007 First Light Review – Target Mostly Acquired

007 First Light Review

IO Interactive’s reputation has always been built upon a blueprint of patience. Hitman rewards players who stand still, who memorize patrol routes, and who wait for the perfect moment to act. So, naturally, when it was announced that IOI (like Bond himself) acquired this property’s license, the assumption was that Agent 47’s methodical DNA would be baked into every corner of their 007 experience. The reality of 007 First Light is more interesting than that — and more complicated.

It should first be noted that 007 First Light is an origin story. A 26-year-old Bond, plucked from the Royal Navy (after a brutal mission-gone-awry sequence), navigates his early days here inside MI6’s revived 00 program. It’s immediately engaging, and IOI fully leans into. Rather than adapting an existing film, they took the riskier route of introducing a younger Bond who is freshly recruited by MI6 — and it doesn’t miss a beat. From the jump, this Bond is charming, brave, and self-assured, but also raw and unafraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

Deja Vu

As mentioned, 007 First Light’s narrative draws on the franchise’s collective cinematic history to build moments and setpieces that would feel at home playing in your local theatre. Character models and cutscenes look fantastic, often showcasing cinematic flair you’d expect from a Bond film. It’s obvious that production set forth with a clear vision of what it wanted First Light to look like, and for the most part, it succeeds. As expected from the team behind the Hitman games, environments are insanely dense and atmospheric, and the various locations Bond visits throughout the campaign are wonderfully distinct from one another. It can’t be said enough that IOI has done a tremendous job in capturing the spirit of the films.

Where 007 First Light surprised me most was in its approach to gameplay. This isn’t Hitman in a Flamingo suit or a Vampire Magician costume. Of course, IOI makes use of some elements from the Hitman series, but they also weren’t shy about pulling from other greats of the genre as well. The result is something more approachable than their previous work. 007 First Light is less about engineering the perfect kill and more about momentum. There is stealth here, and it certainly works (maybe a little too well), but the player isn’t punished for abandoning it. Unlike Hitman, where patience and precision define every encounter, First Light is entirely okay with pushing players forward and demanding quick improvisational skills.

Tone Shift

I think that shift in the gameplay’s tone is worth touching on. Veteran IOI fans may initially furrow their brow at how easily guards can be ignored or overpowered. Truth be told, I think there’s genuine liberation in it. You can walk into a room, size up the situation, and start clobbering dudes with a wickedly fun combat system — and 007 First Light mostly lets that play out without consequence. It’s a significant, initially jarring departure from the punishing structure of the Hitman games, but I promise it’s a refreshing one. Sometimes I just want to whip some ass without analyzing a dozen scenarios beforehand, you know?

That said, the AI does 007 First Light absolutely no favors. Guards can be fooled in ways that’ll have you convinced you’re playing a game from 2005. Pickpocketing someone barely in arm’s reach, for instance, with zero reaction from nearby NPCs looking directly at you. Enemies that couldn’t hear a truck’s horn go off. Basically, if you see an enemy, chances are there is some way to cheese the encounter. For players who wanted a more stealth-focused experience, it’s going to feel less like a tense cat-and-mouse game and more like an afterthought.

Growing Pains

Then there are the technical hiccups. I hate to say it, but audio drops out mid-dialogue with enough frequency that it can’t be ignored. Far too often, I was in the middle of a conversation, and the character’s audio cut off before it finished. Clipping issues pop up here and there as well. None of it is catastrophic. Everything certainly is patchable. And given IOI’s pedigree for post-launch support, I’d expect 007 First Light to be in a much different state 6-12 months from now. For better or worse, this is an IOI game, through and through. Their unmistakable fingerprint is all over it.

But, look, we have to talk about this ridiculous, always-online requirement. 007 First Light gates a meaningful portion of its content — cosmetics, challenge tracking, leaderboard placement — behind a persistent internet connection. The full single-player campaign runs offline once you’re set up, sure. But much of what the replayability comes from requires this insane requirement to be adhered to. It’s the same philosophy IOI applied to the Hitman trilogy, and it’s just as baffling here. For a single-player narrative experience, tying progression and unlocks to server availability is a ludicrous imposition on the player.

Bullseye

Despite those complaints, 007 First Light is hard to put down. All of its charm carries it forward with a “just-one-more-act” quality that Bond filmmakers would be wise to study. The writing is sharp, the pacing is solid (I loved the first act’s academy storyline), and the world feels alive. Large locations are packed with NPCs who look fairly distinct, move naturally, and interact with the environment in ways that only feel mechanical or rehearsed if you spend time looking for that sort of stuff.

No, 007 First Light isn’t a perfect game. The AI needs a ton of work. The audio issues are hard to overlook. And the online connectivity requirements remain one of IOI’s dirty, bad habits. But when it clicks, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. The combat is fluid and hard-hitting, the gunplay is super satisfying, the level design is impeccable, and it’s all wrapped up in a fun, Bond-origin story. It feels great to be a 00 again.

***A PS5 code was provided for this review***