‘007 First Light’ review: no video game has done Bond better

Despite an incredible 50-year legacy on the big screen, the list of best James Bond games starts and ends with 1997’s 007 Goldeneye. That classic shooter laid the foundations for every multiplayer gun game since, but the many other adaptations that followed were largely tired, forgettable and charmless. The sloppy greatest hits of 2012’s 007 Legends was so poorly received, IP custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson blocked gaming giants Activision from publishing any more Bond titles. Their licence to kill, revoked.

• READ MORE: Inside Lana Del Rey’s era-defining James Bond theme song ‘First Light’

According to bosses at IO Interactive, the studio behind franchise reload 007 First Light, they only got the go ahead after sticking Daniel Craig’s head on the body of their ruthless Hitman hero Agent 47 and showing it to Broccoli and Wilson. There’s a lot more to this refreshed take on Bond than a reskinned version of the sleek assassin adventure series though.

First Light is an origin story for the world’s most famous secret agent, expanding on something that has only ever been briefly shown in the opening to 2006’s Casino Royale. When we meet Bond (played by Patrick Gibson), he’s a Royal Navy Aircrewman on a covert operation with the SAS that goes badly wrong. After his helicopter gets blown out the sky and he washes up on a beach crawling with baddies, MI6 pops up over his radio to ask if he’ll investigate what’s going on – before he swiftly goes rogue to save imprisoned scientists from their trigger-happy captors. Still, bureau bigwig M (Priyanga Burford) is impressed and wants the wilful soldier to join the newly rebooted 00 programme of super sleuths.

From the opening title sequence soundtracked by Lana Del Rey’s playful ‘First Light’ to the twisting plot about rogue agents, AI-powered super computers and issues with authority, First Light is pure Bond.

Just like the blockbusters, this spy-in-training is a crack shot and more than happy to throw down, but First Light also requires stealth acumen. The various globe-trotting adventures can be beaten a number of ways  – by brute force, creeping about in the shadows, making use of the ‘Bluff’ mechanic – which lets you lie to gullible henchmen – or a combination of all three. There’s no right path and you’ll need to react quickly to the ever-evolving environments. First Light captures the scrappier, more chaotic side of Bond perfectly. Run out of bullets? Simply lob your now-useless gun at an enemy’s face.

An early training outing set while UK dance duo Chase & Status are DJing a packed nightclub can be derailed by a jealous boyfriend if you speak to a woman wearing red. In a fancy Slovakian hotel, you can simply stroll past the goons patrolling an underground labyrinth after donning a chauffeur’s hat – or knock them out one-by-one by sabotaging washing machines and crushing them underneath shelving units. It’s ripe for replay.

There are no upgrades to Bond’s health bar or combat abilities as the game progresses, but a variety of new gadgets do become available. The Q-Watch can hack electronic equipment which is handy for causing a distraction, while a Missile Pen will blow your cover while wiping out any enemy soldiers. There’s limited inventory space though, so you’ll have to make decisions based on how sneaky you’re feeling.

The whole thing has been crafted with the same passion, respect for the lore and attention to detail as last year’s Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. There are loads of Easter eggs to be found as you explore MI6 headquarters in between missions and Bond’s blossoming relationship with fellow espionage newbies Cressida and Monroe lets his cheeky, charming personality come through. In fact, Gibson’s version of the iconic character is so well-done, Amazon’s ongoing search for Daniel Craig’s successor could stop right here.

‘007 First Light’ is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC