Fans of cinema will need to be patient before witnessing Agent 007’s return to theaters; however, a newly launched video game should provide an enjoyable diversion for James Bond enthusiasts.
007 First Light debuted this week on all leading gaming consoles and PCs, achieving sales of 1.5 million copies globally within the first 24 hours of release. This information comes from IO Interactive, the Danish company responsible for the game, which has dedicated years to refining its unique approach to the genre through the Hitman series.
Here’s what you should know about 007 First Light — and why it stands out as the finest Bond game in decades.
This isn’t GoldenEye
First Light marks the first significant James Bond video game release in over ten years, arriving almost 30 years after GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64.
That classic title brought the first-person shooter genre to consoles and featured a notable four-player multiplayer experience.
In contrast to GoldenEye, First Light adopts a third-person perspective and is exclusively a single-player experience, presenting an original narrative rather than adapting a film or novel.
An origin tale … focused on AI?
First Light opens with a young James Bond (portrayed by Irish actor Patrick Gibson) as a novice aircrew member on a secret mission in Iceland. The aircraft is downed, leaving Bond as the sole survivor, and MI6 recruits him to secure a mysterious asset from a distant island facility.
Shortly following this mission, Bond receives an invitation to join MI6’s revamped 00 program. Players will witness him alongside fellow 00 trainees as they embark on global missions, learning the intricacies of being a covert operative.
Players will explore crowded locations in search of clues to track down suspects in 007 First Light. (IO Interactive)
Set in contemporary times, the game directly addresses modern concerns regarding technology. Central to the new 00 program is THEIA — a quantum supercomputer utilizing artificial intelligence to monitor the activities of criminal organizations worldwide and guide agents in the field.
In the Q-Lab, where MI6 develops its high-tech gadgets, researchers ponder whether AI might eventually replace them as they create new devices.
The creator of THEIA, billionaire Sir Nicholas Webb, serves as a clear nod to a British, more polite version of Elon Musk, and at one point, is accompanied by humanoid robots that move reminiscently of the women in a classic Bond film intro. It’s rather overt.
Infiltrating the crowd
In First Light, Bond spends more time acting as a spy than as an assassin. Most levels immerse players in expansive social environments that they must navigate to locate a suspect.
At the game’s outset, Bond must covertly enter an opulent seaside hotel where elegantly dressed guests gather to observe a championship chess match. Players must devise a plan to gain entry; they might swipe a press badge and masquerade as a journalist, but first, they’ll need to distract a security guard using Bond’s Q-watch to trigger a sprinkler system.
Players can listen in on conversations to gather information during missions. (IO Interactive)
Several times throughout each mission, you can utilize Bond’s charm and charisma to talk his way out of confrontations.
If stealth and persuasion fall short, players will need to engage in combat with security personnel or mercenaries. During fistfights, the controller responds quickly to commands for punching, dodging, and parrying, allowing players to slam foes against walls or throw nearby objects like coffee mugs to disorient them.
Cinematic experience (for better or worse)
Almost every mission features intense firefights against heavily armed adversaries. The gunplay with pistols and rifles is adequate, though it lacks the responsiveness needed to effectively counter enemy attacks.
Players will also find themselves in car pursuits: racing along the Slovakian coastline in a muscle car or barreling through London’s narrow streets in a garbage truck (or “bin lorry”).
No James Bond game would be complete without a car chase or two, and 007 First Light delivers that expectation. (IO Interactive)
The pacing can be relentless throughout the game’s runtime, which exceeds 15 hours, as players are swiftly transitioned from one mission and perilous scenario to another, with few opportunities for a pause. More moments of downtime could have allowed players to learn more about Bond’s allies, such as Moneypenny and Q.
The ultimate video game tutorial?
This rapid pace serves particularly well in the initial hours, where Bond participates in a traditional training montage alongside his fellow 00 recruits. The sequence transitions seamlessly between hand-to-hand combat practice, obstacle courses, and driving laps at MI6’s training site on a Maltese island.
It’s cleverly interspersed with character interactions — such as a tussle with a rival — while effectively teaching players how to engage with the game.
Bond’s training montage serves as a tutorial for players early in 007 First Light. (IO Interactive)
Is this the ‘new Bond?’
It has been over five years since Daniel Craig’s last portrayal of Bond, and Amazon MGM Studios, the film franchise’s owner, has only recently announced that they have initiated the search for the next actor to step into the role.
Gibson’s interpretation of the character is commendable. As a younger agent-in-training, his version of Bond begins as a novice — impulsive yet not reckless, simply inexperienced.
Eventually, this evolves into a persona more reminiscent of the classic suave spy. He engages in a professional debriefing with M (played by Priyanga Burford) after a mission, and moments later, he is seen at a high-society retreat in Vietnam, having an unprofessional debrief with a biologist, portrayed by Raquel Cipriano.
There are no indications that the films and games will intersect, however. CBC News reached out to IO Interactive regarding whether Gibson might be considered for the film role, but did not receive a response.
If this is the sole rendition of Bond from Gibson and his supporting cast, it is still an impressive one (aside from Lenny Kravitz’s brief, surprisingly lackluster performance as Mauritanian crime lord Bawma).
The game features an exhilarating mix of Hitman-style stealth combined with action, along with elements from exploration games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider, which have themselves drawn inspiration from Bond films. It’s a must-play for those with the capability to experience it.