some of Bonds fellow recruits and offers multiple ways to complete objectives, preparing you for the larger sandboxes to come. Like Hitman, 007 First Light is an immersive sim, which means most levels are large and detailed, youre given some objectives, and then youre left to reach those objectives in pretty much any way you like.

This approach was exemplified in the last mission I was shown at the preview event, which takes place somewhere in the middle of the game (again, no spoilers here). The checklist - a fancy location, an objective to get inside unnoticed and a target to track down, will again be familiar to anyone who
has played a Hitman game, and its also a fantastic example of how this type
of game fits seamlessly into the world of Bond. (Image credit: IO Interactive ) Distracting someone and carefully swiping their invite gets me into the event, and eavesdropping on conversations, while also flirting with a mysterious woman at the bar (how very Bond), opens up some potential leads. Seeing the scope of the level and getting an idea of the many ways I could complete the objectives, and trying a few out, gave me the kind of thrill I used to get when starting a new level of Hitman 3 . One option that I couldnt use, however, was lethal force. Unlike Agent 47, Bond isnt a ruthless killer, which is why IO Interactive have introduced the Licence to Kill mechanic.

This means Bond cant pull out a gun or kill people until someone first tries to kill him. Once that happens, Bonds Licence to Kill becomes active,
allowing you to use whatever force is necessary until the threats are dealt with. Its a neat way of making sure the gameplay and Bond IP gel together (something I was initially worried about), and while you can certainly complete parts of level (as, Im sure, with almost all of the others) in a stealthy and non-violent way, if youre playing Bond, as I was, as a clumsy buffoon, inevitably your cover will get blown.

Now, you can try to bluff your way out of a situation, with Bond coolly
coming up with a lie about why hes in a restricted location, but that doesnt always work if theres an NPC nearby that can see through your lies. If the bluff works, you can continue your stealthy ways, but otherwise, its action time. No, Mr Bond, I expect you to hit me on the head with a mug The good
news is that fights, both hand-to-hand and with weapons, is a lot of fun.

Youre able to use various objects lying around as improvised throwables, sort of like Dead Rising , and that leads to some entertainingly scrappy fights.
At one point, I was accosted near a snooker table, which led me to grapple with a guard. After smashing his head on the side of the snooker table a few times, I picked up a snooker ball and hit him across the head with it.

This whole fight, which could have been easily avoided, flowed together brilliantly, and while it sounds violent, its relatively bloodless,
preserving the feel of Bond (especially the pre-Daniel Craig eras) movies.

Other times, I could throw books, laptops, and pretty much anything I found lying about when things got tight. You can even throw your gun once youve run out of ammo. Gunplay feels good, though as with many a third-person shooter, youll spend a lot of time hiding behind tables, desks and other makeshift shields, popping up to take out baddies before you get surrounded.

Sometimes, when an enemy goes down, theyll throw their gun up into the air, allowing you to catch it and continue firing. This, along with the environmental melee combat, really makes you feel like youre in a Bond film. That feeling also crops up while youre sneaking around and using your watch
(I assume given to you by Bond mainstay Q) to drop chandeliers on
unsuspecting guards, or setting off fire extinguishers to distract them. (Image credit: IO Interactive ) This level also has some more Uncharted-esque cinematic fight and chase scenes. By the end of my time with 007 First Light
a similarity with another game popped into my mind: Arkham Asylum. Not
because of any gameplay similarities, but because Arkham Asylum did such a good job of making the player feel like Batman, and from what Ive seen, 007 First Light does a similar job making you feel like Bond.

This all bodes extremely well for 007 First Light , and I came away from the event very impressed and eagerly awaiting its launch. One remaining concern, however, is that you might have noticed Ive compared 007 First Light to a lot of other games - I hope the final release stands up on its own merits, rather than just being an amalgamation of other titles.

I have faith that IO Interactive will deliver. And you shouldn't worry about the performance There have been some concerns based on early footage, that
007 First Light might be a little rough around the edges, but Im pleased to report that the build I played ran extremely well, though I did encounter a bug where an NPCs dialogue kept repeating itself. Certainly nothing game breaking.

I played 007 First Light on a gaming PC supplied for the event, and while I dont know the exact specs, I do know it has an Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card.

This is currently the most powerful gaming GPU you can buy, so its little surprise that the game ran well on it - Id be very interested to see how it runs on more affordable hardware, as well as consoles (theres even going to
be a Switch 2 version later).

The game itself looks fantastic, with each contained level allowing for a
huge amount of detail that would be impossible if this was a large open-world game.

The ray traced lighting was utilized extremely well, giving environments an extra level of realism, and that will be further improved at launch with the addition of path traced lighting - though this will be a PC-only feature for people with compatible Nvidia graphics cards. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles 1. Best overall: PlayStation 5 Slim 2. Best budget: Xbox Series S 3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2 4. Most powerful: PlayStation 5 Pro



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