IO Interactive gave us an extended look at the upcoming 007: First Light, its latest stealth-action game that acts as a separate 007 universe, via a State of Play stream yesterday. Apart from getting nearly half an hour of footage that showcased lots of action and some small bits of immersive sim goodness, the trailer brought one thing to my mind: EA’s James Bond games from the early and mid ’00s. If you had told me that IO was basically remaking Everything or Nothing, I would have been more excited from the jump.
The demo, itself, is maybe not the best representation of the game. It starts with a long car ride that explains the mission and situation that Bond finds himself in. Unlike Casino Royale, this Bond is greener than green and might not even have his signature code number at the start. Being told to sit in the car, Bond catches wind of some suspicious activity and proceeds to investigate. You then watch as he makes his way into a mansion by using some very Hitman-esque environmental details. Sleep dart a guy, burn some brush, climb a wall, etc. It’s fun.
The shooting segments are where I think the demo stumbles. Putting aside the dodgy frame rate (which is hopefully a result of an early build), the game kind of devolves down into typical cover based nonsense. I like the slick animations for swapping guns, but Bond seemingly can’t hit the broad side of a barn and the sequence feels too scripted. I’m not sure why an airport would have so many explosive tanks laid out the way they do.
That said, the stealth bits look like a solid evolution and refinement of what Hitman has. There are multiple paths through each segment and spotting something like an open window marks it for you as a potential route. It seems that IO will lean into the high tech gadgetry Bond has by allowing him to carry snazzy tools as innocuous objects. It should allow for very diverse approaches, something scripted shootouts will not.
007: First Light hits PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on March 27th, 2026. You can pre-order it now.
More 007
Leave a Comment
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
