IO Interactive, the creators of Hitman, bring us 007 First Light, a game that explores James Bond's early days before MI6. In a three-hour demo, we saw three sections blending stealth, combat, and driving. The initial mission shows Bond as a naval officer in Iceland, surviving an attack and scaling a cliff. Creativity in solving objectives is key, moving away from Activision's linear installments.
Open-ended gameplay and stealth as a technical foundation 🕵️
IO Interactive applies its experience with Agent 47 to offer a mission system with multiple approaches. Each section of the demo allowed choosing routes, using the environment, or directly engaging enemies. Stealth is not mandatory, but it rewards observation. The driving, present in a chase, feels more arcade than simulator. The scenarios, like the Icelandic base, are designed with multiple entry and exit points, encouraging replayability.
Bond, the spy who started climbing like a mountain goat 🧗
Seeing a young Bond climbing a frozen icy cliff without a martini in sight is almost poetic. Forget the elegant suits: here, the future 007 looks like a novice climber with bad luck. Sure, at least he doesn't have to clean a bathroom like Agent 47. The demo promises action, but also makes it clear that being a spy means sweating buckets before ordering that first vodka.