007 First Light review: James Bond origin story done right

The name is Bond. James Bond.’ A lot of 90s kids grew up hearing these words and sometimes, even saying them out loud to sound cool. Little did we know that in 2026, we would get to experience the iconic spy’s origin story. IO Interactive’s latest game, 007 First Light, did what no other title has managed to do in 2026 – take pop culture’s most iconic spy and turn him into a character who feels both familiar and completely new.

Instead of throwing players into the shoes of the polished, martini-sipping secret agent we all know, First Light takes a step back and explores the moments when Bond was just another recruit at MI6. As a result, what you get is a spy thriller that balances cinematic storytelling, stealth, action, and character development with immense confidence. I am not even exaggerating here, but the game feels like an interactive Bond film, one where every gadget, chase sequence, and difficult decision helps shape the legend that Bond will eventually become.

So what exactly makes 007 First Light special, and should you actually buy it? Let’s try to answer that question in this review. 

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007 First Light: Test system and performance

I tested 007 First Light primarily on my home PC equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti GPU, and 32GB of RAM. Running the game at 1440p resolution with every graphical setting cranked up to Ultra delivered impressive results. With DLSS Super Resolution set to Auto and no frame generation enabled, the game hovered around 45 fps. Now, 45 fps is certainly playable, but not really the best. But when Nvidia’s Multi-Frame gen entered the picture, the experience got a major upgrade. 

Switching to 2X Frame Generation immediately boosted performance to around 76 fps, which is smooth enough for both combat and exploration. Increasing it further to 4X pushed frame rates to roughly 136 fps, while 5X Frame Generation delivered anywhere between 150 fps and 167 fps, depending on the scene. The real surprise here was the 6X Frame Generation, as with this turned on, the game comfortably stayed around 190 fps and occasionally crossed the 200 fps mark. And no, the image quality didn’t really take a major hit. 

Things got even more interesting when I switched DLSS Super Resolution from Auto to Performance mode. With 6X Frame Generation enabled, frame rates climbed to around 230 fps, and well, the game still looked fantastic. However, my preferred setting ended up being DLSS Quality paired with 2X Frame Generation. This combination delivered a stable 80 fps experience while keeping the super-stunning visuals that make First Light such a visual treat.

For the ultimate experience, I swapped the RTX 5060 Ti in my PC for a (drumroll) Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU. I also connected my PC to my 55-inch OLED TV so that I could actually feel like I am inside Bond’s world. And the moment I turned my PC on, I really was. 

Even with every graphical setting maxed out and the game running in 4K resolution, the performance was exceptional. Running DLSS in Balanced mode with 2X Frame Generation resulted in around 200 fps, while enabling 6X Frame Generation pushed performance to an absurd 600 fps. Even with every DLSS and Frame Generation feature disabled, the game still managed between 80 fps and 10 fps, which speaks volumes about the title’s optimisation.

Now, throughout my playthrough, on both 5060 Ti and the 5090 GPU, I encountered no stutters, crashes, or performance-related issues. With that, let’s now talk about the graphics. 

007 First Light review: Graphics

The moment 007 First Light’s opening cutscene began playing, one thought immediately crossed my mind: this looks like a movie. And I do not mean that as a casual compliment. There are moments throughout the game where it feels like IO Interactive forgot they were making a game and accidentally ended up making a Bond film instead. The cinematography during cutscenes is exceptional, facial animations are mostly excellent, and the camera work constantly adds tension and drama to every major scene.

The visuals are undoubtedly one of the game’s biggest strengths. Environments are packed with detail, textures are incredibly sharp, and lighting transforms every location into something memorable. Whether you are walking through luxury interiors, exploring training facilities, or infiltrating hostile locations, everything feels polished and expensive.

Reflections also deserve a special mention here. Mirrors actually behave like mirrors, water surfaces look remarkably realistic, and lighting interacts naturally with the environment. 

That said, there are occasional inconsistencies. While most character models look fantastic, some facial details could have been refined further. Bond himself looks handsome and charismatic for the most part, but there are moments where his eyes and facial expressions appear slightly unnatural compared to the incredible quality of the surrounding world.

Still, these are relatively minor complaints in what is otherwise one of the best-looking games released this year.

007 First Light: Characters and setting

Spy games are nothing new. We have seen stealth games, espionage adventures, military thrillers and covert operations countless times before. What makes 007 First Light interesting is its willingness to show a version of James Bond that we have never truly explored.

This Bond is young, talented, confident and undeniably charming, but he is also reckless, impulsive and emotional. He has not yet become the polished secret agent the world knows. Instead, he is still figuring things out, making mistakes and learning from them. And that is what makes this game stand out in a crowd.

Watching Bond struggle with authority, ignore orders and make questionable decisions often makes him feel more relatable than some of the franchise’s older portrayals. There is an energy to this version of the character that reminded me of Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 or Nathan Drake from the early Uncharted games. You know he is destined for greatness, but he has not quite reached that point yet.

The game also explores Bond’s emotional side more than many fans might expect. There are moments where his actions clearly affect him. Situations that would normally be brushed aside in older Bond stories are given emotional weight here. Seeing Bond react like a human being rather than an untouchable action hero makes him much more interesting.

But, despite all these changes, he still feels like Bond. Which means that style, sarcasm, and being smooth around women are just built into his DNA.

Now, even though Bond is undoubtedly the star of the show, the supporting cast deserves a lot of credit as well.

Many story-driven games struggle to make secondary characters memorable, but that is not the case here. The various MI6 recruits, agents and mentors all have distinct personalities. They joke with each other, challenge Bond’s decisions and help make the world feel believable.

The game’s setting is also impressive, and there is style everywhere you look. Expensive suits, luxury interiors, exotic destinations and dangerous missions combine to create an experience that constantly feels like a Bond adventure. The game understands that Bond’s world should be glamorous and dangerous at the same time, and it successfully captures that balance.

One of the early missions inside a nightclub is a perfect example of this. Without spoiling anything, the mission combines stealth, tension, spectacle and chaos in a way that feels pure Bond. The mission is stylish, unpredictable and incredibly entertaining.

007 First Light: Gameplay and combat

As for the story itself, IO Interactive has done an impressive job.

This is very much an origin story, but it never feels slow or overly focused on exposition. Missions escalate quickly, situations become increasingly dangerous, and the plot constantly pushes players forward. There were several moments where I intended to play for thirty minutes and ended up spending hours instead.

As for the writing, it is as good as a Bond film. Dialogues are sharp and natural throughout. There is humour when needed, tension during serious moments and enough Bond-style one-liners to keep fans smiling. I frequently found myself laughing at conversations and looking forward to hearing what Bond would say next.

Now let’s come to one of the most exciting (and challenging) parts of the game – combat. Remember that you get to control Bond before he becomes the renowned spy who is simply flawless in everything. So, in the game too, you don’t play as an unstoppable super spy capable of taking down entire armies without breaking a sweat. Fights can become messy, enemies can overwhelm you, and poor decisions often have consequences. The game surely rewards stealth, planning and patience rather than reckless aggression (which is something I resort to when things go awry).

The only downside here is that the learning curve can feel a little steep during the opening hours. Between gadgets, stealth mechanics, movement systems and combat options, the game throws a lot of information at players quite quickly. And that can be overwhelming for someone new to Bond’s world. 

007 First Light: Music and sound design

No Bond experience would be complete without memorable music, and 007 First Light absolutely delivers on that front. For instance, the moment the opening credits roll, you know things are about to get exciting. Quick confession – I skip through the opening credits for most games. However, this was one of the rare occasions where I sat back and watched the whole thing from start to finish.

As for the background score in the game, it perfectly backs key moments throughout the campaign. And smaller audio details such as footsteps, environmental sounds and gadget effects help immerse players even further into the experience.

By the end of my playthrough, I genuinely felt like I was part of MI6. And that is probably the highest compliment I can give the game’s audio team.

Verdict: Should you buy 007 First Light?

One word answer here is, absolutely.

007 First Light understands exactly what makes James Bond special while also giving the character room to evolve. The game comes with some stunning visuals, an intriguing storyline, engaging gameplay, memorable characters and an emotional take on Bond’s early years.

More importantly, this does not feel like a licensed game relying solely on a famous name. It feels like a real attempt to build the future of Bond in video games.

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Rating: 9/10