IO Interactive has built a solid reputation over its years of existence, and while the studio has been focused on Hitman recently, it has a wealth of talent that goes well beyond what that series has shown. 007 First Light is finally nearing release, and it showcases how talented the studio truly is, diving headfirst into a story-based experience with strong action, set-piece moments and gameplay possibilities. Having played a solid three-plus hours of the game in a hands-on session in Los Angeles this past week, I am more excited than ever that 007 First Light is the Bond game many have been waiting years to experience.
007 First Light is a new origin story for the character. It takes the many ideas the series has brought to life and reframes them in a way that makes it a starting point for people who want to experience the character, while staying true to the essence of what has made so many people enjoy him for so long.
Starting the demo, the journalists in the room got to experience the Iceland mission, taking players to the moment James Bond moved from being a typical airman to getting his foot in the door at MI6. After a helicopter is shot down, Bond is the only survivor and needs to infiltrate a base that has been taken over by an elite criminal group, and things only go downhill from there.
IOI does a fantastic job easing the player into how 007 First Light works and how James Bond controls. While the game uses the Glacier engine, the same one that powers Hitman, 007 First Light is a very different experience. Bond is much more nimble, with running, hiding and traversal all playing a big part in how he controls.
While the game keeps the clockwork-machine style of gameplay in some regards, more on this in a bit, this is much more of a story-driven experience. Players need to play with purpose in select missions and push forward to find the best way to take on each challenge as you dodge enemies, worry about being shot and spend most of your time outgunned.
007 First Light does a great job bringing James Bond to life in a way that feels believable. He is not a cold-blooded killing machine, especially not early in his life as a 00 agent, so he struggles, gets hurt and risks his life to save as many people as possible. This first segment forces the player to use strategy instead of going in guns blazing, with no weapons available as you try to carry out your mission. It helps give you a sense of how the game works, how Bond controls and what the game expects from you.
“007 First Light is finally nearing release, and it showcases how talented the studio truly is…”
It is worth pointing out just how fantastic 007 First Light looks. Yes, it may be using the same engine as Hitman, but IOI has done a fantastic job making everything look absolutely stunning. Character animation feels natural and fluid, detail is sharp, and gameplay is smooth. It is easy to compare the game to the likes of Uncharted in this early segment, and the studio has made a game that feels just as responsive as that series. They do this all while bringing the classic 007 to a new audience, with the character feeling fresh, engaging and, frankly, like someone whose journey I want to know more about.
The next segment we got to play took us to Malta for training and gave the player a better sense of how combat works and the limits of what an MI6 agent can do. Unlike Hitman, where you can let loose on anyone you want to, 007 First Light gives you a licence to kill, but only as a last resort, so do not expect to go into a mission and lay waste to everyone you see.
Preserving life is one of the main goals, which means taking on any challenge is about using your location, how enemies react, and your gadgets to gain an advantage. You have a Q-Watch that gives you the ability to overload devices, fire poison darts and even blind characters in the world, and that is only at the start. While you are limited on what you can do on the killing front, you have plenty of non-lethal ways to take on each challenge.
This brings me to the melee combat, and as much as I have hated how it worked in other games, IOI has nailed it here. Bond is nimble in how he controls, and is a very competent fighter when you dive into the fray. It feels like a bit of a mix between the Batman: Arkham games and Assassin’s Creed, borrowing the best aspects of each while making something that feels wholly its own. It takes a bit to get used to, and Bond is not an indestructible tank, but once you get the hang of things, it is incredibly fun and very rewarding.
Jumping into the third section, based in Kensington, is where we get a sense of how complex and unique 007 First Light can be. This mission takes players back to England and showcases the variety of gameplay on offer. It shifts from taking out a few assassins to running over rooftops in London, then all the way to infiltrating an exclusive party, and it all works to expose the many gameplay systems at work.
007 First Light is very much a single-player-first experience, and that lets IOI cut loose with the set-piece moments, some of which are fantastic in this section. It evokes the sense of tension and scope Bond is known for, and shows how this young MI6 agent is still learning the ropes while still being highly trained and very good at his job. Once you finally get to the party segment, 007 First Light showcases the pedigree of IOI and how years of working on Hitman can lead to fantastic gameplay segments that few games can pull off.
“007 First Light does a great job bringing James Bond to life in a way that feels believable.”
This party is where the clockwork machine seen in all the Hitman games can deliver some amazing emergent gameplay moments while still feeling like part of the single-player narrative structure. As you work through your goals and try to find ways to take on the challenges, you get a sense of the range of ways 007 First Light can be tackled. There is no one-size-fits-all way to take on these missions, and you can investigate and use the people around you as pawns to reach your goals.
Watching other players take on the mission I was working on gave me a sense of just how different everyone’s plan was, and how it can lead to vastly different challenges as they work through the missions. The ending will be the same, but how you get there is part of the fun, and IOI uses that to create some truly interesting moments.
I decided to pose as a journalist, using a press badge and some insider knowledge to get past the guards. But there were other ways involving sneaking or taking out select guards, and those are only the ones I saw. It was clear that, if I took more time to explore, the possibilities could have been more intricate and interesting than that. It never felt overwhelming, and instead felt like I was a spy, using my skills to infiltrate the way I wanted, and it was incredibly fun.
I did not know what to think when I first heard IOI was working on a James Bond game, but having played 007 First Light, I can think of no studio better for this. It nailed the experience and the tone, and used its expertise in a way that feels fresh, engaging and fun. The team knows what it is doing and has gone all out to build a game that is unmistakably James Bond while feeling like a natural evolution for the studio.
While I have only experienced around three hours so far, I cannot wait to dive back into 007 First Light to see how the full experience plays out. Slated to launch at the end of May, I cannot wait to see more of the experience and how this new Bond adventure unfolds.
@cgmagazine IO Interative discusses the process of making this new iteration of James Bond for 007 First Light
♬ original sound – CGM
