Editor's note: This review contains spoilers
“I’ve been reading up on the 00’s, and I think the programme deserves a reboot.”
This is what iconic Bond regular Ms. Moneypenny, reimagined in “007 First Light” as the “girl in the chair,” tells James Bond before he’s shipped off for training in Malta to become the hero fans know and love. It’s also the apparent mission statement of developer IO Interactive as they were tasked with both telling the first original Bond story since fans said goodbye to the Daniel Craig era in 2021 with “No Time To Die,” and developing the first 007 video game since “007 Legends” in 2012.
IOI did not disappoint as “First Light” is an excellent game that serves as the definitive James Bond experience, while telling a compelling original narrative that does justice to iconic characters and introduces compelling new ones. It feels extremely cinematic and like a true James Bond film down to the sleek pacing and bombastic action.
From the jump, First Light wants the player to feel its cinematic quality. The opening cutscene and subsequent level in rainy Iceland show off the game's beautiful graphics, culminating in an opening title sequence set to Lana Del Rey’s “First Light,” a song made just for the game that feels very classic Bond. IOI goes all in to immediately signal to players that this is as authentic as any movie in the franchise.
Usually, Bond games are movie tie-ins or at least star an actor who fans would recognize as James Bond, but since there is no incumbent cinematic Bond, IOI had to reimagine the character. For this, an origin story was the perfect route as it puts the player in his shoes right away and they learn to become the remarkably competent superspy with him.
Patrick Gibson, previously best known for his role in “Dexter: Original Sin” as the titular young serial killer, shines as James Bond and he makes the role his own by taking some of the best elements from previous actors to inform his own performance. He’s got Roger Moore’s wit, Pierce Brosnan’s suave demeanor, Timothy Dalton’s brutality, Daniel Craig’s angst, and Sean Connery’s womanizing attitude. Due to being the sum of Bond history, it’s unlikely he’ll be anyone’s favorite rendition of the character after just one game, but it’s undeniable how well he slips into this role.
Gibson shines the most when Bond's charming personality gets to bounce off his supporting cast. Lennie James of “The Walking Dead” fame is excellent in the role of John Greenway, a disgraced former 00 agent whose no-nonsense attitude is a natural foil to Bond and his quippy nature. This is such a layered performance from James and as the game goes on, you peel back those layers and realize how soulful a character he is. The realization that Greenway sees himself in Bond makes their journey from a rivalry to a genuine friendship all the more emotional.
The other standout original character is Isola Vale (if that is her real name), played by Noémie Nakai. Isola is a classic Bond femme fatale and her self-serving nature is an awesome contrast to James Bond’s unrelenting selflessness. Nakai and Gibson also have such great chemistry, which is so important for this game because it’s so committed to capturing that authentic Bond experience.
In capturing that Bond experience, the classic character Moneypenny, played by Kiera Lester, is done justice here. Her modern reinterpretation works really well for a AAA video game: Long gone is the secretary hopelessly pining for Bond’s affections, but instead a competent MI6 handler whose dynamic with Bond makes for some fun dialogue and moments throughout the game.
These characters all serve a narrative that, once it gets going, is pretty standard Bond fare, complete with exotic locales, beautiful women, spectacular action set pieces and that iconic music.
Much like Gibson’s portrayal of the character, the narrative manages to take aspects from all eras in a way that makes it feel modern, rather than a collection of Bond's greatest hits.
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The modernization of “First Light’s” narrative is manifested in its main villains and staunch anti-AI message. The catalyst for the story is Bond ignoring THEIA, the fictional quantum supercomputer that MI6 uses for analytics, which gives him a less than one-percent chance at saving a group of scientists being held hostage in Iceland during the first level.
Bond beats the odds and gets on the radar of MI6 head M, played by Priyanga Burford, a staple of the 007 series reimagined here as a “compromise pick” bureaucrat who wants to bring the human element back to spycraft with the revival of the 00 program.
The villains are essential to the themes regarding the dangers of artificial intelligence. Sir Nicholas Webb, played by Anthony Howell, is the main antagonist and CEO of AI company Webb Industries, a real-world job that is perhaps most similar to a Bond villain.
Eventually, it becomes clear that THEIA is unreliable, and Webb and his son Damien, played by Bart Edwards, have been covering up the machine’s mistakes by bringing to pass some of the very attacks or murders predicted by THEIA themselves or letting other innocent people take the fall. This realization drives home M’s point about the importance of human touch in spycraft, as well as the game’s metatextual point about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
The gameplay is as much of a sell here as the story, as the narrative is wrapped in a package that is incredibly fun to play in all three phases of its gameplay and level design.
The “social stealth” is an element of Bond’s character that has not been explored in video games like it is in “First Light.” Searching levels for the plethora of ways you can solve a problem was so much fun. This was the part of the game I enjoyed the most, and it’s easy to see why given that it’s also the aspect of the game that has the most in common with IOI’s other flagship “Hitman” series.
There’s also the more traditional stealth that is pretty by-the-numbers AAA stealth, but the game changer is the bluff mechanic, allowing the player to lie to lower-level henchmen in order to temporarily walk into a restricted area or escape one without being captured. This marries the traditional and social stealth in a way that is incredibly true to the character of James Bond, leaning into his charisma and confidence in a way that you don’t see in average AAA games with an emphasis on stealth.
When all this sneaking around goes wrong (in true Bond fashion), the combat comes into play. The gunplay is standard for a third-person shooter, and it gets the job done. The hand-to-hand combat is the real draw for the action gameplay though. The environments are reactive: fire extinguishers explode, shelves fall and urinals break during the occasional bathroom brawl. This extra spin and combos make punching goons incredibly satisfying.
During “First Light’s” development, IOI brought on Adam Vincent, who designed the combat in the “Batman: Arkham” series, and you can feel that Arkham influence in both the weight of the fisticuffs and the design of the stealth sections.
This is also a connection you feel on a meta level. You can tell IOI wants First Light to be to Bond what “Arkham Asylum” was to Batman: The definitive video game version of the character that can grow with the fans.
Before the credits roll, Bond has shot, punched and sweet-talked his way to the end of the game and he earns the number 007, just like the tagline suggests. “First Light” is a more-than-worthy first go at the James Bond license for IOI, a game that long-time fans will love and casual fans can easily find accessible.
“First Light” leaves plenty of room for a sequel and ends with a screen saying “James Bond Will Return.” Back in 2024, IOI CEO Hakan Abram told IGN he hopes to make this a trilogy. It would be a true shame if IOI didn’t make at least two more 007 games as wonderful as “First Light,” the definitive Bond experience and the reboot James Bond deserves.
Marley Herndon is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @Dailylobo
