GSC has been following the news for a new James Bond game (possibly even a trilogy) for quite some time. Today, IO interactive showed off a deep dive into the gameplay of 007 First Light. The good news? It looks promising. While IO Interactive is known for the Hitman franchise, 007 First Light looks like it’ll take inspiration not only from this but also other stealth franchises. Inspiration seems to come from Splinter Cell, action games such as Uncharted, and melee combat that reminded me a little bit of Sleeping Dogs.
The first part of the video shows a mission with no commentary as Bond and other members of MI6 are tracking down 009. James notices a suspicious looking bellhop and decides to tail him against the orders of his superiors. It starts off with some exploration and stealth that’ll look familiar to anyone who’s played the recent Hitman games. As he looks around, different routes will appear for you to take. Additionally, Bond can use items from the environment to create distractions such as using a lighter to set things on fire.
Speaking with different NPCs can also be a way to find more information and open more routes up. Something IO did very well with Hitman was give you numerous ways to approach every mission. So it’s exciting that this looks to be the case with First Light.
After exploring a bit and tailing the bellhop more, the game skips to a high speed car chase section. Bond never takes his foot off the gas as he completes a few stunt jumps in pursuit of 009 and whips around turns in drives that look similar to the older need for speed games. After completing the chase, the game then transitions to a shootout section. The shooting mechanics will draw comparisons to action games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider, as well as Just Cause due to how explosive the game looks and the fact that James uses his environment to his advantage. He can also throw his weapon at enemies if he runs out of ammo. Of course a gun is handy so Bond can also perform a quick takedown to take their gun.
As the mission goes on, it sees James then catch up to a plane and proceeds to use one of his gadgets to hijack the controls. He uses this to smash various items into enemies as he tilts the plane left and right. This action allows Bond to create his own options for cover and improvised attacks on the fly. After the plane starts to go down, James jumps out before hijacking an enemies parachute. That’s where the mission cuts off leaving you wanting more.
It then switches to a different mission where James is tracking an assassin down. This is where we see a more detailed description of the various gameplay mechanics and how James can approach things. As he finds an opportunity to get through a restricted area, Bond has to procure a camera to pose as a well known photographer. The game then shows multiple different ways he can go about doing this.
After getting the camera, the game goes into a more action based stealth section that is more reminiscent of Splinter Cell than Hitman. IO is once again emphasizing the number of ways James can go about things. He can go straight forward and quickly dispatch enemies before they know what’s going on. Alternatively he can separate them and lock one away while taking out the other. Of course here’s always various gadgets to create distractions or even bluff some enemies to convince him he’s on their side.
After that it shows what James can do if he gets caught as he gets into a brawl with various guards. Get ready to watch Bond do some of what he does best and clean house. It shows him heavily using the environment to his advantage. That includes throwing enemies into walls, into each other and smashing them through doors. It doesn’t stop there. Bond can grab random items such as pool billiards to use in the heat of moment. If all else fails, he’ll be dodging and parrying attacks that come his way.
Overall, 007 First Light is looking like a game where your given alot of freedom to complete your missions. This freedom also translates to a good amount of gameplay variety. Being the first James Bond game in almost 15 years, it’s certainly got a lot of hype surrounding it. After the excellent World of Assassination trilogy, IO is definitely a studio that can live up to expectations. The full State of Play is below for your viewing enjoyment.
007 First Light is set to launch on March 27th, 2026 for PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series platforms, and Nintendo Switch 2. Let us know down below if you’ll be adding this to your must play list next year. We sure will be.
