At Gamescom, the folks at IO Interactive invited me to come along and check out the first lengthy gameplay demonstration for James Bond’s long-awaited return to video games. In this thirty minute, gameplay-filled preview, I got to see first hand just what 007 First Light is all about.
The Name’s Trainee – New Trainee
Any preconceptions you might have that this Bond is going to be an experienced and practiced hand should be put to bed right now. This is effectively an origin story, and our MI6 trainee is viewed as a bit of a diamond in the rough – smart and resourceful, yes – but also young and reckless.
Bond’s origins from the books are here, though reimagined a bit for a more modern age. His parents died when he was just eleven, during a mountain climbing incident, and he bounced around boarding schools, continually bucking authority, even in the Navy. He is not yet a ’00’ agent, and is described by his superiors as a ‘bullet without a target’. MI6 hope to whip him into shape, and we get to go with him on a globetrotting journey through multiple locations in true James Bond style, from Iceland to Slovakia.
We do now have a little more detail on the central plot of 007 First Light, including some details on our main adversary. Eschewing your typical Bond Villain, this time it’s an internal affair. ‘009’, a ex MI6 agent gone rogue is threatening MI6 itself. In our journey from Rookie recruit to ‘double-oh’ agent, we’ll uncover a deep conspiracy, chasing down an operative who knows the system inside and out.
Discretion, Ladies and Gentlemen, is critical
Our gameplay demo begins during the first mission of the game. We’re heading to the Grand Carpathian Hotel in the High Tatra mountains of Slovakia, hot on the heels of 009 himself. Are we going to infiltrate posing as some high-roller guest in a tuxedo? Think again. Bond is with a team of MI6 operatives this time, and he’s tasked with being…the Chauffeur. Our protagonist is not particularly pleased with the assignment, but follows orders, and after dropping his colleagues off, parks the car and waits.
Before long, we spot some suspicious activity, and ignoring the instructions of our superiors, abandon our post, tailing a suspicious character who heads inside the hotel. Getting in to follow him is no simple task however, and it’s here where that Hitman DNA first becomes apparent.
The grounds of the hotel are vast, and incredibly detailed, and we appear to have multiple options on how best to make our way inside. The developers are keen to underline that primarily, you are a spy – not an action hero – and while there’ll be plenty of moments for action and explosions, discretion is critical. Open missions like these are large and expansive playgrounds that call for stealth and thought, rather than going in guns blazing. The developers promise a healthy mix of these large, open missions, as well as more linear, set-piece driven sections.
Gadjets and Gizmos Aplenty
It wouldn’t be a Bond game without plenty of interesting ‘Spy gadgets’ to get to grips with. The infamous Q and the Q-branch are included, and one of your most trusted pieces of technology is the Q Watch. In true video game fashion, you can use your watch to analyse environments and identify opportunities. It can shoot tranquiliser darts, and doubles up as your compass. It also displays vital information like your available resources, your spy ‘instinct’ meter and whatever objectives are currently active.
Gaining access through security on this occasion wasn’t too tricky. We distract a guard with a garden tap and hose, and once he’s out of position, climb into the hotel through an open window. The developers stressed that there are plenty of other options, and I do look forward to plenty of experimentation when the game is out.
The interior of the hotel is just as detailed as you’d expect from the team behind Hitman, filled with maids cleaning rooms, guests going about their business, and of course, our own team of MI6 operatives, who we have to avoid. After a little while exploring, the developer skips us ahead to another key part of the Bond franchise – epic car chases.
“Be careful 007. It’s just had a new coat of paint”
Per the folks at IO Interactive, car chases are core to the Bond franchise, and as such we leave the hotel, presumably chasing 009 himself. It’s here where we meet a female counterpart from French intelligence (who I’m sure is likely to be our ‘Bond girl’ on this occasion) and jump into one of the cars most associated with Bond – the Aston Martin DBS.
Here, things are decidedly not like Hitman, with Bond taking control of the car as we give chase down the mountains. There are jumps and shortcuts to take, and plenty of hazards to avoid, and we eventually arrive at an airfield, hot on the heels of our target who’s looking to make a swift getaway.
While I didn’t get a hands on with the game, the driving looked a little wonky to me, but this is an early look, and I look forward to seeing how it feels once I’ve gone hands on myself.
License to Kill
In 007 First Light, combat is usually the last resort, and as an MI6 operative, an appropriate use of force is authorised if an enemy engages you with a clear intention to kill. Here, the developers step even further away from Hitman’s looming shadow, offering a full 3rd-person shooter experience with close-quarter combat take-downs.
Bond can utilise the environment, targeting fuel barrels handily dotted around the airfield to cause entire structures to collapse in the resultant explosions. Guns can be picked up from the ground, and even thrown at enemies when they run out of ammunition, allowing us to get in close and take down our opponents.
Once the various goons had been dealt with, Bond hijacks an airport luggage car, and makes his way on to the plane while it’s taking off. Once aboard, we hack the electronics of the plane itself with Q watch, and we’re able to tilt the plane remotely, causing absolute carnage for the remaining opponents inside. It was quite the climax to what was a pretty impressive set-piece, and as just the first mission in the game, left me pretty keen to see more.
I can’t think of a better pairing of developer and franchise than the team at IO Interactive and James Bond. They’ve brought everything they’ve learned from the fantastic Hitman series, and after checking out the mechanics, gameplay and open-ended level design that the team have in store for us with 007 First Light, I’ve come away feeling that this is going to be a match made in heaven. The name’s Bond. James Bond.
007 First Light releases March 27th 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
