Review: 007 – First Light

8

I have always been a James Bond fan, which is reflected in the fact that I reviewed all the films from memory when I rated the 25 Bondfilmer that have been released to date. Right now, we don’t know much about the 26th film, except that the very competent director Denis Villeneuve (Dune) is linked to the project and that he is now looking for a new James Bond. So, the fact that Amazon took over the franchise might not be so bad after all.

Bond games history and my first experiences

Alongside the Bond films, a lot of games have also been released, the first of which arrived as early as 1982. Eight years later, I got my first Bond game, and that was The Spy Who Loved Me for my Atari ST. I really loved that game. Unfortunately, it has always been a bit buggy, and now it is the only game in my collection that does not work properly.

Then I have a whole bunch of Bond games for the original Xbox, and I can’t even grasp how many hours I’ve spent playing GoldenEye: Rogue Agent together with friends on two Xboxes in my then-tiny apartment.

A weak period in the game series

The latest game I played was James Bond 007: Blood Stone from 2010, and it was unfortunately quite a big disappointment as it ended on a cliffhanger and another game never came. After that game, two more were released that didn’t make much of an impact.

Amazon takes over – and something new happens

But then something happened. Amazon took over the rights and started on a new game together with the team behind Hitman. The game was named 007 First Light, and for the first time, we get to follow Bond on his first faltering steps as a secret agent. The first trailer left me wanting more, and now it’s installed on my Playstation 5 Pro. Will it live up to its promise?

A young Bond thrown into the heat of the action

The 26-year-old James Bond (Patrick Gibson) is thrown straight into the heat of the action when he is shot down over Iceland. It turns out he has stumbled right into a mission held by MI6 (the British Secret Intelligence Service). Bond narrowly survives and is recruited to train as a 00 agent in the reinstated License to Kill program.

The training is tough, but soon he and his fellow students are ready to head out on their first mission. Agent 009 went rogue years ago but has now resurfaced with the aim of making life miserable for MI6. Now it’s up to Bond to stop him, but it soon turns out that everything is not as it seems, and Bond finds himself in a life-threatening situation where everything is at stake.

An explosive start and familiar game mechanics

007 First Light starts extremely explosively, and you as the player are thrown straight into the action at the same time as James Bond. The graphics are incredibly beautiful with fantastic detail and lighting. There isn’t a quiet moment throughout the first mission.

It is clearly evident that it is the team behind the Hitman games, because just like in many other stealth games, there is perfect tall grass and blind and deaf enemies to sneak around. It is still so well-made that I don’t get hung up on the fact that it’s something I’ve seen many times before.

007 First Light really feels as if Uncharted and Hitman had a child together. The best parts of both games are truly present here. However, you soon find yourself in your first fight, and that’s when things happen. You have several different ways to fight, and you can bull-rush your opponents. When you crash into tables and walls, things fly everywhere with wonderful destruction.

You can also bluff your way out of situations and then take down enemies from behind, so fighting isn’t always the right way to go. Using firearms takes a very long time before you are allowed to do so, and you must be shot at first before you can shoot back. Then, License to Kill is authorized. While aiming, you can click the left analog stick (a bit cumbersome, but it works), and then, much like in Red Dead Redemption, time slows down so you can take your shot in peace.

Gadgets from Q and varied game structure

In addition to your weapons and fists, you also have gadgets from Q. You can blind opponents, destroy cameras, hack computers, and much more. Gameplay-wise, there are always several things to do, and even though the levels are structured in a similar way, it never gets boring. Plus, you can also solve the mission in more ways than one. You can eavesdrop on different characters and thereby get clues. Thus, the replay value is high.

After you have been sneaking around, you will get to chase and shoot, and then jump into a car to chase villains or flee for your life. The game is incredibly cinematic, and it makes me sad that it’s been a long time since a Bond film was this good.

Third-person view and smart training

007 First Light is in third-person view, so you have full control over where you are and how you move. There are no problems seeing how you climb, sneak, or shoot. The controls are simple, and the game gradually teaches you all the parts you need to know to progress.

For while Bond is undergoing his training, the game trains you on how to control him in the best way. A smart setup, and once you get out on your first mission, it feels completely natural to use all the skills and gadgets at your disposal.

There is also an online mode where you can replay levels you have completed in story mode together with others. At the time of writing, the servers were not activated, so I could not test the online mode, but it is something that I will definitely try once everything is working after the game is released.

Bond references and respect for the source material

The game creators have also succeeded well in constantly making nods to what makes the Bond films good, and for you who are a Bond fan, there are plenty of fun references and nods to the films.

Patrick Gibson as James Bond

The Irishman Patrick Gibson (Dexter: Original Sin) can truly call himself James Bond in my book. He succeeds with the feat of being both youthful and realistic, but also having that slightly exaggerated twinkle in his eye that only Bond can have.

The game creators have really succeeded in creating a new version of Bond that somehow has both parts. Daniel Craig never quite succeeded with that; he managed the realistic side but not the more exaggerated yet grounded feel that provides the right James Bond vibe.

Would I like to see Gibson on the big screen too? I don’t know, maybe. After all, the filmmakers can now do whatever they want with the character, and since it is rumored that the new script is based on true events and that they will make an ultra-realistic Bond, I think they are once again heading in the wrong direction.

Bond has to be a bit of a fantasy figure for it to work. If it becomes too realistic, they might as well make another spy thriller with a different name. Every time they have tried to make Bond more realistic, it has gone down the drain, as in License to Kill (1989) and all the films with Daniel Craig. Those who have succeeded best in portraying Bond in a modern world are the Kingsman films.

Performance and technical details

I tested 007 First Light on Playstation 5 Pro and according to the specifications, the game maintains a steady 60 FPS in both Performance Mode and Quality Mode. There currently seems to be no support for 120 FPS in any version.

On the standard Playstation 5, it is 30 FPS that applies in Quality Mode. The same goes for the Xbox Series X where it is 60 FPS, but on the Series S, you don’t get more than 30 FPS regardless of the version. The same also seems to be the case for the upcoming Switch 2 version.

The graphics are fabulously beautiful, and I never experienced any problems with lag or other issues. The only thing I found a bit annoying is that the loading times are quite long. On the standard Playstation 5, they are surely even longer.

Small flaws that detract from the overall experience

In summary, I can’t give any other rating than a must, and if it weren’t for a few small flaws, the rating would have been a full score.

As mentioned, the loading times are long, which is annoying since you will die often. The other thing that bothered me is that when you die, you get the choice to change the difficulty level. If you do that, there is nowhere to change it back without dying again, which is a bit strange.

Furthermore, I was bothered by the fact that you pick up batteries and fluids to refill your gadgets, but these objects do not move when Bond touches them. He doesn’t actually pick them up, but the creators could at least have made an animation where he lifts the items.

The final thing that bothered me is that James Bond has a large scar on his face, which might not be the smartest thing when you are supposed to be a secret agent. On the other hand, Bond has always introduced himself at every turn, so it might not be the biggest problem.

A promising step for Bond – both in games and film

Regardless, I really like 007 First Light. The story is good and interesting, the game flows smoothly throughout, and I never felt bored. The difficulty level is just right, not too hard and not too easy, and the gameplay is varied even if you recognize everything from other games. What feels most different is possibly the fight sequences where you can truly crush your surroundings.

007 First Light also gives me hope that the new films might be really good. If they can have the same touch as the game, they can balance the fantastic with the realistic and make Bond fun again.

IO Interactive sent a review code for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests.

A fun footnote is that this is my thousandth text written here on senses.se. I started with a few small appearances in 2013, but I have been writing continuously since 2017.

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