It’s been five years since Daniel Craig ended his run as 007 in “No Time to Die,” sending one of the most historic and beloved franchises in movie history into limbo. In February 2025, James Bond went to work for Amazon MGM, who will produce the next film; it has yet to be announced who will step into Bond’s perfectly tailored suits, meaning the world is likely still over a year away from more 007 action. In the meantime, IO Interactive has jumped in to fill the gap in 007 culture with the phenomenal “007 First Light,” an action game that deftly blends elements of the “Hitman” franchise with world-building that feels similar to “Uncharted.” It has a few rough edges, but it’s so consistently entertaining that they’re easy to overlook, especially when one considers this as a foundation being poured for a franchise that could surpass the recent movies when it comes to pure entertainment value.
Fans of films like “Goldeneye” and “Casino Royale” will love how much “First Light” plays like an interactive Bond movie, right down to an opening action sequence that leads into a lavish credits sequence, complete with a new theme song by Lana Del Rey. “First Light” unfolds like an extended Bond film (or what the inevitable Bond streaming series might look like) with varied, gorgeous locations, and even an unexpectedly fun supporting cast that includes Lennie James (“The Walking Dead”), Gemma Chan (“The Eternals”), and believe it or not, Lenny Kravitz.
Patrick Gibson (“Dexter: Original Sin”) plays a 26-year-old James Bond, introduced as a Navy aircrewman on a mission in Iceland when his team is attacked and killed. The only survivor, he collaborates with MI6 to rescue scientists who have been taken captive by a terrorist group seeking a new weapon of mass destruction. Impressing his superiors with his fearlessness, Bond is asked to join the “00” program, coming in a few months after, you guessed it, six other candidates. The tutorial for the gameplay of “First Light” is brilliantly embedded in what plays out like a training montage from an actual James Bond film.
The opening action scene and even the tutorial are fun, but “First Light” truly reveals its excellence with the first mission, which sends Bond, a few of his colleagues named Monroe (Chris O’Reilly) and Cressida (Jessica Rhodes), and his handler John Greenway (James) to track down a rogue agent, 009, who has been spotted at a hotel in Slovakia.
As Bond cases the scene, eavesdropping on conversations and spotting opportunities to track 009, “First Light” echoes the authorship of “Hitman,” a series founded on the idea that missions could be completed in multiple ways, even using booby traps and disguises. It’s a bit more linear than the true open-world missions of recent “Hitman” games, but some of the mechanics are the same, right down to using a Q-watch to set traps or otherwise use the environment to your advantage. Alternating detective work with both melee and gunplay action sequence, ending with an incredible car chase that leads to a plane sequence, “First Light” sets its bar with this first mission and then mostly stays at that high level of entertainment for the next 15 hours or so.
The Slovakia mission goes very wrong, leading to the death of one of Bond’s allies, and sending Bond and Greenway to Mauritania to track the enemy. The plot of “First Light” won’t be spoiled, but it’s classic Bond stuff, including double crosses and action scenes that take place both far from home and right back in the heart of MI6. One of the key villains of “First Light” ends up being an AI pioneer who is using his access and technology to rule the world, giving the games a timeliness that even the Craig movies often dismissed. In a sense, it’s a story of old-fashioned spycraft defeating a tech sector that values profit and power over people. Sure, Bond gets a few Q-designed toys to play with, but his best weapons are still his fists and his silencer.
It’s also a fun reimagining of the Bond persona as a young, reckless spy instead of a mature, suave one. Risk-taking in the name of justice has been a part of some of the best pieces of Bond fiction, but it’s wonderfully embedded in this origin story in that this Bond acts more out of instinct than planning, and the strongest aspect of the writing of “First Light” is how well it performs as an origin story, taking James Bond from heroic aircrewman to recruit to training to superspy. As you develop your gameplay mechanics and abilities, it feels like you’re growing into the 007 character with your avatar.
As for that gameplay, it’s a confident mix of stealth, puzzle-solving, melee combat, and third-person shooting. Many missions can be completed with almost no combat, but there may be times when you want to punch or shoot your way to safety. Melee is smooth and often environmentally enhanced, such as in times when Bond can grab someone and throw them off a ledge or into a glass cabinet. At its core, it follows the “Arkham Asylum” model with punches, dodges, and parries. Gunplay has numerous variables, including being able to shoot weapons out of your enemy’s hands or even take them out at the knees. And if it’s Bond, there must be gadgets, so you’ll also have access to things like a Missile Pen and a Shockwave Camera, which are pretty self-explanatory.
“First Light” isn’t perfect. Some of the in-game graphics can be a bit janky, and even the cutscenes don’t look quite as polished as they should in 2026, at least on PS5. The settings are wonderfully varied from a luxury resort in Vietnam to an evil research lab atop a snowy mountain, but a close look reveals a bit of repetitive flatness in the character and environment design. These are elements that feel like they’ll be easily enhanced in future installments, as will the occasional bit of repetitive gameplay and the sense that there’s a bit too much exposition delivered via walk-and-talk sequences.
“007 First Light” is an action video game that’s designed to recall things that players have loved before from the Bond movies to “Uncharted” set pieces to “Hitman” gameplay, but it combines these things in a way that makes them feel fresh and new again. Everything that holds it back from Game of the Year status feels like something that will be ironed out in an inevitable sequel.
Of course, the game ends with a “James Bond Will Return” promise. Not soon enough.
The publisher provided a review copy of this title, played on PS5. It is now available.
