007 First Light is out this week on Wednesday, May 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and the reviews have begun rolling in. As it currently stands, the game is currently sitting on a pretty healthy aggregated score of a solid 88 on Metacritic.
There’s every chance that the Metacritic total will move around a little over the coming days, as the review situation for this one was a little odd – major outlets seemingly didn’t get access to the game until less than a week before launch, and some are still waiting for review codes to arrive. It’s easy to speculate that such a tight embargo might indicate a lack of confidence in the finished product from the game’s publisher, but if these early reviews are anything to go by that doesn’t seem the case.
Let’s take a look at some of the high-profile reviews that have come through so far for 007 First Light:
007 First Light Reviews
First off the rank is VGC’s Jordan Middler, who awarded 007 First Light full marks at 5/5 stars, writing, “007 First Light might just be the best James Bond game ever. The way IOI has translated the Bond fantasy into a 14-hour globetrotting epic is masterful. It’s a game full of spectacle, humour, action, and romance. Everything James Bond should be. New Bond owners Amazon must ensure this franchise continues.”
ComicBook’s Michael Leri was similarly praising, concluding that, “It would have been expected for IOI to stick to its Silverballers and immediately pump out another Hitman, yet the team swerved by making a Bond game with its own take on the classic British agent. This willingness to take a different path has led to a fresh 007 experience that beautifully marries the liberating sandbox elements of the Hitman series with explosive set pieces typically found in more linear action games. First Light, as a title, has a dual meaning, too, since it’s not only an origin story for this rendition of James Bond, but also hopefully a new dawn for IOI’s ambitious interpretation of what a 007 game can be.”
Awarding the game a 9/10, ScreenRant’s Kyle Gratton noted a little predictability in the plot and action gameplay that doesn’t match the excellent stealth, summing up their review with, “Like Q retrofitting Bond’s Omega watch, IO Interactive not only knows what the franchise needs, but what makes it tick. With gorgeous and impressively intricate locales, 007 First Light is brimming with trademark James Bond intrigue. There is a world-altering conspiracy threatening king and country to match, and a gameplay loop to get to the bottom of it that’s as intoxicating as a vodka martini.”
Checkpoint’s Omi Koulas largely echoed that sentiment, and the 9/10 score, saying, “007 First Light understands that Bond isn’t just gadgets and gunfights. There’s a lot of charm and chaos, and an abundance of improvisation under pressure. IO Interactive captures that brilliantly, giving us a slick espionage thriller that is just as fun to explore as it is to survive, as well as an additional TacSim mode for replayability. 007 First Light is up there as one of the best Bond games of all-time.”
Rick Lane over at Eurogamer grieves the heady espionage sim that could have been, had IOI stuck more closely to its Hitman blueprint, but still lands on a respectable 8/10, ending their review by writing, “First Light isn’t the Bond game that I wanted from IO Interactive. But I had a great time with it regardless. IO has proved it was the right studio to handle the license, albeit for different reasons than I expected. Amazon may not have a clue what to do with 007, but letting IO handle the whole shooting match would not be the worst idea.”
No doubt falling victim that egregiously short review turnaround, IGN’s Luke Reilly has penned a review-in-progress for 007 First Light, but it’s so far so good, with Luke saying, “007 First Light has made a fabulous first impression, and I’m certainly already quite comfortable to say it’s the best Bond has been since GoldenEye. I’ll be updating this review as soon as I’ve finalised the story and experimented with TacSim mode, which allows us to replay previous missions with extra challenges to earn new rewards.”
007 First Light is out on Wednesday, May 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Will you be picking this one up? Let us know in the comments or on our social pages!