007 First Light is an action-adventure game developed and published by IO Interactive, heavily inspired by the James Bond novels and films, while featuring an original story. Players meet the infamous character before he’s a member of MI6, and learn just how he became the smooth-talking agent he is known as today. Portrayed by Patrick Gibson, you’ll come to love this version of Bond as you grow with him, while also encouraging his cheekiness.

In this review, I’ll discuss James Bond as a character, the gameplay, the story, and overall feedback on the game. And, if you make it to the end, you’ll learn how some people just can’t sit down and appreciate a good game without whining. This is NOT a spoiler-free review!

The Legacy of James Bond

James Bond is a character name almost everyone can recognize, having seen one of his films, read one of the novels or comics, or just heard someone quote one of his many famous lines. Bond was originally created in 1953 by Ian Fleming, who wrote 12 Bond novels and 2 short story collections, defining the character and setting the standard for his stories. Following his passing, other authors were granted permission to write Bond novels, including John Gardner (14 novels & 2 novelizations), Raymond Benson (6 novels, 3 novelizations & 3 short stories), and Anthony Horowitz (3 novels). Other authors have only written 1 book, including Kingsley Amis, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, and William Boyd. 

While 007 First Light features an original story that takes inspiration from the novels, it has a lot of references to the films themselves, especially when it comes to outfits. As of this post, there have been 27 Bond films, with 7 actors playing him, and they’re currently on the hunt for the next. Let’s hope it’s Patrick Gibson!

Featured James Bond Media & References (not in appearance order):

• From Russia with Love – 1963 Film
• Goldfinger – 1964 Film
• You Only Live Twice – 1967 Film
• Live and Let Die – 1973 Film
• For Your Eyes Only – 1981 Film
• Nobody Lives for Ever – 1986 Novel
• The World is Not Enough – 1999 Film
• Casino Royale – 2006 Film
• Skyfall – 2012 Film
• No Time to Die – 2021 Film

The First Light of Day

When we first meet James in the game, he’s a member of the Royal Navy who’s been ambushed and stumbles upon a MI6 operation that’s been hijacked. He gets roped into recovering a vital asset, but quickly pivots to try and save everyone who’s being held hostage. He was not expected to survive, but not only did he survive, he made human decisions that led to his recruitment in MI6.

Throughout the game, you must train to become a 00 agent, going through courses and surprise missions. Eventually, the agents are all sent out on a mission, but because of some of the stunts Bond has already pulled, he is given basic duties and kept away from the action. While he is not out of action for long, there are multiple points of the game where you are going it alone, or have to make split-second decisions that determine what happens next. This is what makes the game exciting, and how you deal with enemies is entirely up to you.

How Bond Became 007

This is an action-adventure game, but it’s a big mixture of spycraft, using gadgets, sweet-talking, and quick reaction times. Depending on the mission, you could be working your way through a public area where you need keycards and codes to get by, or sneaking past enemies using your gadgets and tricks. You can also try to talk your way out of things, and the more you use that skill, the better James gets at it.

Each mission, you’re only provided a certain number of slots for gadgets, so you have to be strategic in the ones you pick. You’ll always have your Q-Watch, but other gadgets will vary. You also get to pick your watch at the start of the game, and later you get the Omega watch that is currently available for purchase, if you’re a huge James Bond fan and have an extra 9k to drop.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about this game is how you truly never knew what was coming. Each time we had a mission, things seemed clear, but every twist and turn was a huge surprise, and I was never disappointed with how things were going. I did get a bit tired of how much you had to do to get through certain missions though, which is part of spycraft, but I’m not that patient.

At the end of the game, James is officially given his 007 status and has proven himself to be the best spy MI6 has. Overall, it felt like a real Bond story and left me eager for his next mission!

We’ve Been Expecting You, Mr. Bond

While this is not the first James Bond game ever created, it is the one everyone is talking about. Back in 2012, Activision released 007 Legends, but they had their license to produce Bond content revoked. In 2020, IO Interactive announced they were developing a Bond game, and it was officially revealed in June 2025, releasing in Spring of 2026.

There were some complaints about the game, but none of them have been valid. A few people took issue with the fact that he was such a womanizer, which means those people aren’t familiar with the character in general and shouldn’t be playing the game. Others took issue with the fact that he has a scar on his face, but logically, in his line of work, there is no way he could be scar-free. 

007 First Light is available now to play on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. If you like spy challenges, solving puzzles, and getting away in the last possible second, this is the game for you.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post and want to see more of what I’ve written, check out my full blog here or follow my social media for updates! Bluesky & Instagram & Threads & Pinterest.

All game content and information is based on my personal gaming experience. The images were taken by me. I fact-checked game details with the sources below.

Sources: 

• Game Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/007_First_Light
• Bond Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_(literary_character) 
• IO Interactive: https://ioi.dk/007firstlightgame 
• IGN: https://www.ign.com/wikis/007-first-light/Easter_Eggs,_References,_and_Cameos