007 First Light looks very much like the James Bond video game that we’ve all been waiting for. It also looks like IO Interactive, steeped in its Hitman pedigree, is the perfect developer for it - and demonstrated that directly to me in a behind-closed-doors preview at Gamescom 2025.
Showing the beginning and end of a mission, 007 First Light has its hooks in me already. From high-octane car chases to huge ‘secret agent versus entire army of baddies' combat encounters, and the freedom to approach situations with a whole variety of stealthy gadgets, there’s so much here to get excited about.
It’s all got an incredibly cinematic feel to it, and seems to have Hitman’s distinct DNA running through its veins, but what in particular has me so excited? Let’s dig in and see why it might feel just like playing a Bond movie.
Channeling the spirit of Bond
The slice of in-game action I saw was steeped in James Bond film chic, style, and cinematography. The cutscenes, voice work, and acting are all superb and redolent of both the iconic film franchise as well as IO Interactive’s Hitman series. From the latter, there was even a similar-sounding voice-over briefing at the beginning of the mission.
Despite the choice to have a young Bond as our protagonist - the demo showed him still in his training days - it’s clear there are homages to the film series deeply ingrained into 007 First Light. The young Bond has all the smarm, charm, and wit of any of the best Bonds, and the youth of the character tickled the ‘Slow Horses’ itch in me, too.
Features of the fictitious James Bond spy-world are incorporated into gameplay mechanics too (yes, they too are cinematic), such as the license to kill camera, which only appears and lets you shoot enemies if your life is under threat, seemingly removing unprovoked lethal attacks from the game.
However, it’s in the choreography of encounters that I felt really transported inside a James Bond movie. The car chase we saw was taken straight from the likes of Thunderball and other Connery-Moore era films, while an enormous and bombastic one-man-against-an-army encounter on an airport runway had me feeling like I was watching ‘my’ Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, all over again for the first time, and in a brand new light.
In the shoes of the greatest spy
As I said, this film-meets-video-game feel was present throughout the demo, and it gives a real insight into the particular James Bond game that IOI is making here.
This Bond is a 20-something-year-old young agent, filled with raw talent but naivety and impulsiveness. He’s still learning how to be an agent and how to learn the ropes and take orders from others. The demo I saw showed two parts of a mission that will shape and form Bond as a young spy, rather than just show him as a maximally lethal spy or all-guns-blazing action hero.
As part of a team looking to infiltrate a country manor, and given a rather tame role of driver to begin with, I saw the classic IOI multiple ways of approaching problems and finding solutions in stealth, and the immense satisfaction that can bring using James Bond's repertoire of tools, too (namely his vehicle-controlling, laser-shooting, frickin'-cool watch).
I didn’t get a super close look at Bond’s entire toolset, but the multi-function watch already looks very cool, and even the way it’s integrated as a core part of the HUD is incredibly clean, pleasing, and on point - even forming the onscreen information for the player, such as health.
The second part of the demo was far more high-octane, as I saw a car chase taken straight from Bond films of the 60s and 70s, with immense speeds, shortcuts, funny interactions and chat, and even fabulous camera changes for big moments.
Rounding it off was the aforementioned airport runway encounter, and it was this bit where I really felt transported right into the silver screen. The opening scene on the runway in Tomorrow Never Dies is seared into my mind’s eye and memory so for me, IOI couldn’t have picked a better setting to show off the borderline-ridiculous set piece and encounter to show off how Bond can create absolute chaos as a one-man-army with exploding gas canisters in chain reactions, collapsing gangways scuppering foes, cars of grunts flipping over, all while chasing a plane attempting to take off with our target inside. Naturally.
And even in the midst of large-scale combat, there are still opportunities for Bond’s humor to come through as he flings empty guns at the faces of his foes, and even in the face of a whole army of foes, there’s room for skilful hand-to-hand moves and take-downs.
Even in this early build, it’s clear that this is going to be a fantastic-looking game, and right at home with the most scenic, breathtaking, and epic locations that the globetrotting spy franchise is famous for.
In short, despite the pressure of taking on such a historic and weighty franchise, IO Interactive’s 007 First Light looks fantastic - and ticks all the right Bond boxes.
After years of waiting for an excellent new Bond video game, it seems we’ll finally get one, and IOI has demonstrated what the perfect fit they are - it really does feel like you’re playing a Bond movie, and that’s exactly what it should be.
Consider my appetite whetted immensely; I can’t wait until the game releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC sometime in 2026.
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