James Bond fans have been yearning for a new film for five years now, but the gamers among them have had it even harder. Despite the British super spy’s influential history on gaming consoles – GoldenEye 007 (1997) is still considered one of the most important games of its era – there hasn’t been a major Bond game since 2013.
Maker IO Interactive, known for the Hitmangames, must with 007: First Light thus living up to high expectations. Hitman did well, but was in a fairly niche genre. In one immersive sim the creator sets a goal for the player, such as killing a target – but leaves the plan of action open, so the gamer can feel as smart, charming or brutal as they want.
The marriage between that formula and 007 seemed successful in advance. After all, sneaking, charming and fighting are central to both. In 007: First Lightthe first major James Bond production to appear since the rights were acquired by Amazon early last year, there is less elaborate disguises and less creative killing, but in many ways it could be for a more modest Hitman can continue. What sets it apart, however, is the story: First Light is a true James Bond adventure trip full of beautiful locations and predictable yet tantalizing plot twists – and dramatic, playable action scenes.
The very young James Bond (Patrick Gibson) comes onto the radar of the British spy service MI6 when he manages to rescue a dozen scientists from a besieged base in Iceland. Enough reason to recruit the annoyingly charming boy for the 00 spy program, which is just being restarted. Teacher John Greenway (Lennie James) thinks he’s too reckless for MI6, but when the young cohort of spies’ first mission goes wrong, Bond proves crucial.
The evils of AI and tech billionaires
First Light wants to talk about the evil of AI and tech billionaires and does not hide that opinion, but everything remains subordinate to spectacle and intrigue. That is also the strength of this game: the Hitmanfoundation is there, but everything that would get in the way of the real Bond feeling has been cut out and replaced by something that feels more cinematic.
Of course you fall out of a plane at least once
In one mission you might climb past the facade of an impressive hotel, change into clothes as a laundry worker and get into a fight with a tall blonde Finn in a burning cellar. In the next one you hang over a pit full of lions while actor and singer Lenny Kravitz enjoys melodramatically playing to his audience, or you charmingly talk yourself through a room full of angry soldiers. Of course you fall out of a plane at least once. There are mysterious women, beautiful beaches and bizarre gadgets: Bond’s overstuffed watch contains a dart that makes you feel nauseous and there is a rocket in the shape of a pen.
Sometimes the game crashes unexpectedly. It also does not always save your progress in logical places. The true lover of the immersive sim will lack depth – Bond blows through the game like a breeze. But anyone who misses James Bond will find his latest hit here, so wonderfully cool that you secretly hope that the charming Patrick Gibson can also make the transition to the films.
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