IO Interactive has not at all been careful about what it shows from 007 First Light as rather the Danish developer has been very proactive about presenting grander and wider glimpses of the game throughout the summer. This has recently included featuring in a dedicated State of Play broadcast, an entire show focussed on the action-adventure game, giving fans a taste of the experience that the Hitman developer has in production. It also included a pretty epic Gamescom presence, which we can now tell you more about.
Let me set the scene first and foremost. I walk into Hall 4.2 of the Koelnmesse and I'm greeted by an enormous booth styled to resemble a glitzy theatre. There's a red carpet, areas roped off by golden barriers, a stunning display explaining that 007 First Light is being shown on the big screen within, and not to mention an absolutely beautiful Aston Martin DB5 parked outside. It's extravagant and glamorous, and it only becomes more so as we head within to find a seating area where popcorn and fresh drinks are being served. It's boujee and memorable and it perfectly sets the scene for the premiere I'm about to witness where IO will showcase a bunch of actual 007 First Light gameplay.
This snippet of the action comes from the first mission in the wider story. We get to see a young James Bond on one of his first missions, before he has officially joined the 00 programme. The gameplay commences in the same way that any great Bond story does, with a tranquil and smooth ride along a stunning European road while Bond, who here poses as a chauffeur, natters and flirts with his passenger, a member of British intelligence. It's already quite an unusual IO experience as the demoist is driving the car, something we have yet to see the Danish developer look to realise in its games.
After the lovely road trip comes to a close, Bond leads the car up a striking driveway into a stunning mansion, where after dropping off his passenger at the main entrance, he diverts and heads to the chauffeur parking section. It's here that Bond finally steps out of the car and we begin to feel the Hitman influence over the adventure, as Bond casually strolls up some nearby steps while paying attention to whatever could be deemed unusual. Bingo! There's a worker dumping suitcases off a balcony for some reason, but why? Bond and British intelligence are on a mission looking for a rogue 00 operative who threatens to leak secrets from His Majesty's Secret Service. The aim of this mission is to find this agent, capture them, and bring them back home to ensure any secrets are kept buried...
Bond follows the worker and soon discovers that they've entered the mansion, an area he cannot follow due to bouncers only allowing the right folk through. Again, it's very Hitman, but unlike Agent 47 who is a chameleon that can snag a disguise and waltz through unhindered, Bond must find a different route, a method that sees him manipulating the environment to divert eyes and enable him to progress. It begins by finding a lighter, ideal for igniting a wheelbarrow full of dead leaves that causes a guard to investigate, creating just enough room for Bond to shimmy up a drainpipe and enter through an open window. Sure, some of the workers wonder why a chauffeur is on the second floor of this mansion, but it's below their pay grade.
What comes next is reconnaissance and investigation as Bond attempts to find the worker he lost sight of. He speaks to bartenders, delightfully quipping with the employee like that one person we all know who can effortlessly adapt to any social circumstance. He doesn't order a Martini (shaken not stirred) as he's on the job, but he does get the information he requires, leading him to find his man. Soon after Bond discovers that the rogue 00 agent is fleeing by heading to a local airfield and boarding a cargo plane. Needless to say, he can't have that, so he snags some keys and claims a car with the intention of giving chase. However, Bond has a passenger, another agent who is hunting the 00 agent too. This well-spoken and smart lady is the match for our hero, and while they aren't technically allies, the situation sees them teaming up, with the woman serving as the perfect navigator to help Bond deal with the multitude of hazards in the car chase that follows.
It's a clearly scripted sequence where Bond has to evade conveniently placed oncoming traffic and hazards, but it's thrilling and intense, and mostly what you want from a Bond car chase. But I can't help feel if it's perhaps a tad too action-packed at times, but then again, maybe I'm being too critical.
The car chase comes to an end and the 00 agent escapes to the airfield with Bond in pursuit and the lady splitting off in an attempt to ground the plane. This is where my previous concerns take greater shape, as what follows is almost the opposite of what you expect from an IO game, and doesn't really match that Bond DNA either. Essentially, the plane is leaving and Bond has to be on it, meaning there's no time for charm and smooth-talking, it's time to whip out the licence to kill. With firearms in hand, Bond proceeds to gun down any and every threat that stands in his way in 360-degree combat, blowing up fuel tanks and cars along the way like one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's chaotic, loud, explosive, action-packed, and frankly exactly what you'd expect from a Mission: Impossible scene, but perhaps not so much a Bond moment. And naturally, just as the plane is taking off, Bond manages to hitch a ride...
What follows in the last portion of this gameplay demo is a bit Uncharted-like, as Bond works through the plane, eliminating threats that stand in his way all before coming face-to-face with the rogue operator. As you'd expect, this leads to panic and soon after the plane is at risk of crashing, debris is falling to the ground, and Bond is currently following suit and without a parachute at that... His instincts kick into action and soon he finds the 00 agent below him, parachute on his back, leading Bond to dive towards the target, wrap himself around his body, pull the cord and prevent a very grim demise. Mission complete.
Ultimately, the demo proved to be a rather unusual affair, especially for someone like myself who adores the Bond franchise. Sure, it's a very bold and memorable opening, but some of the moments and set pieces seemed more like Ethan Hunt should be in the lead and not James Bond. Granted, this could be an anomaly for the full adventure that IO intends to present, as we were told during the demo session that the game will offer a variety of more open sandbox levels, like Hitman, and more focussed linear ones like this. Also, with Bond not yet being a 00 inductee, we didn't get much of a taste of the gadgets and how Q's influence will seep into the gameplay.
What was clear is that the persona of Bond that IO has created feels accurate and in-line with what so many expect from him. He's smooth-talking, intelligent, relentless, and flirty, somewhat in the same sense as Daniel Craig's take on 007. Likewise, while this demo wasn't a massive showcase of the Hitman heritage at IO, the developer did promise that the game is built to offer places where you aren't meant to use your licence to kill, as it will only make your life harder, albeit matched up with places where you can run and gun like Rambo without remorse.
Still, for the time being I'm intrigued by this game. Perhaps it's our first taste of what the future of Bond will look like now that Amazon has greater control and long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have departed. It didn't always feel authentically Bond in its structuring, but as far as a gameplay experience goes, I have little reason to doubt that it will keep you on the edge of your seat as you jet off around the world, carve out a legacy, and ultimately become a legend in His Majesty's Secret Service.
