007: First Light hands-on shows IO Interactive mixing stealth, action and Bond-style improvisation

IO Interactive’s 007: First Light is starting to look like exactly the kind of Bond game fans hoped the Hitman studio would make. In a new PlayStation Blog hands-on report, the preview focuses on how the game combines stealth, action, improvisation and cinematic spy fantasy rather than reducing James Bond to a simple third-person shooter.

That matters because IO Interactive’s strength has always been systemic problem solving. Hitman works because the player is encouraged to observe, plan, disguise, improvise and escape when everything goes wrong. A Bond origin story built on those ideas could finally give players the fantasy of being clever as well as dangerous.

The hands-on covered three missions and described a game that gives players room to use charm, gadgets, planning and direct action depending on the situation. For gamers, this is promising because licensed games often lean too heavily on the name and not enough on the play. If First Light can make every mission feel like a miniature spy film with flexible solutions, it could become the Bond game modern players have been waiting for.