This is a big one. It feels like our first proper full-game review of a new AAA game for the site. 007 First Light is special because of that. But also because it’s just a damn good game.
IO Interactive have outdone themselves. Flexing their muscles and their mastery of the Glacier game engine. Putting-out not only one of the best James Bond games of all time, but one of the best action-adventures games, too.
007 First Light is action-packed, right on-point with the vibe of a James Bond movie, and a fantastic experience from top to bottom.
Here’s what makes is sing, much like Lana Del Rey with her Bond theme for the game.
Tone
Easily the most important part of a James Bond game has to be setting the right tone. A franchise with a significant legacy. 007 First light had so many expectations piled-up against it. Purely because of what people think James Bond actually is.
Throw in the fact that the basis of 007 First Light is that you’re literally a young James being recruited into MI6. It’s taking chances by telling a story that many have assumed over decades.
Thankfully, from audio to dialogue. From actors to set pieces and story beats. 007 First Light is as much a Bond story as any of the movies. And being able to interact with it and engage with a new take on the origins of Bond, is fantastic.
You have quippy, suave and very British dialogue. The script could very much be taken from a film. That’s not hyperbole, either. The way IO Interactive have hit the nail squarely on the head for what a game like this should feel like, is impressive.
Gameplay
There’s no denying that Hitman World of Assassination DNA is all over 007 First Light. We mean that in the best possible way. The maps, the crowds, the movement. You’re getting elements from one of the best modern gaming series.
Then it’s improved-upon with the combat. Melee combat is a joy. Short combos, parrying, blocking, grabbing and throwing. It’s all there. You feel like a young Bond looking to get through a situation by any means necessary. Bashing heads against walls and rails, grabbing people and throwing them over ledges. You can contain potentially dangerous situations quickly and quietly. When “Situation Contained” flashes up on the screen, after a tense few moments, there’s something very satisfying.
Then we add the gunplay into the mix. 007 First Light is giving us all of the fun. Shooting guns out of hands and using the same sound effect from Goldeneye. Running out of ammo so then having a prompt to just lob the gun at the nearest enemy to daze them and go in for a melee attack. How about disabling enemies by shooting them in both their legs? No problem!
You have no end of ways in which to engage with enemies in the game and it’s never not fun. Stealth isn’t the core aim, but it’s completely doable. Utilising the incredible Q-Watch you can blind enemies, hack objects in the world, blow-up barrels (which you could just shoot as well if you would rather). You get the mechanical elements of Hitman, but in a new, interesting way.
With so much of the maps having interactivity (explosions, steam valves, laptops, environmental hazards etc). You could do the same section of a level 20 times and do it differently each time.
Think of 007 First Light as an interactive James Bond Movie with shades of Hitman and Uncharted, and you’re in the right area. Then look at the combat and other ways to engage and you’ve got yourself a best-in-class video game.
This is a game that really feels like a classic action/adventure game from the PS2/Xbox 360 days, and we mean that in the most positive way possible. It knows it’s a game, the tone of Bond allows for some silliness and chaos and it just works.
Cast
Let’s just focus on the cast for a few minutes, because it feels like 007 First Light has been approached as a movie first. Pulling in some exceptional performances, able to deliver the lines and action in exactly the way you would expect from the films.
Banter and dialogue between Moneypenny and Bond feels natural and fun. Even getting some lovely British terms in there. Moneypenny calling Bond a “Bellend” in a dry, sarcastic tone really floored us. Just so much feels natural and engaging.
Bond himself, played by Patrick Gibson, feels like the perfect choice. Effortlessly understanding the brief here. He talks the talk and delivers it with the same wit and confidence you expect, whilst maintaining that feeling of him being younger and less experienced in the field.
Moneypenny and Greenway are stand-outs as well. With some nice story moments and excellent voice work. It took a while to click that Greenway is also the voice of Lord Shaxx in Destiny. Which definitely got a chuckle once it sunk-in.
Q and M are delivered in style, each offering a new take on the characters, whilst maintaining the core elements you expect of them.
The only one real question mark in 007 First Light is the inclusion of, and marketing of Lenny Kravitz as Bawma. Barely utilised in the story, and frankly pretty wooden and pointless. It would have been nice to see another young, new face given the opportunity. But the role was ultimately pretty small, anyway. Although there is more story content coming which features Bawma. So we may yet be surprised.
Story
007 First Light is a James Bond story first and foremost, and the plot, narrative path and set pieces all feel like a perfect fit for the long-standing series. You could absolutely say this is a James Bond movie, and that’s high praise.
Yes, it’s got game elements, but there’s nothing here that feels like it wouldn’t fit in a film. Q gadgets, cars, women, locations. Everything in 007 First Light works to service the series and treat it with the reverence it has earned over decades.
The story takes some twists and turns. Nothing shocking or unexpected, but the game took you in different direction, and certainly towards then end added another spin for good measure. 007 First light hits all the right notes when it comes to Bond storytelling, for sure.
Because of the actors and the voice work, moments that required subtlety and nuance, got it. But when the action was big and the chaos was everywhere, the quips and the urgency landed right where the should. Really impressive stuff.
Performance and improvements
Truth be told, the “issues” encountered in 007 First Light were few and far between. The game ran smoothly throughout our time playing it, the action flowed, the explosions and particles look amazing.
The handling of vehicles felt a bit rough. Boats and cars didn’t really handle particularly well. But the use of them is kept to certain moments anyway. It isn’t like a core part of the moment to moment gameplay.
Sometimes enemy AI got a little stuck, just shouting whilst not really moving or making any advance on our position. This is fine, too. Just takes you a bit our of the immersion. But it also added to that PS2/X360 era charm. Odd take? Probably. But it really didn’t impede significantly on the experience, and it gave us chance for some nice takedowns as we snuck around.
Aesthetic
007 First Light is dripping in contemporary style. The levels feel well designed and handcrafted. With that crisp, clean Hitman style. Every environment feels unique and cohesive.
Lighting is stunning when you’re crossing a beach in a 4×4 or as you in a boat heading towards a luxury island hotel. There’s nothing to complain about, with excellent character models and facial animations. 007 First Light has it’s own style that goers deep into realism, using colours, lighting and textures to really deliver a cinematic feel.
To top it off, the music is excellent. With strings stirring-up in moments of tension and drama. The score feels like a Bond movie, and then you have the actual 007 First Light theme, too. At every step of the way, this game has been designed to portray as a film, without detracting from the fact that it’s a game, and there are very few (if any) games that have ever really pulled this off.
Special mention to sound affects, too. Shooting, explosions, bullet ricochets, punches. You name it, the work here is exceptional.
Each and every element of the game is hand-crafted with the utmost attention to detail.
Replayability
As mentioned before. You could re-do an encounter 20 times and it would go differently each time. You have so many options and things to try.
Re-playing the story to find collectibles for that 100% is going to be fun too. The difficulty feels ideal, so re-living and re-playing different levels with more experience will be a nice opportunity to enjoy things differently.
Beyond the core story, you also get access to TacSim which is kind of your end-game content. I’ve never needed a narrative action game to need end-game content. But being given free reign to approach challenges and progress against global leader boards is fun. Unlocking skins and gear as you go.
There’s some real added value here, and the Hitman vibes really shine here when you get the “challenges” screen at the end of each simulation.
You have plenty to go at and so many ways to re-play and re-approach things. There are hours and hours of more things to do after the initial 16(ish) hours of the story.
Overall
It’s clear how much we’ve enjoyed our time with 007 First Light. Filled with moments of fun gameplay and cinematic grandeur. If you’re waiting for the next Bond movie, this is actually it.
It follows the template of what makes James Bond work as a series, and makes it interactive, engaging and just good fun.
The only real ask is that we get more of this. With a Year 1 roadmap out and content being added both to the story and as TacSim content. There’s plenty to go at, and that’s after the fact that the core game is delivering everything you would expect. You could argue that IO Interactive don’t need to give the game a longer lifespan, but that’s the nature of the gaming world now, and frankly, that’s fine by us because we want more.
No surprises here, but this is one of the best games of 2026.
DAM that’s excellent.
