007: First Light Review

Let's address the elephant: yes, it plays like Hitman. The sandbox infiltration, the disguises, the multiple approaches to every objective, IO Interactive's fingerprints are all over this. But here's the thing that surprised us: it doesn't feel like a Hitman reskin. Agent 47 is a ghost. Bond is a person. And that difference matters more than we expected. Patrick Gibson plays a 26-year-old James Bond who hasn't earned his license to kill yet. He's capable but rough around the edges, cocky but occasionally in over his head. It's the most human Bond has felt since Casino Royale, and Gibson carries the whole thing on his shoulders. The supporting cast, particularly a sharp, no-nonsense M and a Q who's more collaborator than supplier, fills out a world that feels authentically Bond without leaning on nostalgia as a crutch. The gameplay splits between two modes and both land well. The stealth sections draw on IO's years of Hitman experience, you'll infiltrate galas, charm contacts, hack security systems with the Q-Lens, and find creative solutions using gadgets like the Dart Phone (tranquilizer and hacking tool in one). These sections are methodical and rewarding, with that satisfying feeling of watching a plan come together. Then there are the action set-pieces. A chase through flooding European canals. A silent infiltration of a snow-covered weapons facility. A climactic fight on a moving train. These play more like Uncharted, and IO handles the spectacle surprisingly well for a studio known for slower-paced games. The melee combat has a crunch to it, think Arkham meets Yakuza, and the gunplay is fluid enough that going loud never feels like a failure state. The Glacier engine looks fantastic. Monaco's rain-slicked marinas, Alpine fortresses against grey skies, a London that feels properly lived-in. Every location could be a Bond film set, and the attention to detail in environmental design is remarkable. Where it dips: the middle act drags. There's a stretch of back-to-back infiltration missions that starts to feel repetitive before the story picks back up. And a few encounters force the transition from stealth to combat in ways that feel scripted rather than organic, you can almost feel the game taking control away from you. Some players will also struggle to separate it from Hitman, which is a fair criticism even if the game does enough to stand apart. 1.5 million copies in 24 hours says the market disagrees with our nitpicks. This is a great game.