007 First Light Review (Xbox): A Shining New Life

Back when IO Interactive announced 007 First Light in 2020, I think just about everyone saw that as a perfect pairing. Following the studio’s excellent work on the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy, it seemed to be the best pairing for the spy series to make a return in video games. Luckily, this marriage has led to a truly brilliant outcome. With James Bond’s return comes a new adventure filled with tons of cinematic action, an intriguing story, and many things that kept me from putting this game down.

A New Beginning

Before we go any further, I should admit that 007 is a franchise I have minimal experience with. I have never watched any of the movies, and the only game I’ve played is GoldenEye. So, with that in mind, there is really nothing I can say about how faithful this game is to the rest, or what references there are to the series as a whole. Regardless, none of that did anything to take away my enjoyment of 007 First Light.

With First Light, IO Interactive has delivered a new Bond. One who is just beginning his journey into being a spy. He acts how I imagine the character should, with Patrick Gibson delivering a performance that feels authentic to what a young, modern Bond would be. He’s cool and suave in every situation, while delivering slight jokes that lighten the mood, but don’t cheapen the more tense moments. Overall, I really enjoyed the entire cast, but as should be the case, James Bond commands your attention throughout everything.

From beginning to end, I was entrenched in this story. It’s not something that will be the narrative of the year, but it’s highly entertaining. At every twist and turn, I found myself trying to predict what was coming next. Whether you are going in loud, sneaking past enemies, or simply walking around a room looking for conversations and collectibles, I wanted to see every corner and interact with every little piece of this world. Even in situations where the game slows down, I didn’t feel like it put a stop to the game’s progression; I was just excited to learn more about what was going on in the background for these characters.

My personal favorite location for all of this was Q’s lab. You regularly visit here just before starting your next mission, and every time was like I was a kid entering a toy store. You get to walk around and see everything that the scientists are working on, including some things that will be usable by Bond in the future. Everything just drew me in as I explored.

Once the action gets going, First Light really leans into the cinematic background of 007. Explosions, gunfire, and all kinds of chaos can happen at any time. Whether you are in a cutscene or running to avoid sniper fire, things feel tense and engaging when the action decides to pop off.

The Next Shiny Gadget

While there are definitely some threads you can connect between the gameplay style of 007 First Light and Hitman, this isn’t just Agent 47 wearing a James Bond skin. You’re not going around looking for opportunities to assassinate a target, but eavesdropping on conversations and reading various environmental items to get clues for your next step are very familiar with how you go about getting information in Hitman.

The same can be said about exploration in general. While First Light foregoes the wide-open sandbox of Hitman for a more linear adventure, you can still approach problems differently, though the options can be quite limited in certain scenarios. This isn’t like Dishonored, where your choices really matter and change the state of the world, but finding a new way to get past a problem can feel rewarding.

The biggest differentiator between 47 and Bond is how the latter relies so heavily on Q’s gadgets to accomplish his tasks. He doesn’t have the same instinct ability that highlights his targets and interactive items, so you really need to pay attention to your clues and how your gadgets will help you move forward. For example, the laser strap on your watch can unlock certain doors or open a vent to sneak past enemies instead of taking them on directly. I never really felt like I was a genius when using a gadget to bypass a puzzle, but I did feel my attention to detail in the environment was rewarded.

There are also a few vehicle instances in 007 First Light, and these were probably the biggest disappointment for me. While the fighting and shooting have taken steps forward, these sections never felt right to me. Steering can be stiff, and sometimes the game tries to auto-steer you where it wants you to go. Sometimes, you’ll be given weapons to shoot, but those sections just turn into a practice of you holding down the shoot button until you reach the end.

A Scar on the Face

IO Interactive changed both shooting and melee combat for 007 First Light from Hitman. On the shooting side, things feel much better than its predecessor, though we’re still not talking about a world-class shooter here. The aiming is much smoother, and Bond has a focus ability that will slow down time, giving you plenty of time to line up your next shot, provided you have the charge for it. Enemy variety mostly boils down to how much armor they are wearing, so aiming for the head or nearby explosions is always the best option, and the game does a good enough job of providing you the ability to do that.

On the fighting side, it’s a similar story. Combat now includes a three-hit combo, with parries and throws mixed in. Again, this is better than the simple combat IO has offered in the past, but its biggest accomplishment is being passable rather than something that will stick out as a positive for you. 

I never fully enjoyed fist fighting. Being adaptable on the fly and chucking an empty gun at an enemy to stun them before punching them in the face makes you feel good, but the typical fist fight usually led to me just cornering the enemy in a corner where I would repeatedly stun lock them by throwing them into a wall. Even some boss fights ended up being like this, though there were a couple of very interesting ones that required you to use the environment to stun the enemy before you could hurt them. Those particular instances reminded me a lot of the Mr. Freeze fight in Batman: Arkham City, which is definitely high praise, but I just wish I felt that rewarding battle more often.

All of that said, the stealth gameplay here is pretty great. Bond can quickly take out anyone he’s snuck up on, and if you are fast enough to finish an encounter before anyone else notices, it doesn’t feel like you are penalized for being spotted, like can often happen in Hitman. Like combat, using your environment and gadgets to the best of your ability will help you get out of any trouble. Even if someone confronts you, you can often talk your way out of things with a bluff, which gives you a short window to do things even with the guard watching you. I do feel the detection for pickpocketing is bad, though. You can zap someone in the eye with a laser and grab something out of their back pocket in front of a crowd, and they say nothing about it. Instances where you need to pickpocket turn into kind of a joke when you realize this.

Final Verdict

007 First Light is a very fun and enjoyable adventure that I believe anyone can enjoy. The action is top-notch, with great story beats and characters that draw you in from beginning to end. The shooting and combat aren’t amazing, but their adaptability still gives them value and makes them serviceable enough to sit alongside the stealth moments that have you picking off enemies one by one. IO Interactive went all out to prove that it is the right team to make a James Bond game these days, and I can only sit and eagerly await what comes next.

007 First Light was reviewed on Xbox Series X with a code provided by IO Interactive. It is also available on PC and PlayStation 5, and will later be coming to Nintendo Switch 2.

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