007: First Light | PS5 Review

Thirteen years, seven months and ten days. That’s how long James Bond has been absent from the world of video games. Following the release of 007: Legends, a game intended to celebrate fifty years of the Bond film franchise, the series vanished into hibernation. The game itself was little more than a Call of Duty-clone squeezed into an ill-fitting tuxedo, and its poor reception marked the end of Activision’s troubled run with the license. 

While Bond continued on film, eventually concluding the Daniel Craig-era with 2021’s No Time to Die, the interactive side of the franchise simply vanished. But then, in November of 2020, IO Interactive, the studio behind the acclaimed Hitman franchise, announced a new project with a brief teaser showing a single bullet sliding into the chamber of a gun. At the time it was simply known as “Project 007.” Today we know it as 007: First Light. 

His Majesty’s Secret Service

The story of 007: First Light tells another origin story, but this time starting at absolute zero. After surviving a helicopter crash during an ambush, twenty-six year old Navy air crewman James Bond is the only survivor. From there, after foiling a plot and disobeying direct orders for extraction, his insubordination gets the attention of MI6 and is chosen as a recruit for the Service’s revitalized 00 program. From there, Bond undergoes a grueling series of training regimens before being thrust into dangerous field assignments. What begins as a straightforward mission soon spirals into a far-reaching conspiracy involving rogue agents, powerful tech interests, and an AI system whose predictions are shaping world events in ways nobody fully understands. 

Along the way, Bond is joined by a strong supporting cast of new original characters, along with new portrayals of familiar favorites. These include Bond’s reluctant hard-nosed mentor John Greenway, and an enigmatic thief named Isola Vale, who’s frequently shifting loyalties keeps both Bond and the player guessing. The narrative takes a younger, inexperienced and more reckless James Bond across the globe as he uncovers layer after layer of deceit, forcing him to decide the type of agent he will eventually become.

What I found most interesting is that 007: First Light has no interest in retreading familiar ground. IO Interactive uses Bond’s origin story to tell a compelling techno-thriller built around contemporary anxieties and fears relating to artificial intelligence and institutional trust. Some might find it a cliche at this point as a lot of spy fiction have used “AI = bad” plot as of late. But in the case of 007, remaining topical is precisely why the character has endured for over seventy years. The character has always evolved alongside global events and fears of the era. In the 1960s, it was nuclear annihilation, the 90s were all about cyber warfare and satellite surveillance, the 2000s was resource scarcity and global terrorism. Bond stories have always reflected the concerns of their time. First Light’s focus on autonomous AI is simply a continuation of that tradition.

Nobody Does It Better

Perhaps the biggest departure, and what I mentioned earlier, is that IO Interactive had absolutely no interest in making another GoldenEye 007. For years, all prior Bond games (even the third-person titles) have all been judged against Rare’s classic, in an attempt to recreate its formula of gun heavy action and explosive set pieces. 007: First Light takes the opposite approach, leveraging its experience with the Hitman franchise to create a game based on stealth, infiltration and close quarters combat. 

Gun battles will happen, of course, but they’re rarely the preferred solution. Bond is encouraged to remain undetected, utilizing gadgets, environmental awareness, and non-lethal takedowns whenever possible. Hand to hand combat is just as essential as the shooting. It truly makes you feel like the grittier, more raw iteration of Bond as seen in the Craig films. Even in situations where the bullets do inevitably start flying, 007: First Light avoids the run-n-gun mentality common in most modern shooters. Instead, the game encourages careful positioning, intelligent use of cover, and improvisation. You’ll frequently find yourself picking up enemy weapons on the fly, and using the environment to your advantage.

Sadly, one point of criticism I must address does have to do with the gunplay. The shooting mechanics are functional, quite functional in fact, but it lacks a noticeable polish and refinement from other shooters like Uncharted. There were several moments where contextual actions or button prompts felt awkwardly mapped, leading to unnecessary fumbles during otherwise tense encounters. Having played a lot of other shooters of the same ilk, I would instinctively hit buttons that usually perform an action like crouch or dash for cover, but end up doing actions I didn’t intend to, all the while getting my ass shot off. In fact, I would often replay the same action oriented level over and over as a way to practice and commit the game’s control scheme to memory. However, the big bombastic shootouts are few and far between, so those little shortcomings don’t derail the overall experience.

Pay Attention, 007

In terms of level design, you can absolutely see some of the DNA being carried over from the Hitman games. Rather than standard A to B corridor shooting, most of the missions in 007: First Light unfolds over large, semi-open environments that encourage exploration and observation. Objectives can be approached from multiple directions, rewarding players who take the time to study patrol routes, find alternate entrances, or quickly gather some Intel before making a move. It’s also good to stop and listen every once in a while, because one mechanic that was blatantly carried over from Hitman is eavesdropping. Bond will occasionally come across NPCs having conversations with each other, revealing clues or vulnerabilities that can be used to infiltrate or exploit. While Agent 007’s missions aren’t quite the open sandboxes of Agent 47’s, the trademark is unmistakable and present throughout First Light.

Stealth is where 007: First Light truly comes into its own. Bond’s gadget arsenal is used less as a collection of flashy toys and more as practical espionage tools, helping you bypass security systems, distract guards, gather intelligence, and quietly eliminate threats without raising alarms. Combined with the game’s open-ended level design, missions encourage patience and observation over brute force. One early standout takes place in a lavish hotel in Slovakia, where Bond operates as part of a coordinated MI6 team, with each member assigned a specific role in the operation. The entire sequence immediately brought to mind the Embassy level from Mission: Impossible on the Nintendo 64. A team of agents all working undercover in a lavish Eastern European location, the comparison is stark.

On a quick side note, I truly believe that this game’s formula which perfectly blends stealth, espionage, infiltration and combat, could be easily applied to other well known action spy franchises. If another studio, for example, wanted to build a Mission: Impossible game, they could do far worse than borrowing the blueprint established here. The combination of open-ended mission design, meaningful gadgets, social stealth, and deliberate combat feels tailor-made for that franchise just as much as it does for Bond. Rather than simply asking players to eliminate every enemy in sight, First Light constantly rewards thinking like a spy, and that’s what makes it such a refreshing departure from the vast majority of action games, including prior Bond titles.

All Time High

IO Interactive has gone to extraordinary lengths to make 007: First Light feel less like a video game and more like an interactive Bond film. Patrick Gibson shoulders the enormous responsibility of introducing audiences to an entirely new James Bond, and he succeeds admirably, portraying a younger, less polished agent who gradually grows into the confident operative fans know and love. He’s supported by a cast of both original and returning characters, brought to life through convincing performances and expressive facial animations. I also appreciated that the developers weren’t afraid to reinterpret familiar faces, including a couple race and gender-swapped characters. These updated takes on classic characters fit naturally within this rebooted continuity, and it doesn’t feel forced nor does it distract from the story being told.

Visually, First Light is nothing short of stunning. Whether you’re navigating the elegant halls of a luxury hotel in Slovakia, an exotic jungle resort in Vietnam, or infiltrating a frozen research facility in Antarctica, every location is packed with detail and personality. Each environment feels distinctly Bond, embracing the franchise’s tradition of globe-trotting adventure while showcasing IO Interactive’s exceptional environmental artistry, with cinematography that could rival some of the most recent films.

And where would a James Bond video game be without the iconic music? The orchestral score, composed and performed by The Flight, perfectly emulates the jazzy classic Bond sound established by legendary composer John Barry. The score effortlessly shifts from quiet espionage to high octane action, all with that classic 007 swagger. The original theme song, performed by Lana Del Rey, is perhaps one of the best I’ve heard in years and is easily on par with the movie songs. As someone who has always considered On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to be one of the series’ most underrated entries, I was especially pleased to hear musical motifs from that film woven throughout the score. It’s a reminder that while it has no interest in rehashing the past, it still respects its legacy that came before it.

We Have All The Time In The World

Overall, 007: First Light is one of the best James Bond games of all time. Is it better than GoldenEye? That’s hard to say. That game will forever remain a classic in its own right. But this isn’t simply another action game that happens to star James Bond. 007: First Light feels like a genuine James Bond video game, one that understands the fantasy isn’t simply mowing down hundreds of bad guys with an assault rifle. It’s about being the smartest person in the room using wits, gadgets, deception, infiltration and just enough action to keep it interesting. In that sense, IO Interactive didn’t just revive the Bond license, they’ve finally captured what it actually means to be James Bond.

To hear us talk more about 007: First Light, be sure to listen to the May 30th, 2026 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 58:52 timestamp.

This review is based on PlayStation 5 copy of 007: First Light provided by fortyseven communications for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox Series X|S, PC and will be coming soon to Nintendo Switch 2.