Review of 007 First Light – There is life after GoldenEye

We analyze the new 007 First Light, a release you can't miss.

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In 1953, Ian Fleming, English novelist and journalist, created the character that would become the most famous secret agent of all time: James Bond. Beyond his novels, the agent in the service of Her Majesty became much more popular for his life on the big screen, where he has 25 official films and two unofficial ones.

The 007 agent also arrived in the world of video games with several productions that brought some of his movies to different systems, although success was quite fluctuating between releases until the arrival of GoldenEye in 1997, originally for the Nintendo 64. This game by Rare was a true milestone in the industry and was recently remastered to the delight of many, and my colleague Frank reviewed it.

IO Interactive, of recognized fame for the Hitman saga, will release a new game in a few days, 007 First Light, a title that will tell a new adventure of the English agent, but from a rather original perspective. The studio decided to move away from the idea of telling a story already seen in the cinema or simply inventing a new story for the character in a context already seen, and instead chose to explore a plot that was never seen in the movies: the beginnings of Bond as a secret agent.

Some readers may be faithful followers of Fleming’s novels, and there are mentions of Bond’s origins in the English navy during World War II, but in 007 First Light, these beginnings take place in the context of the modern era, with all the benefits of modern technology and the most outlandish gadgets that “Q’s” mind can devise.

The game’s story begins with a young Bond being part of a helicopter crew taking English SAS agents to a key mission in Iceland. Needless to say, that mission goes horribly wrong, and after an MI6 intervention, the English secret service, Bond becomes part of a group of aspirants to the 00 program, which had been discontinued a few years ago in the game’s present, since one of the agents had been revealed. This one, codenamed 009, will be one of the main antagonists of the story and will take James through different countries of the world to find him, all this helped by a quantum computer called Theis.

Deaths, luxury cars, rare artifacts, love, and a story loaded with high-caliber espionage await everyone in 007 First Light. Join me in the following lines to follow the steps of a young Bond. If you ask for a martini while reading this, please make it shaken, not stirred.

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Technical Section

James Bond and a relentless soundtrack are two inseparable elements, and they continue together as they should be. The game’s main song features Lana del Rey on vocals and the incredible orchestral arrangements of David Arnold, who has been working in the 007 universe for a long time. The most trance-like melodies in the game are the responsibility of the trio The Flight.

The graphics are of very high quality, the design of James is very well adapted to the age he represents, although it may seem too “millennial” for the most purist fans. The scenarios are full of life, the NPCs interact, converse, move constantly, and all phases feel very real.

The title is localized in Spanish, both in its Iberian and Latin American variants, with a great job by both teams, although the voices are only available in English.

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Gameplay

As I mentioned in the introduction, the game begins after a crash on the icy coast of Iceland; from there, a tutorial by stages begins, which seeks to teach the player the different commands and movements that can be performed. In my humble opinion, the tutorial is too long, perhaps the first stage in the North European country would have been enough, but then movements and skills are added, disguised as training in Malta, which can feel extremely extensive, and it’s not optional. The truth is that at a narrative level, this space is used to solidify Bond’s relationship with the other aspirants to agents, who have an interesting role, although it’s from an emotional perspective, in the development of the story.

Bond can jump, run, fight hand-to-hand, climb, crouch, in short, everything that can be expected from a protagonist in an action and adventure game. Shooting and killing is another thing, and it’s an action that doesn’t appear during the first minutes (I dare say during the first hour and a half) of the game. Driving is also present, and 007 will take the controls of different vehicles, although I expected a much more memorable experience than the one I had in this last section.

The combat mechanics are based on pressing a button at certain moments of the enemy’s attack to counterattack (like in the Arkham saga, for example) or dodge heavy attacks. It’s also possible to grab the enemy to hit him and push him against different surfaces, something that is very fun and feels very realistic. Well, it’s not like I’ve fought with Finnish twins in a wine cellar, but at least visually, it feels real.

There are several weapons at the agent’s service, and a way to slow down time when aiming, which, while useful, is not really necessary throughout the game, except in the tutorial part, where you have to shoot targets that move too fast.

The game is divided into investigation moments where the player will have to find passwords to open doors, discover secret passages, listen to conversations, see how to infiltrate important places, and, on the other hand, action and stealth, which are usually in charge of who is in command, although sometimes stealth is preferable, since the enemies’ intelligence is very good and they won’t hesitate to call for reinforcements.

Bond has at his disposal darts that produce total discomfort in the target, forcing him to retreat from the place, smoke bombs, the possibility of using the watch to turn on electronics (and even control the tilt of an aircraft), and other particularities. All this arsenal, added to some scenario traps, such as the possibility of throwing boxes at enemies, leans the balance towards the idea of playing with a more silent style. That said, the gadgets that can be taken to each mission are three at first and extend to four, so you’ll have to think well about which ones are more useful in each terrain.

The title has collectibles in the form of items and notes that the English agent observes in each of his adventures, some of which are really interesting to understand the geopolitical context in which the adventure takes place, which has the United Kingdom and Slovakia on the brink of a crisis. On the other hand, the watch runs out of battery, so you’ll have to collect spare parts, the same happens with the acid of the darts in case they are used.

You can get different suits by completing specific objectives in the missions. Both these and some special weapons can be used in the Tactical Simulation mode, which allows you to relive some missions with different advantages and some particular scenarios.

If you’re expecting to see a Hitman where Agent 47 is replaced by Bond, you won’t find it here, although there will be things that remind you of the game of the assassin, of course. That said, in terms of linearity, First Light is extremely rigid. There are missions that can be approached in different ways or different paths, but that’s where the player’s freedom ends, and I think it’s a shame that the final experience, which is good in itself, is limited.

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Duration

Completing the campaign can take around 14 hours, but getting all the collectibles and trying to complete all the objectives per mission can take about 6 hours more, so we’re facing a game that’s not insignificant in terms of the time it offers.

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Conclusion

007 First Light is a prize to originality in terms of script and represents the starting point for a new trilogy of the character in the world of video games. IO Entertainment’s production kept me enthusiastic at the controls of a young Bond, although some investigative or slow progression stages left me waiting for more action moments of some kind.

I think the lowest point of the game is how linear it is, and I consider that it would have been better to give the player more freedom of action and exploration. Perhaps that will be left for future editions.

If you’re a Bond fan, get out of where you are and go buy this game, the same if you’re thinking of investing in an action game that will keep you entertained for a long time.