So after having spend around 30 hours with this thing, I feel good sharing my overall thoughts. Hitman will always be my favorite, and for that very reason, the thing I appreciate the most about First Light is how distinctly it is it’s own thing.
When I first played the opening missions, I was both surprised and impressed by the level of polish; minimal bugs, the story, the atmosphere, the graphics - everything is off the charts. The ambition with this thing really shines through, especially being conditioned by years of sometimes endearing, sometimes frustrating trademark IOI jank.
I was skeptical about the idea of a young Bond, but I really ended up liking Patrick Gibson’s portrayal. Confident, funny, charming and very independent minded. I liked the story too, especially where it went in the last 3rd of the game. The idea of the villains cleaning up and correcting for the mistakes of their supposedly perfect quantum computer is a really cool concept and very topical too. Perfect for a Bond story in 2026.
The ambition in terms of gameplay is wild too. It’s like multiple games in one, and First Light does everything really well. The social stealth is deep, there are always more options than you’d think (bluffing is an amazing feature), gadgets are fun and intuitive, the hand to hand system is deep and after a steep learning curve (especially as a first time PS5 player), I’m beginning to look forward to diving into close combat scenarios.
The shootouts are still hard for me (how anyone is good at aiming without mouse and keyboard is beyond me), but I love the brutal improvisationen nature of the fighting… throwing guns at enemies, kicking them up from the ground, shooting weapons out of their hands etc.
And I appreciate how they were going for something original with the shootouts. The low-ammo forces you to be creative and use gadgets, close combat, change weapons all the time. I’ve never really seen gunplay quite like this before.
Standout levels were the Carpathian Hotel, Vietnam and the Antarctic facility. I loved how they mixed up the gameplay with the creepy androids and the ball rolling in the Antarctic facility. Though I am a little sad that I knew the Hotel level so well from the gameplay trailer. It was really a highlight of the game, and it would have been even better, had I not known in inside out already. My own fault though. Time to reevaluate watching long gameplay previews for games I know I’m gonna buy. It made a difference.
Biggest critiques of the game:
- Locations got a tad too gamey at times. Too many office backrooms and grey corridors. The art direction of the level design is were IO really shined with WOA. Almost every location is distinct and feels novel and exciting to be in some way. Some locations had this (like the ones mentioned above), but it could have been more. I hope they take this to the next level with sequels.
- The pacing could have been a little better at times. The training sections stretched on too long (though presented in a cool way), the Webb skyscraper went on too long. Bond and Greenway’s puns on every little thing in the opening parts got a bit annoying too. I know they were trying to portray their relationship improving and Greenway warming to Bond, but it stretched on for too long. Also, the Antarctic facility felt like the real climax to the story and somehow the final MI6 showdown and the reappearance of Damian felt too bloated.
In terms of raw gameplay though, I do appreciate the length of the narrative. Took me 18 hours to complete the first time around - it felt like a lengthy campaign.
The more open areas in the hotel and in Vietnam really appealed to my inner Hitman fanboy of course. Nothing like strolling through an open sandbox-type social stealth arenas.
But it does in no way match a big Hitman sandbox. And I very happy with this.
This game let’s Hitman be Hitman.
007 First Light does other things really well, but it doesn’t play like Hitman. At the end of the day it’s just a way more linear experience but still super creative and open. I am happy that IO is seemingly finally having success with another franchise, and they are getting validation from this. This can only be good for future Hitman titles creatively.
WOA is already becoming a classic, but a fresh take on the franchise is needed and the gameplay loop feels predictable when new content is released.
So, having succes with a new franchise is hopefully gonna instill the confidence in IO to really take Hitman to the next level when the time is right.
