007 First Light is, according to IO Interactive, coming to the Switch 2 at some point in the Summer. So while we wait, a bunch of reviews have now gone live for the game on other platforms, so we thought it would be good to see what folks make of it so far.
Now, our understanding is that outlets received codes for this one quite late, and so a lot of the go-to sites have posted in-progress reviews for the time being. We’ve got a few scored ones lying around though, so we’ll do our very best to present a decent spread of opinions.
So let’s get cracking:
VGC (5/5) – “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.”
The Guardian (5/5) – “I have no doubt that this was made by excitable Bond geeks throwing “what if” moments at a whiteboard. What if you got to explore Q Lab watching underlings test malfunctioning prototypes? What if you were tied to a torturer’s table and had to talk your way out? What if you found yourself at 15,000ft with no parachute? And what if you had access to John Barry’s classic scores and could deploy a staggering needle drop out of nowhere?
“Very few fans get to play in the sandbox of their obsession like IO has here. As far as Bond video games go, nobody has done it better.”
Vice (5/5) – “007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye and is also one of the better Bond stories told in the last decade. IO Interactive has created a game that is a culmination of all of their best mechanics over the years. 007 First Light has the addicting sandbox gameplay of the Hitman franchise while also having an incredible narrative that matches the quality of Naughty Dog and Rockstar Games. James Bond is finally back and is better than he’s been in years.”
Game Rant (8/10) – “007 First Light is one of the more content-rich James Bond games we’ve ever had, and it should only get better with future updates. What’s on offer at launch is a solid, polished James Bond adventure with a memorable story and exciting action that should please most fans of the franchise.”
Restart.run (7/10) – “If you do decide to take up First Light, I expect what you will find is a fantastic foundation for future updates and a likely sequel that will truly impress, nestled within a sincerely fun and well-designed stealth game that takes what Hitman provided and improves upon it. What you will not find is a game that is able to conceal or minimize all its flaws. It instead presents them to you fully emblazoned on its chest and at often interminable length. And all that left me shaken, not stirred.”
Push Square (score pending) – “I’m not quite finished with 007 First Light just yet, but overall I’d say it’s exactly what I was hoping for. The characterisation of this young Bond and his associates is really strong, and the globetrotting story lets you explore some great locations. It really shines in its sandbox missions, but shootouts have their moments too, and the whole thing weaves together really quite nicely. I’m really interested to see how the final few missions shake out, but beyond some technical quibbles and uncertainty on the driving, I’m pretty happy with IOI’s new vision for James Bond.”
IGN (score pending) – “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.”
Kotaku (unscored) – “First Light’s biggest problem is its own scale and form. It’s a game from an incredible team playing against type, one which has a tendency to obscure its own strengths and overplay its weaknesses. Sometimes it wants to sand down its rough edges and be everything to everyone, but all of its best moments are where it stalwartly refuses to where other studios would fold. It’s too expensive for its own good, it’s smarter than it has any right to be and so much dumber than you wish it actually was. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s still a fun time at the movies, or rather, in front of your PS5 for a weekend or two. It is, for good and for bad, a James Bond film that you can play. Mission accomplished.”
So far, 007 First Light is sitting at 88 over on Metacritic, which is great to see. We’ll have to judge it for ourselves and decide whether it can hold a candle to GoldenEye 007, but we’re thrilled that folks seem to be enjoying it so far.
We’ll be sure to relay the final release date for First Light on Switch 2 as soon as this is communicated from IO Interactive.
