Mental images of James Bond depict a clean-cut, well-mannered, strategically inclined spy ready to tackle the world’s greatest problems. Besides a few flirtatious issues, James Bond’s struggles are a result of the situations, not himself.
007 First Light smashes that perfect picture of Bond and gives us an origins story of sorts, one where bad temperament and poor decision making get our hero in the worst possible situations.
IO Interactive is probably most famous for their Hitman series, and while 007 First Light borrows a lot of the same ideas, they are telling the story of an emotionally complex character where the person is just as important as the situation. Hitman’s main protagonist is cold, calculated, and missing any real character depth; Bond is everything you want in a video game character.
The entirety of 007 First Light can be completed in about 15 hours, if you focus primarily on the story. While the game doesn’t boast a big open world, the smaller areas you can explore provide a ton of opportunities to get lost. IO Interactive has created fantastic, varied levels to visit, full of things to find; some of these things are essential to mission completion, while others simply bring the world to life.
The gameplay is relatively simple as well. You will have special abilities mapped to a radial wheel that you can use, but the majority of your time will be sneaking and taking down unsuspecting enemies.
The hand-to-hand melee combat is very well done, and while stealth is what the game pushes on you time and time again, these melee combat situations were some of the most fun and engaging moments in the game.
Gunplay is serviceable, neither exceptionally good nor horrifically bad. As you won’t spend a ton of time shooting down enemies, it really became a non-factor for me over my 20 or so hours with the game.
It was how I traversed the world of First Light that kept me constantly engaged throughout my adventure. Like with the Hitman series, there isn’t just one way to complete your mission. Loaded with gadgets from the always helpful Q, each map provides a variety of options you can take advantage of, which definitely encourages replaying the experience to see how you can do it differently.
For example, a random guard in a hallway can be taken down physically, knocked out quietly, or locked in a room you lure them into by perhaps setting off a fax machine that spits out sheets and sheets of paper. Almost every situation provides options, and that’s what makes this experience so compelling.’
007 First Light also feels equal parts stealth action game and blockbuster film. This is the origin story of Bond, how he got into MI6 and the 00 program. Fantastic world-building and solid character development make you care about the characters you interact with differently than you do in other video games.
The comparisons to Hitman really drive this home, as Bond is a much more complex individual, as are other characters like Q, Moneypenny, and your fellow recruits. Other characters develop over time, but none are as blatant and obvious as Bond’s arc.
For me, that was the hook in 007 First Light. Yes, the worlds are gorgeous, very detailed, and interesting to explore. The varied settings make each area feel unique, even if you are doing similar things over and over again. None of that, though, can trump the build-up of Bond as a character; I cared about the Bond I was creating, how he grew and learned to listen, lean on friends, and more. In fact, I was more interested to see what kind of Bond I would have at the game’s conclusion over how the story ended, as good as the narrative was.
Ultimately, there are a few things in 007 First Light that keep me from crowning it one of my favourite games of 2026.
The driving mechanics aren’t great, as these moments feel like an on-rails script. Numerous online videos on social media show people beating these sections by simply holding down the drive button and actually not needing to steer. It is a bit disappointing as car scenes are synonymous with James Bond. They feel a bit lackluster here.
I also have some concerns about the game’s AI, although I think their lack of vision is why the game probably works. Attacking a group of enemies in a room will not alert nearby people, even those in the same room. You can also sneak past people who most definitely should be noticing you, but don’t.
Despite these issues, though, 007 First Light is easily the best Bond video game I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. It mixes together ideas from Uncharted and Hitman to create an experience that is probably better than both of those franchises overall. Even if James Bond isn’t something you gravitate to when new movies hit the theaters, this game is worth your time.
Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. If he's not rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he definitely has a controller in his hand - probably playing on a Nintendo platform - or is sitting at a table playing a board game. Adam also has firm opinions on a few key topics: there are much better board games than Settlers of Catan, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.
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