Last Updated on Jun 8, 2026 @ 13:22:29 PM.
It’s been a long time since we had anything from the Bond IP to enjoy. Five years in fact. Longer still since the reveal of 007 First Light, the new IP from IO Interactive, based on our favourite British secret agent. Except this time, it’s different. This is not a seasoned Bond. This is a rough around the edges, newly inducted agent earning his way into the 00 program, being trained on the job and learning as he goes. He makes mistakes. He loses fights. He loses friends. This is not a normal Bond experience, but it’s one we needed. This is a Bond stripped back to what he really is. An Aircrewman thrust into a terrible situation, grabbing it with both hands and making the best of it. All with grit, charm and a smattering of wit.
007 First Light’s is heavily influenced by games that have come before it. It’s DNA is heavy parts Hitman (obviously) and Uncharted. Between the cinematic story, gorgeous locales, heavy-handed fighting and arcade action-like shooting, it’s easy to see why we draw this conclusion, and it’s only meant as a compliment.
The stealth of Hitman can be seen in every level, and as a main strength of IO Interactive, it’s nothing but good. Each time I’d pace around the level, hunting my next objective or target, I felt like I was playing Hitman. Looking for my next opportunity, trying to find my way in to a building or bunker, sneak through a vent into an office I shouldn’t be in. I felt like I was playing Hitman. The real distinction from Hitman though, well that comes in three ways.
The bluff mechanic. By far the best mechanic to enter the stealth genre in years. Most stealth games, when you’re discovered, that’s it. Not in 007 First Light. You swagger around like you own the place, then quickly try to bluff your way out, save a fight and continue your sabotage, as long as it succeeds. If it does? Bond comes out with some ridiculous, yet plausible excuse for his actions and his being there, and those in the vicinity will believe it and ignore him momentarily. Fail? Well, then you fight. The added bonus of this is that it’s not something you can overly rely on. You’ll earn points through your actions that allow you to use this, so at most, you’re using it once, maybe twice a level. It really adds a RNG element to it, and if I’m honest, I couldn’t tell you if I had more fun when the bluff failed or succeeded.
The gadgets. The Q-Lens, a gadget given by none other than Q, to Bond, allows him to see his way through a level. You can see enemies, objectives, items to hack, explosives and more. Hack a printer to spew pages of paper everywhere, distracting a guard? Done it. Beyond the lens, you’ll have access to a plethora of other gadgets. Poison darts from your phone, shockwave cameras to use during combat, smoke bombs and more. Whether you’re using them during a fight to give yourself the upper hand, or during stealth to distract and evade, the gadgets are a HUGE help, and further cement yourself as a new Bond. Whilst they’re somewhat outlandish, they’re not utterly ridiculous, and are somewhat believable.
The combat. Stealth games are usually an instant fail when it comes to being seen. And if it’s not a fail, then usually things get harder. That’s not the case with 007 First Light. Bond is as equally skilled at hand-to-hand as he is stealthing it up, and the combat on offer here is as fluid as they come. Reminiscent of the Arkham games (makes sense, same developer responsible for making both), by the time I fully got to grips with it, I was entering a flow state that had me throwing a cup, punching someone, throwing another enemy over a barrier, quickly switching to my pistol and dispatching another, and then using a finisher on the last guy, all within a few seconds. Situation contained, and move on. I felt like a bad ass. At the same time, this is still a Bond that is new to the spy game, so it’s more than possible to get overwhelmed, and whilst 007 First Light does suffer from enemy-AI that’ll wait around to fight you sometimes, it’s not bad enough to completely break your immersion when it happens.
As for the Uncharted comparisons? Well that’s two-fold. Throughout my journey as a Young Bond, I stopped countless times just to look on in awe at the worlds IO Interactive had conjured for me to delve into. Winter tundra’s housing the masterminds base, desert locals full of Pirates, London streets and museums that feel more alive than their actual counterparts. All these and more will have you swivelling the camera round more often than you’d realise. Couple that with the platforming, where I’d be grabbing mountain ledges, hotel balconies, pipes and more, it’s another easy comparison to make. It’s also something that the game could have spent more time with, as at times Bond seemingly ignored my commands, or I’d have to be standing in the perfect position to make the next ledge. They were some of the more frustrating moments during my playthroughs.
The other similarity was the shooting. There’s a few different guns, from pistols to SMGs, shotguns to assault rifles, but they’re not overly distinctive in their use. Shotguns wreck enemies, silenced pistols dispatch them silently, but they all feel similar. Enemies come in a similar array of variety, but essentially they’re armoured or they’re not. Whichever gun you use, whichever enemy you’re up against, a headshot, or series of, is way too easy to pull off, and aids in the power fantasy of Bond mowing everyone down. With the fluidity I could switch between the combat and the shooting, I really did feel like a Secret Agent by the end of it.
There’s also a few driving sections, which as we all know, is another quintessential Bondism. While these are great set piece moments, cinematic to the rim and adrenaline pumping, they’re not particularly the best driving stages you’d expect, and certainly one of the biggest areas for improvement going forward. Still, I’ve never driven a bigger vehicle in a game than I did here, as I drove through a quarry running over henchmen and bad guys like they were little else than ants to me.
At the end of the day, it’s doing 007 First Light a disservice to strictly compare it to two games. It’s those two and many more. It’s also entirely it’s own thing in the best ways. This feels like a classic Bond story. Twists, turns, betrayals and reveals. World ending stakes. Far too relatable stakes in today’s age. Yet some of it is predictable. Predictable returns. Predictable villains with motives that are confusing at times and non-existent at others. Some characters are fleshed out, whilst others end up in poignant moments are barely featured whatsoever. M, Moneypenny and Q are all effectively portrayed, and not just with regards to how they’re already known. IO Interactive stamped their authority on them as much as they did Patrick Gibson’s Bond.
No matter your favourite Bond, this feels like all of them, and none of them in equal measure. The grounded, gritty and visceral hand-to-hand combat of Daniel Craig. The witty humour of Connery. The over-the-top gadgets of Moore. This is everything a Bond game should be, and then some more thrown in. Sure, there needs to be some tweaks in the future sequels. Less walking/talking parts, less downtime during action, better pacing and a more fleshed out combat system, offering more than the same few punches and kicks, but as first entries go for a new IP from a developer, well, IO Interactive have excelled. This could be challenging for Game of the Year officially, but it’s certainly up there in my list as well. For everything I’ve already mentioned and more, You’d be silly to miss this.
007 First Light
Earn the Number. 007 First Light is a thrilling espionage action-adventure game from IO Interactive. Follow James Bond as a young, resourceful and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6’s training programme, and discover an origin story of the world’s most famous spy.
Summary
007 First Light is exactly what a modern-day James Bond game should be. Action-packed set pieces, decent combat, fun shooting, a story that feels like you’re responsible for the world and a smattering of sex appeal. All wrapped up in a beautiful, globe-trotting adventure that makes you stop and stare, whilst Bond, played by Patrick Gibson, spits out some snarky, witty comment to anyone that’ll listen. Great fun, great first entry in the IP and a game that’ll be up there come award season.
HOURS PLAYED: 19
PLAYED ON: PS5
- Action-packed moments feel like you're watching a Bond movie.
- Beautiful environments will make you stop and stare. Globe-trotting adventure.
- Combat is visceral and hard-hitting. Shooting is fun and arcadey. Great feeling switching between the two.
- Poor pacing, predictable story and lackluster villains.
- A lot of walking sections as story and events are told, rather than shown.
For more from us, check out our review of Hollowbody, or why Gears of War: E-Day’s new exclusivity makes no sense.
All of our reviews can be found on OpenCritic.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
