007 First Light review: Tomorrow Never Dies

James Bond makes a grand return to gaming at the masterful hands of IO Interactive.

With 007 First Light, James Bond is back in the gaming world after a twelve-year absence. It’s also a major departure for developer IO Interactive, which is stepping outside of the Hitman series for the first time since 2010. The studio brings its expertise in stealth and blends it with cinematic storytelling to craft a reinvention of James Bond that honors the character's rich legacy.

I expect you to die

007 First Light is an origin story. We meet James Bond as a Naval air crewman and follow his journey as an MI6 recruit. While this story stands on its own, it packs plenty of the classic 007 tropes and characters. Moneypenny, M, and Q are all featured, with some original characters that really stand out among the pack.

Story wasn’t quite the primary focus in IO Interactive’s Hitman series, so I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of narrative it delivered in 007 First Light. Bond is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters that ground the story and give weight to all of its twists and turns. I grew more immersed in this world with each passing level, going out of my way to read documents about side characters or just listen to a conversation between two NPCs play out. It’s a dense story with so much to see and do, and I never grew bored with a storyline, location, or character.

And James Bond himself is at the heart of it all. He’s suave and charming, while also incredibly reckless and green. He refuses to let go of his humanity despite having a job that requires him to be impersonal. It made me care about Bond in a way I’ve rarely felt before. This iteration of the character is bolstered by Patrick Gibson’s performance, who makes the character his own.

IO Interactive doesn’t lose sight of what made 007 a worldwide phenomenon in its pursuit to humanize the character, either. 007 First Light is a proper blockbuster with its globetrotting adventure and over-the-top setpieces. It’s like watching the longest James Bond film ever made, except you’re controlling the action. IO even mimics the editing and pacing of an action movie, with a couple of early montages that had me driving cars, firing guns, and brawling with other recruits in quick succession. It felt like downing an espresso martini.

The first rule of spycraft

As cinematic as 007 First Light is, the game truly shines when you slip into the shoes of James Bond. Just like in the modern Hitman games, 007 First Light features a freeform approach to gameplay in which every problem has multiple solutions. Whether you decide to go quiet and stealthy or guns blazing, it’s always the right answer.

Each level is beautifully designed around an exotic location, massive building, or other unique point of interest. You, as James Bond, are unleashed upon it, tasked with finding your way to an ultimate objective. This is accomplished through gathering hints by reading documents, talking to characters, or eavesdropping on private conversations.

In one section, I needed to speak with a character in the VIP section of a club. A security guard stopped me from walking through the main entrance, so I left and returned with a tray of drinks that I nabbed from an empty table in the other room. The security guard believed me to be a server and let me right through. But that was just one way I could’ve gone about that problem. I also could’ve slipped behind the bar downstairs and snuck my way through a restricted area before emerging in that VIP room through a vent.

Perhaps the best addition to stealth gameplay in recent years is the “Bluff” mechanic. If you get caught while sneaking around, you can tap a button to improvise on the spot, explaining to a suspicious NPC why you’re somewhere that you shouldn’t be. Perhaps you’re a mechanic or an angry executive or a lost tourist; James Bond is always ready to talk his way out of any situation. It’s not a constant get out of jail free card, as your bluffs are limited, and some characters are immune to it. Still, it’s a feature that’s not only perfectly in the spirit of 007, but it also mends those frustrating moments when you get spotted by an enemy after carefully plotting a path through a restricted area.

Gadgets provide a similar flexibility. Over the course of the story, Bond gains access to various gadgets that can be used to manipulate the world and people around him. Poison darts can be used to make a character sick, causing them to leave their post. The laser strap fires from your wristwatch and can destroy locks and temporarily blind enemies. Smoke pods can be deployed to easily sneak past foes. In some cases, you can get past a group of gun-wielding enemies without ever firing a bullet.

Gadgets also present a resource management challenge, as you’ll need batteries and chemicals to power them. If you get a little too liberal with your Q-Watch or Missile Pen, you’ll find yourself unable to use more gadgets until you replenish your resources. It does feel a little silly to be constantly grabbing at bottles of chemicals and siphoning the power from miscellaneous devices, though.

License to kill

When gadgets aren’t enough, it’s time to get your hands dirty. Melee combat in 007 First Light is free-flowing, allowing you to punch and grab enemies as you time dodges and sidesteps to avoid incoming attacks. It’s similar to Arkham combat, and I absolutely loved it. Most of all because of the way the environment is used when brawling. If you're punching an enemy next to a wall, you can grab them and slam their head into it. If your fight spills into an office area, you can grab a coffee mug and beam it at their head. It always feels seamless, scripted almost.

When the moment calls for it, you can also use guns to dispatch enemies. And when I say “when the moment calls for it,” the game prohibits Bond from using a firearm until an enemy shows the intent to kill. When this happens, he’s granted the License to Kill, and you’re free to fire away.

Even when 007 First Light becomes a third-person shooter, you’re incentivized to use the environment by shooting explosive barrels, setting off steam pipes, or destroying enemy cover. Gunplay is fairly tight, but it's certainly the least-compelling aspect of any encounter. It almost became an annoyance later in the game, when levels would frequently end with a group of armored guards spilling into a room. Bond is at his coolest when he’s charming his way out of a room, not shooting it up.

With all of these mechanics at play, no two encounters feel truly the same. Outside of the story, you can test your skills in TacSim. Here, you’re run through a series of simulations by Dr. Selina Tan (played by Gemma Chan!) that are based on existing story levels. However, TacSim mixes things up with modifiers that force you to try new strategies and routes. You can also equip special costumes here, which are all prohibited when playing through the story.

The story levels themselves warrant a revisit, as there are various challenges tied to how you go about getting past an obstacle. I was constantly checking the Challenges screen to see all the possibilities I’d missed, making a note to myself to go back once I rolled credits.

Earning the number

007 First Light is a crowning achievement for IO Interactive and the culmination of the studio’s growth over the years. For the James Bond franchise, it’s an invigorating shot of life. I’d nearly forgotten how fun this world can be when properly constructed. There’s plenty packed into 007 First Light, and yet it still feels like IO Interactive is just scratching the surface of what it can do in this world. A new era of Bond is here, and I’m absolutely keen to see what’s next.

This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. 007 First Light launches on May 27, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. A Switch 2 release is planned for this summer.

Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.

Review for
007 First Light
9
Pros

• Stealth and gadgets encourage creativity
• Melee combat is deeply satisfying
• Memorable characters
• Diverse range of locations
• Excellent take on the 007 mythos

Cons

• Gunfights are bland compared to stealth and melee combat
• Monotonous resource management