Happy about: 007 First Light

James Bond, ever since his first ever appearance on the pages of Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, has been consistently popular over the years, despite how uneven his appearances are. I was never that huge of a fan, but I did read Thunderball as a teen and liked watching the movies about 007 over the course of my life. I grew up during the Pierce Brosnan era, but personally always loved Timothy Dalton’s performance as Bond the most. Which I still maintained even after Casino Royale (the 2006 one), which might be the best movie in the series so far.

But when it comes to games about Bond – I have not played that many. And those that I did play were not titles I enjoyed all that much. This doesn’t mean, however, that when coming into 007 First Light I had low expectations. No, IO Interactive have shown over their entire history that they can make fantastic social stealth-based action adventure titles with the Hitman franchise, and they can make fun linear action games with Kane and Lynch. Sure, their titles weren’t always hits and their previous attempt to mix those different approaches with Hitman: Absolution was quite disastrous, but nonetheless I had high hopes. And they mostly paid off.

I suppose, in a way, if you’ve seen a James Bond movie, you can expect what the gameplay of this game would be. Pure stealth, action stealth, open shootouts and brawling, exciting chases in vehicles, story-focused segments and investigation set across colourful locales around the globe. This game has it all.

The social stealth plays very similarly to the recent Hitman titles, just with a considerably simplified sandbox aspect and bigger focus on Mission Stories (originally known as Opportunities in 2016). So in sections of levels where you have to find a way to solve a goal via social means, you’re presented with a problem and can scout around to learn of potential ways you can solve this problem, which will breadcrumb you to a solution. You usually have several ways to solve a problem and some may even include pure stealth or action, just like in Hitman titles, while some will require you to talk your way in, bluff, blend in or even, very occasionally, use disguise.

Interestingly, the bluffing option is often available even in pure stealth sections, where you are surrounded by suspicious and armed enemies, as you can just talk your way out of some confrontations, instead of using guns or fists. It is using a similar concept to the ability of blending in in recent Hitman titles, and similarly has certain enemy types that will see through your bluff immediately. Nonetheless, it is a really fun addition to the otherwise more conventional stealth. And sometimes, when you can’t see how to knock out or distract enemies using your gadgets, you should just remember that you might bluff and walk past the enemies instead.

But sometimes the inevitable shootout or a brawl begins and you have no option other than to fight. And while the combat in the game is quite fun, especially in how much of a visual spectacle it always is, the way it plays out is all over the place. The gunplay in general reminded me of the more polished take on the Kane and Lynch 2, where most of the environment is destructive (including cover) and certain weapons are quite inaccurate, so you have to be smart and constantly on the move. Use a gadget here, shoot a guy there, throw the empty gun in another guy’s face, knock him out and grab his gun, get to the new cover – that kind of stuff. When it works, it’s very fun and cinematic and almost at the level of Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy. But when it doesn’t… oof.

The big issue with action in 007 First Light (and sometimes stealth too) is that despite how destructible the environment is, despite how agile Bond usually is, the actual mechanics and systems feel very restrictive. And it’s noticeable even without comparing this game to the Uncharted titles. Sometimes, you’d be in a fight and feel that you can’t do X or Y, just because the designers didn’t consider letting you do that, not because the environment doesn’t allow it, if it makes sense. Because of how cinematic the game often gets, because it wants to be the “you can do what movie Bond would do” type of experience, when my videogame Bond cannot jump over a small railing to knock out a guy less than a meter below it feels odd. Because in some other spot I might be allowed to do just that, just not here. A few boss encounters are designed around the similar pointlessly restrictive logic that doesn’t make any sense. Also, apart from this, the camera during brawls can be extremely unhelpful.

The story is decent, though, The characters are fun. It feels, at times, far longer than it needs to be, as far as my tastes are concerned, but the game isn’t too long to become boring. Plus, it keeps introducing new locations and even mechanical ideas to keep things fresh. The young James Bond is likeable. Though, that’s kind of what makes him less interesting than a traditional movie Bond, who tends to be far more cynical due to past experiences. But still, the idea works and the supporting cast is very nice. But I wouldn’t recommend playing it if you’re just into the story.

Overall, 007 First Light is solid. If it had to directly compete with Uncharted games, it wouldn’t be received as well, but since there are no action adventures of similar type in recent years, I can’t complain. It’s certainly a far better attempt than Hitman: Absolution or Kane and Lynch 2 (which I like, but I’m in the minority) to do this sort of game. And I hope IOI do more with the franchise. Though I also hope they stop treating their games as “live service” and require online connection for “intended” experience, even if it’s far less egregious than recent Hitman games. A solid Bond game and a good action adventure in general.