007 First Light perfectly balances cinematic Bond action with Hitman's signature sandbox freedom

Before finally getting hands on with 007 First Light, I was concerned that IO Interactive would miss the mark with the game's structure. I was worried the masterminds behind Hitman would lean too heavily into the open, sandbox game style they're known for, somewhat abandoning the cinematic quality a James Bond story requires. Thankfully, I think they've got the balance between freedom and linear action spot on.

During my three hours with First Light, I played three different levels. The first was the story-centric introduction to the game and our young-Bond protagonist, the second was an MI6 practice arena to learn the ropes of stealth, and the third was a larger level at a museum in Kensington. It was the latter trip to West London that showed me exactly how First Light works.

Stepping through the front door, I began what was essentially a smaller Hitman level. Needing to get access to the security room away from the atrium, I had a few choices: I could sneak my way past the guards, impersonate a photographer who's late to get access to the viewing platform, or find a security staffing report to try and get an NPC to move from his post. Those were only the options I found, but other journalists I talked to encountered different options I didn't even realize were possible.

Once I'd blagged my way to the security room, I was faced with an entirely different sandbox. Now, I needed to find keys to open doors or bluff my way into the control room, sneaking around and taking out all the henchmen quietly and trying my best (and failing) to avoid the security cameras.

In the segments I played, there weren't any open areas that reached quite the scale of Hitman's. I didn't have to do any ten-part sequences to progress; the instances of freedom seem to be smaller, but they're fun and varied nonetheless. I think the balance between gameplay's focus on experimentation and cinematic action is perfect for James Bond. The series is about the bombastic action: the personality, the over-the-top, flashy nature of everything. I don't think the Hitman structure would really work.

Between the areas in which you're given some freedom, there are linear sections. The early mission was a tense adventure in a stormy Iceland, and the Kensington action was broken up by a boss fight, a choice-based conversation while strapped to a chair, and plenty of cutscenes. IO has managed to perfectly toe the line between Bond-style storytelling and the gameplay they're known for, completely satisfying the biggest concern I had going into the preview. It's a really smart distillation of the Hitman sandbox format. 

The moment-to-moment gameplay and combat are fantastic, too. Unlike in Hitman, 'going loud' is always an option for Mr Bond. I spoke to Tom Marcham, Senior Combat Designer at IOI, about how Agent 47 and 007 differ. He said: "Bond tends to get into prolonged fights with a lot more action going on, but he tends to be a lot more stylish about how he solves it. Agent 47 fires one bullet. Bond fires maybe one bullet, but he might punch five guys first, and steal some guy's gun, and then shoot that one bullet."

When I was caught by a security camera, fighting my way out of danger was a decent crutch. Hand-to-hand combat feels great, and beating up a room full of 15 henchmen feels great. Yes, the AI is a little dumb, often not noticing their mate being knocked out on the other side of the room, but Bond's ability to easily escape danger fits with his character.

That does mean First Light is easier than any Hitman game. Yes, you're pushed towards experimentation and working out how to get past guards without arousing suspicion, but you're unlikely to fail even if you do. You're not going to be attempting an elaborate trick, only to have it all ruined by being caught by one henchman. You can fail and progress, going with the flow of what happens. In that way, there's an even greater sense of freedom than in IO's other games.

As expected, Q has gone wild in First Light, giving 007 all manner of gadgets to help when out in the field. You can carry four different ones into any mission, and you'll always have Bond's signature laser watch. You'll be able to distract bad guys, knock them out, send them running for the nearest toilet, or mess with nearby electrical objects. To use them, you need to find blue and green items to fill two bars. You can then hack things or distract people with the charge you have, so you need to make sure you don't use your reserves when it's unnecessary - you don't leave yourself without the help of gadgets when you really need it. 

I kept forgetting that I had them, though. I spent ages looking around the security room, taking guards out one by one to try and find the key for a door. Once I had, I realized I could have just zapped the door's lock and opened it without a second thought. Gadgets add a playful aspect to the game, while also, in some instances, providing a shortcut.

First Light looks incredible, too. The level of detail in both the linear and open areas blows IO's other games out of the water, with the shifting of the camera closer to Bond's back, compared to that in Hitman, really elevating the immersion. Bond also moves unbelievably realistically and smoothly. Clambering along Icelandic cliffs and pushing his way through busy museum crowds looks so natural, with Patrick Gibson's performance emanating charisma and a hint of immaturity.

Bond is as cocky as you'd expect, some of his one-liners perfectly matching the personality of early iterations of the character. The ability to randomly flirt with women standing around the museum's atrium is a bit strange, but I guess it fits with Bond the character. 

Marcham said to me, "We've got a large target market here for this; [there's] a lot of people who love this IP, and we want them all to have a good experience." I think First Light will do that perfectly. Of course, we'll have to see how the game expands and changes in later missions, but the early hours are exactly what I wanted from a modern James Bond game.