007: First Light – Review

Shaken, not stirred

When IO Interactive, the masters behind the Hitman series, announced they were working on a James Bond game as the main character, back in 2020 if I’m not mistaken, they gave me hope that a James Bond game I’d actually care about would finally appear. Although I’m not exactly the biggest fan, I’ve read a few of the books and seen enough of the films, there’s no doubt that Bond himself is a very cool character. While the latest films have been hit & miss in terms of quality, I had high hopes for IOI – ever since they released the first Hitman in 2000, I’d hoped they would make a game where the main character was Bond himself, not a clone of his cousin from Romania. In the meantime, it’s clear that Agent 47 has also evolved into his own identity, sometimes perhaps even surpassing the famous British secret agent.

So, a new beginning for IOI, a new beginning for the Bond universe too, after being in hibernation for a few years, immense potential, and probably a lot of pressure and expectations from both the IP holders and fans who expect at least a Hitman-calibre game from IOI. Either the perfect recipe for disaster, or a dry martini, shaken, not stirred, on a scorching day somewhere on a beach. What did the guys at IO Interactive manage to deliver? I eagerly awaited to find out and, finally, on release day, Leo gifted me the Steam key that would make my weekend better.

Instead of using a story based on existing films or the actors who played Bond, the developers decided to show us how Bond becomes one of MI6's top agents. So we meet James before he's a secret agent and journey with him as he transforms from a naive and somewhat aimless young man into a veritable killing machine. It's a journey that will take us all over the world and will be full of adventure, suspense, many acts of espionage, and from time to time, explosions that destroy everything within an impressive radius around us. What can you do? It happens; it's not my fault the level designers put piles of explosive barrels right in the path of my bullets.

We meet James in a military helicopter heading to Iceland for a routine evacuation, and he's part of the British Air Force. Soon the helicopter is attacked and crashes, and James somehow manages to survive and is contacted by radio by none other than MI6, and the spectacular first mission begins, which also serves as a prologue or introduction to the game's mechanics. If you've played the latest Hitman trilogy in particular, you'll feel right at home with James's controls. Stealth is excellent and the environment offers ample opportunities to distract enemies, and hand-to-hand combat could easily rival respectable brawlers. Also improved compared to Hitman is the shooting aspect; weapons generally feel more natural in 007 First Light.

After the 'failure' in Iceland and one of the most spectacular and cinematic introductions in gaming history, James catches the attention of MI6 and is invited to join the 00 agent training program, a program that had been discontinued many years ago.

Against the odds

Just like a good Bond film, almost every mission feels like a mini-movie where you play both the role of the main character and the director. The game is a combination of Uncharted with Hitman; I think that's the most eloquent description of it. After cinematics that could put films to shame, performed by Hollywood actors, we have the exploration and objective identification part of the missions, which is also my favourite part. Just like in Hitman when you're hunting your target, every level in 007 is meticulously crafted and offers multiple opportunities for stealth and infiltration. This is where the game truly shines, because IO have proven many times that they are absolute masters when it comes to sandboxes to play in. You have multiple ways to approach objectives and reach your target, and it's entirely up to you how you want to tackle the problem. The levels are very varied in both place and location – from luxury resorts to data centres and nightclubs, each level invites you to replay it and discover what you missed the first time you went through it.

After the stealth part, combat and shooting usually follow in almost every mission. Here, the game can feel a bit on rails and might become tiring towards the end. Fortunately, combat never gets boring – unlike conventional shooters, you rarely have infinite ammo here and you'll be forced to be as dynamic, unpredictable, and use everything around you to your advantage, from gadgets to all the hidden things in the environment that can be thrown, hacked, or exploded – that's what they're there for, so use them.

Of course, the game is much more than the sum of its parts, and the guys at IO are probably the biggest Bond fans – the story is perfectly told, the pacing is sublime, and the whole game keeps you glued to the screen – you don't want to put it down once you've started.

Every component of the game is designed to make sense in Bond's world, and every component is there to tell this origin story. We're explained how the scar on his cheek appeared, how he joins MI6, and how he earns the right to bear the numbers – we're even explained why 007.

For England

I've deliberately tried to avoid spoilers – I can still tell you that the story fits extremely well into the Bond universe and is at the same time extremely relevant to the times we live in, and it wouldn't hurt if we asked ourselves questions about certain topics afterwards – including how AI is used when it comes to government surveillance of citizens and other institutions that are more in the shadows, but that's not what this is about, we're digressing.

Practically, everything is taken to the superlative – the action, the soundtrack, the cinematics, the game is extremely polished and worthy of its triple-A title. IO's attention to detail is obsessive, and the number of Easter eggs is also impressive, but I'll leave you to discover all the references to films, books, and other games.

Technically, the game is impeccable, built with the Glacier Engine, the same one used for the new Hitman series. The level of detail is impressive, the graphical fidelity likewise, and the game runs more than decently even on less powerful systems; the devs really cared about optimisation. The soundtrack is again Hollywood-level, with this Bond's main theme performed by Lana del Rey. The levels are large, though more focused than in Hitman – their role is to be a set piece for Bond, not necessarily wide sandboxes where you can mess around for hours, but a few in particular are at least on par with those in Hitman – I'd especially mention the nightclub and Vietnam among my favourites in 007.

I also want to add that Amazon, the IP holders, would be absolutely insane not to cast Patrick Gibson as the next Bond – he's perfect for the role. He has all the remarks you'd expect James Bond to make, but he manages not to annoy you and not to seem too pretentious or arrogant; he manages not to be cringeworthy or irritating.

Furthermore, we have in our arsenal the service pistol with a silencer, a watch with which we can hack electronic devices, a phone that shoots tranquiliser darts or mines, plus other gadgets that I'll leave you to discover; we have Bond girls, we have Aston Martins and Land Rovers, we have martinis, shaken, not stirred, we have an incredible story, and we have one of the best games released in 2026 and probably the best James Bond game ever released, including GoldenEye.

An honest 20-hour game that keeps you glued to the screen like gravity in a rollercoaster. Man, the coolest thing, honestly, about 007, is that it's extremely fun to play. It's been a long time since I've encountered a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, while taking its subject matter extremely seriously, but I missed this kind of tight experience, like in the Xbox 360 – PS3 era. You know, those solid 7s with a cool story, not necessarily revolutionary, but man, you had a super good time playing them. Gears, Uncharted, the first The Last of Us, Tomb Raiders, stuff like that. That's what 007 First Light is like. It knows what it wants to be, it knows its role and it efficiently goes and executes.

Besides the single-player campaign, there are also the so-called Tac Sim missions, which help you perfect your skills by completing certain combat challenges before putting them to use in the main missions. So, a kind of VR missions from Metal Gear Solid, but each mission can also be replayed, and honestly, the game is so fun that I'd probably play it again after just finishing it, if I weren't busy with Gothic Remake, Forza Horizon 6, and Death Stranding 2, and life in general.

In the 2 weeks since its launch, 007 First Light has already sold almost 3 million copies, and I hope a few more will be added after you finish reading this review. It's worth it.

Ah, I just remembered, I also have something to criticise. Not necessarily related to the game itself, but the devs added Denuvo right before launch – after some of the world had already pre-ordered – that wasn't cool and I think it needs to be mentioned. If that bothers you, I don't know if Denuvo will be removed in the future or not, but maybe you want to wait until then before spending your money on it. If you don't care, again, that's fine too, and it's another discussion anyway, separate from the game's subject.

In conclusion, I declare myself extremely satisfied with the effort put in by IOI – they gave me the Bond game I've always wanted – in their own style. If you ask me, they achieved a bit more than that – they managed to revive the entire IP and adapt it for the times we live in – they managed to make Bond both relevant and necessary – after the last films struggled to bury him, and it will certainly succeed in making a lot of new people who perhaps previously wouldn't have given two hoots about the IP and the character enthusiastic for the future of the series and the films.

It's no small feat. For me, it remains one of my favourite games from the studio, certainly my favourite Bond game, and one of the best action titles I've played in recent years. I hope this success will turn into at least a trilogy, because I want at least two more games like this.

Finally, thanks to Leo for the review key!

▶ Start video (YouTube)Open on YouTube

Played on: PC (Steam)
Release date: 26 May 2026
Developer:  IO Interactive A/S
Publisher: IO Interactive A/S