(Credit: IO Interactive/PCMag)
The opening hours of 007 First Light are a whirlwind tour of action, adventure, and spycraft big enough to fill a proper James Bond movie. I've already survived a plane crash in Iceland, schmoozed NPCs at a London nightclub, and chased a rival agent through Slovakian streets that resulted in another plane crash. And I've only just gotten started.
You know who else is just getting started? This version of Bond. Instead of adapting a specific film or book from the past 60 years of Bond history, 007 First Light is developer IO Interactive's origin story for its own continuity, starring a younger take on the agent at the start of his espionage journey. A character this iconic (and old) inspires possessiveness in fans, who have their favorite Bond interpretations firmly planted in their minds. But the boldest creative choices always trigger some controversy, and 007 First Light's baby Bond isn't just bold—he's the game's biggest star. He's given me faith in James Bond in ways I didn't think were still possible in a post-Daniel Craig era.
A New Take on Bond: His Strength Is His Youth
007 First Light's mission statement is as subtle as a bullet to the head. You begin as young Bond in his military days, looking and sounding more like a soccer player than a super spy. Before the opening credits, you experience an entire arc of Bond accepting orders from MI6 and then going rogue when that’s required to save the day.
In a fun twist, that mirrors the gameplay itself, going from a linear to a more open experience. It also reflects real life. When you’re young, you learn about the world and then make your own place in it. When you're a young James Bond, the stakes are a lot higher. As the opening credits roll, Lana Del Rey croons the thesis in the theme song, "Your strength is your youth, just use it and follow the music play."
James Bond's education continues throughout the game's initial mission. A game with a training sequence isn't surprising, but 007 First Light turns the British spy drama into a bit of a British boarding school drama. As Bond, you don't just improve your skills; you forge alliances with fellow aspiring field agents, crucial for a profession when trust is everything.
Those scenes' lighthearted whimsy, featuring late-night hijinks with classmates pranking grumpy instructors, pays off in the story's earliest tragedies. The best Bond yarns recognize that he's cold-hearted because he's had his heart broken, and that hits harder when you see that innocence shattered for the first time. While playing, I feel more ownership of this vulnerable Bond and, therefore, more investment. If 007 First Light is a hit, I would gladly continue following this spin on the character in more releases as he hardens and matures.
All of this is anchored by a strong performance from actor Patrick Gibson and a presentation that cares enough about the sights and sounds that make Bond and his world more than just generic video game fodder. Gibson is in his early 30s, so his Bond reflects that. The character is an adult who drinks, wears impeccable clothing, and beds women—the familiar Bond tropes. He also has a handsome scar, straight out of Ian Fleming's novels.
(Credit: IO Interactive/PCMag)This Bond is brimming with potential, but hasn't peaked. He picks out fancy Omega watches, loaded with gadgets built by an elderly Q, but also hangs out with today's TikTok influencers like Khaby Lame. His handlers dismiss him as an impetuous brat, but he delivers results like a seasoned professional. The combination of fresh and familiar, modern and classy, is precisely the energy that long-running franchises need to stave off ossification. With 007 First Light, that energy starts with the character but continues into the gameplay itself.
Combining Hitman-Style Flair With New Agent Greenness
Unlike their Bond, the developers at IO Interactive are veterans at crafting kills. For nearly 30 years, the Danish studio has achieved great success largely through the Hitman series, its acclaimed, stylish stealth games that demonstrated why the team was a perfect pairing with this property. Still, with 007 First Light, there is a sense of IO Interactive being called up to the big leagues, like Bond. The game's design reminds me of a cool independent director being hired to work on, say, a superhero movie. Does this represent IO Interactive's artistry at its most uncut? Not exactly. But even slightly sanded down, their work puts other games to shame.
At least in the beginning, 007 First Light shares plenty of DNA with prestige blockbuster games, including PlayStation's Uncharted, something I typically find uninspiring. However, given how much those AAA games borrow their structure from Bond films, hopping through a series of spectacular set pieces makes sense here. Even parts of the tutorial have cinematic flair as you go through an interactive training montage, complete with smash-cut editing.
Furthermore, First Light's Hitman heritage, combined with unique Bond flavor, adds personality to the formula. I was surprised by how little I shot a gun. Instead, I charmed my way through social situations to gather intel and sneak to my next objective. I grabbed a drink from a bar to fuel a watch that shot a dart that made guards sick, enabling me to slip by undetected. It's a different kind of power fantasy than just murdering hordes of goons. But this young Bond has a noticeable weakness.
(Credit: IO Interactive/PCMag)Bond's relative lack of experience and finesse also feeds into the chaos of all-out brawls. When it's time to stop being a gentleman and exercise Bond's license to kill, you slam guys' faces into walls and throw your guns at their heads once the pistols are out of bullets. It takes a lot of control to create the illusion of everything almost going out of control, much like a precision-engineered action film.
In this way, First Light reminds me of GoldenEye, a game that injected Bond shenanigans into a shooter. It also reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames' fascinating attempt to shake up AAA gaming action through the lens of a film icon. Indiana Jones began as an American take on James Bond, so there's poetry in that.
I haven't finished 007 First Light, but I can't wait to dive deeper. So far, it's my platonic ideal of a breezy, but still smart, licensed AAA game. Crucially, this Bond is terrific, not tiresome. Thinking about why gamers were worried about this new incarnation is pretty telling about our relationship to the character, and why this game is tough medicine. Still, it's ultimately good for Bond's future to prevent stagnation.
A Familiar Backlash That Gamers Must Get Over
Two decades ago, a cocky, spoiled young Bond earned his 007 license in a film featuring trendy parkour stunts and shaky camera moves borrowed from the Bourne franchise. Diehards nitpicked pointless details like Bond's hair color as an excuse to dismiss the whole experiment. That was Casino Royale, now considered one of the best Bond movies ever.
(Credit: IO Interactive/PCMag)James Bond is a quintessentially dad- or even grandpa-focused franchise. It's a pillar of the gerontocracy. Fittingly, I'm mostly playing 007 First Light on Steam Deck, as I can only play games on handhelds after becoming a father. I think that's part of the backlash against this new Bond. The idea of a young James Bond, whether in this game or the next film, inspires anxiety as we age. As the years go by, Bond goes from being your bad-ass parent to your peer to your kid.
Still, James Bond media can't coddle our fears. It must keep a stiff upper lip and do what's best for the character. Sometimes that means honoring the past; sometimes that means ruthlessly hitting reset with a lively new Bond for our modern times (the game even features tension over AI). As a video game, a youthful medium, 007 First Light is perhaps best equipped to force us to embrace that reality. I still need to see where 007 First Light goes after this, but I love that its foundation is built on a care-free young Bond who truly has all the time in the world.