007 First Light (Xbox Series X) Review

When it comes to licensed video games, the James Bond series has had its fair share, although most have been loosely based on an 007 film. But with 007 First Light, it’s the first game that tells a completely original story for James Bond. According to IO Interactive, the game is about: This unique, standalone original story has been created by the passionate development team at IO Interactive. In 007 First Light, players will step into the shoes of a young Bond, a promising yet rebellious Royal Navy air crewman who is recruited into MI6. His sharp instincts and heroism in combat propel him into the agency’s rigorous training program for the once revered, and newly resurrected, elite 00 section.Gameplayhttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-05.jpg 007 First Light If you’ve played any of IO Interactive’s past games like the Hitman trilogy, then the gameplay of 007 First Light will feel very familiar. The game leans more into action-adventure akin to the Uncharted series and Watch Dogs with a mix of the stealth gameplay of the Hitman games. https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnIFjEzSlIE?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent 007 First Light has a number of game mechanics that would be right at home in the Hitman games, such as the blending in feature, stealth hiding and an Instinct mode (by pressing in the Left Stick) that will let you show nearby enemies. And since you’ll be taking control of a suave spy like James Bond, you’ll have to act the part and there’s a few mechanics to help you. The Instinct meter will fill up when you successfully perform a spy move, which can then be used on a few things, Bluff, Lure and Focus. https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-54.jpg 007 First Light Bluff is for if you’re ever caught in a situation and don’t want to fight your way out, you can deceive enemies with a smart contextual quip and the enemy should believe you and let you pass. The feature works great and makes you feel like you’re James Bond and his charming self. Lure will lure in guards from their patrol to investigate a noise they heard (usually Bond will say something to distract them). Focus will slow down time, so you can easily take down multiple enemies at once. https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-81.jpg 007 First Light For combat, for the most part you’ll be using melee combat with a combination of punches, strikes, parrying, grabbing, and pushing enemies and even picking up and throwing objects to blind enemies, so you can charge at them. The melee combat is very solid but it’s nothing to the same level as Sleeping Dogs. https://www.youtube.com/embed/6JLXGRlj_oQ?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent While you do have a firearm at your disposal such as a Service Pistol (regular and silenced), SMGs, shotguns, the game will restrict you as to when you can use your weapon. You can only use it when an enemy draws their weapon or there is an active high threat. Then you’ll be given a Licence to Kill, where you can then pull out your gun or grab an enemies’ weapon to use against them. If you’re out of ammo, you can also just throw your gun at them. https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-29.jpg 007 First Light After you draw your weapon, there’s also a focus mode that will slow down time, so you can aim your weapon at part of an enemy’s body such as their head, torso, knees, or even hands to disarm them. You can also shoot at environmental objects like exploding barrels. And no James Bond game would be complete without a number of gadgets at your disposal, including the Q-Lens, Q-Watch, laser, Dart phone, Flash Mine earphones, Missile Pen and Smoke Pods. Q-Lens will be your best friend and can be activated by pressing LB and it will show you info about your surroundings including enemies, opportunities, and gadget targets. https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/007-first-light-screenshot-web-05.jpg 007 First Light Q-Watch which can be used to hack objects such as cameras, cause distractions or activate or deactivate environmental hazards for enemies. The laser attachment can be used to cut into objects but also temporarily blind enemies in a pinch. Dart phone will disorient a person, so you can sneak past. As the name implies, the Shockwave camera will send a shockwave to push back enemies or break locked doors. The missile pen will shoot missiles, which is perfect for swarms of strong enemies. And finally Smoke pods help you escape sticky situations. https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-18.jpg 007 First Light Before you start each mission, you’ll be given the opportunity to equip your gadget loadout. For the major

Jul 15, 2026 - 22:03

When it comes to licensed video games, the James Bond series has had its fair share, although most have been loosely based on an 007 film. But with 007 First Light, it’s the first game that tells a completely original story for James Bond.

According to IO Interactive, the game is about:

This unique, standalone original story has been created by the passionate development team at IO Interactive. In 007 First Light, players will step into the shoes of a young Bond, a promising yet rebellious Royal Navy air crewman who is recruited into MI6. His sharp instincts and heroism in combat propel him into the agency’s rigorous training program for the once revered, and newly resurrected, elite 00 section.

Gameplay

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-05.jpg 007 First Light If you’ve played any of IO Interactive’s past games like the Hitman trilogy, then the gameplay of 007 First Light will feel very familiar. The game leans more into action-adventure akin to the Uncharted series and Watch Dogs with a mix of the stealth gameplay of the Hitman games.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnIFjEzSlIE?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

007 First Light has a number of game mechanics that would be right at home in the Hitman games, such as the blending in feature, stealth hiding and an Instinct mode (by pressing in the Left Stick) that will let you show nearby enemies.

And since you’ll be taking control of a suave spy like James Bond, you’ll have to act the part and there’s a few mechanics to help you. The Instinct meter will fill up when you successfully perform a spy move, which can then be used on a few things, Bluff, Lure and Focus.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-54.jpg 007 First Light Bluff is for if you’re ever caught in a situation and don’t want to fight your way out, you can deceive enemies with a smart contextual quip and the enemy should believe you and let you pass. The feature works great and makes you feel like you’re James Bond and his charming self.

Lure will lure in guards from their patrol to investigate a noise they heard (usually Bond will say something to distract them). Focus will slow down time, so you can easily take down multiple enemies at once.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-81.jpg 007 First Light For combat, for the most part you’ll be using melee combat with a combination of punches, strikes, parrying, grabbing, and pushing enemies and even picking up and throwing objects to blind enemies, so you can charge at them. The melee combat is very solid but it’s nothing to the same level as Sleeping Dogs.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6JLXGRlj_oQ?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

While you do have a firearm at your disposal such as a Service Pistol (regular and silenced), SMGs, shotguns, the game will restrict you as to when you can use your weapon. You can only use it when an enemy draws their weapon or there is an active high threat. Then you’ll be given a Licence to Kill, where you can then pull out your gun or grab an enemies’ weapon to use against them. If you’re out of ammo, you can also just throw your gun at them.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-29.jpg 007 First Light After you draw your weapon, there’s also a focus mode that will slow down time, so you can aim your weapon at part of an enemy’s body such as their head, torso, knees, or even hands to disarm them. You can also shoot at environmental objects like exploding barrels.

And no James Bond game would be complete without a number of gadgets at your disposal, including the Q-Lens, Q-Watch, laser, Dart phone, Flash Mine earphones, Missile Pen and Smoke Pods. Q-Lens will be your best friend and can be activated by pressing LB and it will show you info about your surroundings including enemies, opportunities, and gadget targets.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/007-first-light-screenshot-web-05.jpg 007 First Light Q-Watch which can be used to hack objects such as cameras, cause distractions or activate or deactivate environmental hazards for enemies. The laser attachment can be used to cut into objects but also temporarily blind enemies in a pinch.

Dart phone will disorient a person, so you can sneak past. As the name implies, the Shockwave camera will send a shockwave to push back enemies or break locked doors. The missile pen will shoot missiles, which is perfect for swarms of strong enemies. And finally Smoke pods help you escape sticky situations.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-18.jpg 007 First Light Before you start each mission, you’ll be given the opportunity to equip your gadget loadout. For the majority of the game, you’ll be given 3 gadget slots but as you progress through the story, you’ll be given a 4th slot.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-23.jpg 007 First Light One minor gripe I had with the game is that sometimes it won’t explicitly tell you what to do, just a vague like go here, and you have to figure out what to do and how to get to it. This can get annoying, but one tip is that if you’re in an area with lots of NPCs, try to talk to as many as you can, sometimes they can give you hints.

And it wouldn’t be a James Bond game without some driving sections including driving an Aston Martin. The driving in the game feels very solid but it feels a bit loose at times, which is frustrating when turning corners quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LDzcrxNYvY8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Also, if you want to improve your skills, the game has something called TacSim, which will let you replay previous levels but with some extra challenges. After you finish your first mission in the game’s story, the TacSim should become available from the main menu.

Presentation

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-30.jpg 007 First Light In terms of visuals, 007 First Light looks absolutely stunning. IO Interactive have outdone themselves with the improvements they’ve made to their in-house Glacier engine. There are the occasional bugs but those are just minor. The game runs at 4K resolution 60fps in Performance Mode and 4K 30fps in Quality mode.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-85.jpg 007 First Light Throughout the game’s story, you’ll be taken to various locales from the land of fire and ice of Iceland, to the streets of London and to tropical Vietnam and eventually the freezing Antarctica. Each of the different locations feel very immersive and feel like you’re actually there.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-110.jpg 007 First Light One thing I wanted to highlight is the performance by the cast, especially the game’s lead, Patrick Gibson. His portrayal of Bond is excellent, he really embodies the suave and charismatic nature of the character. I would love to see him continue to play James Bond in future titles even though he’s probably unlikely to be selected to play the next Bond in film.

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/007-first-light-cast-web.jpg 007 First Light Cast The rest of the game’s cast also do well in their portrayal of their characters to help round things out.

Final Thoughts

https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/007-first-light-review-screenshot-138.jpg 007 First Light Overall, 007 First Light is a great game that has an engaging story that keeps you on your toes and makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the role of James Bond.

007 First Light is available on Xbox Series X & S, PS5 and PC.

An Xbox Series X review code of the game was provided by the game’s publisher, IO Interactive.

Pros

Good and engaging story throughout
Solid Gunplay
World feels immersive
Great visuals

Cons

Occasional bugs and glitches
Driving is a bit loose

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