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| 007 First Light puts a younger James Bond at the centre of IO Interactive’s spy action-adventure. |
By Jon Scarr
I wanted 007 First Light to prove IO Interactive understood James Bond as more than a tuxedo, a pistol, and a famous number. The studio already knows how to build rooms full of overheard conversations, locked doors, restricted areas, disguises, and alternate paths. The real question was whether all of that could become a Bond game instead of a Hitman game wearing a different suit. It does.
007 First Light is the most convincing modern Bond game in years, with the right mix of spy work, brawling, gadgets, driving, and large-scale action. Some boss encounters aren’t as memorable as the infiltration missions, and there are a few technical issues along the way. Even so, this is exactly the kind of Bond game I’ve wanted for a long time.
007 First Light Details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Reviewed on: PS5
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: IO Interactive
Genre: Third-person action-adventure
Game Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Young Bond Makes The Origin Story Work
007 First Light starts from a smart place. Bond isn’t the finished 00 agent yet. He’s pulled into MI6 through a mission tied to a rogue agent, and the story uses that premise to show him learning how far orders can be bent before the whole mission falls apart. That makes the origin story more interesting than another fully formed super-spy adventure.
The usual Bond pieces are here, including M, Q, Moneypenny, Greenway, and Bawma, but they aren’t treated like name drops. Greenway fills an important role as Bond’s mentor, and the conflict between following orders and trusting instinct adds bite to Bond’s relationship with MI6. Bond still has the swagger and quick thinking you expect, but he hasn’t earned the room yet. That small difference changes the way the story moves.
I also like that IO Interactive doesn’t try to turn young Bond into a completely different person. He still knows how to talk his way through trouble. He still carries himself like someone who believes he belongs anywhere. The difference is that MI6 doesn’t fully trust him yet, and the game gets a lot of mileage out of that.
The wider conspiracy pushes the campaign from recruitment and training into higher-stakes espionage. Some later story turns go broader than they need to, but the main idea works. This is Bond before the legend locks into place, and that leaves IO Interactive room to make him interesting again.
Spy Work Combat And TacSim Drive The Strongest Missions
The most effective parts of 007 First Light happen when the game lets you scout first and act second. IO Interactive’s experience shows up there without turning the whole thing into a Hitman clone. You still get restricted spaces, guards, alternate paths, and social infiltration, but Bond moves through those spaces with a very different purpose.
Q-Lens And Q-Watch Turn Infiltration Into Hands-On Spy Work
The Q-Lens is your main scouting tool. It points out guards, useful objects, and places where gadgets can change your way through an area, which makes restricted spaces easier to understand before you commit to a plan. It doesn’t solve the room for you. It shows enough information to help you decide how to move through the space.
The Q-Watch handles the more direct spy work. It can hack objects and carry mission tools such as a laser or smoke grenade, with other gadgets opening up different ways to handle trouble. The important part is that these tools don’t all serve the same purpose. A gadget that works in one mission might not be the right choice in another.
Your way through often comes from tiny actions rather than one obvious marker. You listen in at the right time, lift access from someone who shouldn’t have it, distract a guard, use a disguise, or walk through a restricted space with the right cover story. Those actions make spy work active. You’re building the way through yourself, one small opening at a time.
Close Combat Keeps Bond Dangerous Without Turning Him Invincible
Combat works because Bond can’t rely on guns constantly. Firearms enter the fight once enemies prove they’re trying to kill him, which fits the character and turns gunplay into a response instead of a default state.
Dropped weapons don’t carry much ammo either. A pistol might get you through a few shots, but then the weapon is spent and you need to change plans. That can mean disarming someone, using focus for a cleaner shot, throwing an empty weapon to interrupt an attacker, or getting close enough to finish the fight by hand. The constant switch between weapons and melee keeps fights moving.
Hand-to-hand combat depends on timing and awareness rather than one repeated combo string. Parries, sidesteps, grabs, finishers, and nearby objects all matter, but those actions come together most naturally during a scramble. The fights I liked most were the ones where Bond looked like he was improvising with the room around him.
Not every encounter reaches that level. Combat gets harder to manage when too many enemies close in at once, and the bigger one-on-one encounters don’t carry the same spark as the better infiltration missions. Still, I like that Bond is dangerous without becoming unstoppable. A few bad choices can put him down quickly, so fights have real bite.
TacSim Adds Replay Challenges After The Campaign
TacSim, the Tactical Simulator mode, extends the game once the story wraps. It takes combat and infiltration ideas from the campaign and turns them into challenge-focused missions with XP, unlocks, cosmetics, and leaderboard goals.
I wouldn’t call TacSim the main reason to buy 007 First Light. The campaign is where the Bond identity lives. TacSim is more of a bonus for anyone who wants to test cleaner approaches, faster clears, and different gadget choices without replaying story chapters exactly as they first appeared.
That said, it makes the whole package stronger. The campaign length sits in a healthy range for this kind of single-player action-adventure, especially if you explore side content. TacSim adds a replay layer for anyone who enjoys finding cleaner approaches or testing the combat rules away from the story’s pacing.
Bond Style And Technical Issues Share The Same Stage
The visual style in 007 First Light gets the Bond tone right. MI6 spaces, glamorous events, restricted areas, training locations, and larger action scenes all fit inside the same spy adventure. The game has enough elegance to sell the fantasy, but it still leaves room for danger, field work, and less glamorous locations.
The cast also does a lot of work here. Patrick Gibson’s younger Bond isn’t trying to imitate one specific film version. That helps the origin story stand on its own. M, Q, Moneypenny, Greenway, and Bawma all support the wider MI6 structure, and the story benefits from treating them as part of Bond’s growth rather than background decoration.
The voice work, mission chatter, and soundtrack carry a lot of this part of the game. The music has the right spy flavour, especially when the game moves from quiet infiltration into chase scenes or direct combat. It knows when to let a room breathe and when to push the action forward.
On PS5, the technical side is good but not without some issues. The most persistent issue is the wait after some retries, which gets annoying when a fight or action sequence makes you repeat a chunk of the mission. Visual issues also show up, including occasional clipping and texture quirks. None of this ruins the game, but it does keep the game from feeling as clean as it should. For a Bond game built around style and timing, those moments are harder to ignore than they should be.
007 First Light Is The Modern Bond Game I Wanted
007 First Light gets James Bond right in the places that count most. It understands that Bond isn’t just about shooting, driving, or wearing the suit. It’s about reading a room, finding openings, using gadgets, talking past trouble, and fighting your way out when the plan breaks.
That is where IO Interactive succeeds. The Q-Lens and Q-Watch make spy work hands-on, the melee combat keeps Bond dangerous up close, and the better missions let you scout a space before everything turns loud. I came away impressed by how often the game balances infiltration and action without losing the Bond identity.
The flaws are real. Some boss encounters aren’t the campaign’s strongest material. Some guided action scenes don’t reach the same level as the open infiltration work. The PS5 version has long waits after retries and a few technical issues that are harder to ignore than they should be. TacSim is a welcome extra, but it works better as a replay layer than a second half of the game.
Even with those issues, 007 First Light is the Bond game I’ve wanted for years. This is the one to grab for a spy adventure built around scouting rooms, bluffing through restricted spaces, using gadgets, and fighting your way out when the plan falls apart. It finally makes Bond feel right in a modern game again.
007 First Light Review Summary
Liked
- Young Bond origin story gives IO Interactive room to build its own version of 007
- Q-Lens and Q-Watch make infiltration more hands-on
- Spy work, bluffing, gadgets, and close combat fit Bond well
- Combat keeps Bond dangerous without making him unstoppable
- TacSim adds replay challenges after the campaign
- Voice work, mission chatter, and soundtrack sell the Bond style
Didn't Like
- Some boss encounters aren’t as memorable as the infiltration missions
- Combat gets harder to manage when too many enemies close in at once
- Some guided action scenes don’t reach the same level as the open infiltration work
- Long waits after some retries get annoying
- Occasional clipping and texture quirks are harder to ignore than they should be
Overall Assessment of 007 First Light
Gameplay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.2 / 5)
Presentation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.1 / 5)
Performance: ⭐⭐⭐✨☆ (3.8 / 5)
Story / Narrative: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.1 / 5)
Fun Factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.2 / 5)
Overall Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.2 / 5)
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