Never Shaken, and Exceptionally Stirring
A review of "007: First Light". Truly, one of the best video games of 2026, and an absolute slam-dunk of an effort from accomplished developer IO Interactive. A Game of the Year contender.
This game doesn’t work if Bond isn’t perfect. I am happy to say that not only is he perfectly cast— He might be the best iteration yet of the iconic character. Bravo, Patrick Gibson. What a performance! Go ahead and make him the new Bond, Villeneuve!
Whew!! What a ride!! 007: First Light is the new game from IO Interactive, the acclaimed studio responsible for the stellar Hitman series, one of my very favorite franchises in all of gaming. Their recent trilogy of Hitman games, released between 2016-2021, is a triumph of amazing level design, fantastic exotic setpieces, thematic globe-trotting world-building, and clock-work puzzle action gameplay. The complete work of all three games is housed under one package these days, known as “World of Assassination” by IOI, and is a neat, tidy way to experience the whole trilogy (and oodles of other modes) under one roof. For my money, I think it’s pound for pound the most consistently excellent trilogy of games we have had this millennium, and possibly one of the greatest combined digital works we have ever seen in the medium.
You ask me on a given day what my favorite game series is, and Hitman: World of Assassination may just be my answer. It’s that good. It’s honestly a toss-up for me between that trilogy, the From Software catalogue of ‘souls’ games, and id Software’s recent, incredible trio of DOOM reboots for my favorite arcs of new and returning franchises in the past decade or so. But if I had to pick a winner, it would most certainly still be Hitman taking home the prize.
So, given their recent track record— in my estimation, IOI had a lot to live up to for me when the news of them working on a new 007 game hit the news cycle. In my eyes, it was a perfect fit. In many ways, the Hitman series shared similar themes and analogues to things found in the Bond franchise, and given IOI’s pedigree for crafting sexy, often campy, high-tension video game thrillers, they were the perfect stewards to usher the character of James Bond into the modern era. It was a match made in Heaven.
Not only am I thrilled to say that IOI has knocked it out of the park with their first effort— I dare say that 007: First Light is one of the greatest debuts for a new franchise we have seen in years. In many ways, it reminds me of Respawn’s smash hit Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, from 2019. A game from a familiar IP, stewarded by an incredibly talented studio, that nailed it in one. But it’s not enough to just nail making a great game; you have to give the license enough care to do it justice, and in both cases, both IOI and Respawn met that lofty mark. 007: First Light is one of the greatest licensed games we have ever gotten from a studio, period. It’s that good.
I got a unique feeling playing through this game. It reminded me of my time playing through Naughty Dog’s 2016 banger Uncharted 4 (my personal favorite of the series). That was a game that, while I was playing it, I felt like I was playing a new classic of the genre. So too did I feel the same when I played through First Light this year. It’s a tightly-paced, brilliantly designed third-person action romp, the likes of which we rarely see these days. Shrinking budgets, rampant game industry layoffs, and tenuous gaming trends have contributed to the big-budget blockbuster game falling out of favor in recent years, so it’s nice to see one of this quality perform well and be so beloved amidst all the turbulence of the modern game industry. It’s a real reminder that if a talented team is allowed to make a great game, and given the budget to do so— it pays dividends.
So far this year, First Light is one of the highest-selling games of 2026. Which shows me that there is a real appetite out there for games like this, from folks who are willing to pay for it. Premium experiences, costing a premium price, can work if the game is good, it turns out. In a world where, more than ever, gamers are being nickel-and-dimed for their investments in the medium, and are being wrung dry by companies looking to pull more from their most dedicated customers, it’s such a relief to see a single-player, linear action game do so well, and be rewarded by a base of players that have an appetite for it.
At its core, the pitch of First Light is a simple premise: you play as a young, dashing Bond looking to “earn the number” (the double-0 in question). Bond starts the adventure as a military man who ends up being in the wrong place at the right time. As a reward for his quick thinking and bravery in the field as a talented prospect, MI6 assigns him as a new agent in “His Majesty’s Secret Service” (not used to the whole ‘King’ thing yet, if I’m honest). From there, Bond trains to become the newest spy in training for MI6 and, after a brief (extremely good) tutorial, makes the cut. What follows is an international tale of intrigue, amazing action setpieces, and a fantastic tale that stands alongside the best of Bond’s cinematic outings. It’s one of the greatest adventures he has had yet, I’d wager. It’s an excellent origin story, for one of pop culture’s greatest characters.
Not to get into specifics, but the plot is prescient, forward-thinking, and intelligent without coming across as preachy or overbearing. It talks about the dangers of new technology and what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on it (timely, no?), but it’s done in a clever way that feels as much of a piece of the series as it is a scathing take on current events. It’s the rare game that sees the future (now our present), and offers a progressive take on the vector point between politics and technology, and how those two can be used and abused by people in power, in different ways. It’s superb work, and they walk a narrative tightrope expertly, in a way that many developers simply wouldn’t even attempt.
The characters are the heartbeat of the story. In many ways, it’s more character-driven than even plot-driven, which is different from most Bond media, where usually the story takes center stage, and the characters are more set-dressing to the actual mechanics of the plot. It’s a nice reversal here, then, that Bond, his allies, and the villains are so core to what makes the narrative sing.
Bond is excellent here, played expertly by the brilliant Patrick Gibson (and as alluded to in the blurb below the header)— if Bond doesn’t work, the game fails as a result. Good thing, then, that Gibson is so magnificent in the role, and so effortlessly charming as Bond; I don’t just see why you don’t go ahead and cast him as Daniel Craig’s heir apparent in the new Amazon era of Bond. It’d be good synergy too! Companies love that!
He’s irresistibly sexy, and would sweet-talk you right out of your shorts. He isn’t a manic, cold operator like Brosnan’s Bond, or a swarthy, brutish hellion like Connery’s classic template. He isn’t even close to the dour, depressed executioner that Craig’s Bond used to be, far from it, I’d say. Patrick Gibson carves a new niche for Bond that is hypnotically magnetic without being sexually pestilent, and isn’t quippy or overdoes the cheese as Brosnan’s depiction did. Gibson’s take lies somewhere in the middle of every interpretation of Bond, while still being modern and classy to fit in our era. Bond is always a product of the era he is depicted in, and this new tone and interpretation fits seamlessly in the technological modernity of the current times. He’s a brash picture of complete confidence, with just the right touch of arrogance, and this version of a young Bond is perfect. In some ways, he’s just a “little shit”, and I love him for it. Gibson is hands down my favorite Bond, and I hope we see this version of the character for another entry, if not two, at least (get your shit together, Amazon).
Chiefly, Bond is the star of the show, but the new character of Greenway is no slouch either. In the pantheon of sidekicks in the Bond franchise, Greenway may be one of the best. In many ways, Greenway is the secondary character for large swathes of the game, and Lennie James’ stalwart, comically deadpan performance gives the new character amazing depth for the times he is on screen. He’s Bond’s handler after all, and James is somewhat of a “handful”, shall we say. Between cheeky barbs and pointed digs at each other, there is mutual respect and appreciation between the two of them that grows with each mission. The final mission with the two of them is a highlight, especially. Greenway is a great character and adds further to the long list of iconic Bond characters. He’s no Felix Leiter… He’s even better!
The locales you visit are the best part of the game. You are going from place to place in search of your goals, and if you know IOI, every location is a character unto itself. That remains true here, too. You go from a thumping club investigation during your training sequence (very similar to the one found in Hitman 3), to an alpine mansion holding a chess tournament (which leads to a huge action-setpiece involving chasing a runaway cargo plane), to a black-market bazaar in search of Lenny Kravitz (bad performance but cool looking dude), to a luxury resort in Vietnam with all the sun-kissed dames and dangerous drug lords you can shake a martini glass at. It’s a game with a lot of variety in tones, aesthetics, and climates.
It really feels like you are running around the world during the story, and IOI’s visual accomplishments cannot be understated. Everything looks fantastic, and expensive, as just a game about secret agents should be, and it’s all at a scale that feels like a big, pricey video game should look and feel. You see the money on screen at all times, here, and it’s a stunning assemblage of artistic and technological prowess that is rare in its execution. It’s an objectively impressive video game to experience.
The best thing about arriving in a new location is exploring it, and that’s the main thing you do in each new place you go to. Similarly to Hitman, knowledge is power in 007, where gleaning and acting on information you gather is the key to success. It all funnels you down a similar path in the game, sure, and it’s far less mechanical than the cogs and routines of the Hitman games— but even so, exploring and sussing out your surroundings is a satisfying thing to do every time you get the opportunity. Every level has a variety of new things to see even upon replaying them, where you can track down different avenues to further the mission.
It keeps the variety up so no two playthroughs are the same in these zones when you replay them too. It’s a feast for the discerning gamer, talking to NPCs, finding notes hidden in bureau drawers, and eavesdropping on conversations at a nearby bar; it adds to the flavor of the whole endeavor, these moments, and makes the adventure feel like a more dynamic, spontaneous exploration as a result. You feel like you are a detective in these segments, and exploring every space is a supreme delight. I wrenched dry all I could from every locale during my 15-hour playthrough, and by the end I had a hankering for more,
The locales are spectacular, but so too are the visuals. It’s a feast for the eyes. It’s a sumptuously sexy, stylish-looking video game. This particular brand’s world of spycraft has never looked so alluring as it does here. The same can be said for the gameplay, which is the highlight of the adventure. The combat designer from Rocksteady (the studio responsible for the Batman: Arkham series) led the design of the fighting system in 007, and it shows. Bond is a master of improvisational combat. He uses gadgets and improvised environmental takedowns to whittle down his foes, and just like in the Arkham games, Bond can string together a plethora of tools and brawn to accomplish his goals. Often you are surrounded by anywhere between 3 and 15 enemies at any time in battle, so it’s key to think on your feet to survive. Melee combat encounters bring to mind the beginning of Casino Royale, and the bathroom fight in Mission: Impossible- Fallout. Combat is diverse, brutal, and improvised, and Bond is more than up to the task at hand every time.
The main draw of combat in 007 is comboing strikes, kicks, throws, and shoulder-charges to move enemies around or near obstacles to finish them off. For instance, you can parry an attacker, shoulder charge them into a desk, enact a finishing move on them with the desk, throw a coffee mug from the desk at an enemy in waiting (staggering them), then you can zap another enemy in turn with the laser from your high-tech watch (blinding them), and finally combo execute both of them to end the encounter in style. This is just an example of the options you have in hand-to-hand combat, and it’s a fresh, unique take on well-known digital fisticuffs that feels awesome to pull off. It’s so much fun to run into a hallway of enemies, string together long combos, and take them all on with a hammer, “Oldboy” style. It feels good every time.
The gun combat, I am slightly mixed on, but on the whole, it’s good. You can’t pull out your service weapon until provoked to do so, which thematically is in keeping with Bond’s “License to Kill” mandate. You can’t pull a gun on someone until it’s a last resort, and that resort comes more than you think it will. In Hitman, it was a very, very bad idea to fail stealth, get caught, and get into a firefight, because for one: the gunplay was a tad unwieldy, and two: Agent 47 was a glass cannon of a character where he could dole out untold damage, but in turn could collapse under a hail of gunfire. The latter remains mostly true here, but the former is better.
Bond is a competent marksman, and the actual gunplay feels a lot better here than in the Hitman games. The guns feel better to use, and can be comboed in close-quarters more effectively here than in Hitman. A key feature of the gunplay, too, is that when you run out of magazines for the gun you are using, you can toss said empty weapon at enemies. From there, you can pick up dropped weapons and use them to your advantage. Just like melee combat, you can combo shooting, throwing objects, and hand-to-hand combat to allow for a dynamic suite of options at your disposal. One of my favorite tidbits of fighting in these situations is that, like Uncharted 4, you can disarm foes mid-combat, taking their weapon to replace yours. It’s great fun to get into a tussle and come out with a reward. It never gets old! You always have enough options to make it out of a scrape with foes, and puzzling your way towards victory is extremely satisfying.
The pros are almost endless for me. I love this game. There are some minor detractions, though. The secondary villain (you’ll know which) is a bit too mustache-twirling and evil for the sake of it for my taste. He has an incredible mask, though. It almost makes up for it! If I had any qualms about the game by the end, I’d say it slightly runs out of steam. Especially in the last boss fight, which I think is just straight up kinda bad. But it’s a faint blemish on an almost pristine work of brilliance.
When the adventure wraps, there is even more you can do after the credits roll. In keeping with the Hitman DNA that can be found throughout the game, there are extra combat-centric Escalations and other missions you can try to finish in the secondary menus once the adventure wraps, and having more incentive to play an already awesome game is just a cherry on top, for me. I imagine I will be playing as much of this game as IOI allows me to. They support the crap out of their games, with the “World of Assassination” package being proof-positive of this excellent post-launch support. I hope they do the same with 007: First Light, because I will play as much of this game as I can get.
007: First Light is a resounding triumph for IO Interactive, the Bond franchise, and video games as a medium. It’s the rare stroke of absolute, immediate genius that we just don’t see often enough these days in modern video games, and I will be thinking, talking, and gushing about this game for a long, long time. It’s a bona fide classic in every sense, and should be played by everyone interested in the medium.
It will be high up in my Game of the Year rankings by season’s end, and I expect it to contend for the top prize by the time the dust has settled. It’s among one of the very best video games I have played in years, and is a testament that amazing games can and will come about if talented teams are allowed to make them, and are given every resource to do so. IOI has crafted a new masterpiece, and we have a new, exciting franchise on our hands to look forward to, I expect.
As always, keep drifting.