007 First Light preview: Hitman-style stealth meets Uncharted action in new Bond adventure impresses

Since it was announced five years ago that IO Interactive would be making a James Bond game, it felt like a natural fit for the studio known for Hitman, a series known for having you visit glamorous locations around the world in a sharp suit, and very much with a licence to kill.

But an assassin and a spy are very different occupations, and on closer reflection, I'm not sure if the slow sandbox nature of Agent 47's most recent iterations necessarily translates to the kind of blockbuster action you might expect for the iconic British agent. But I shouldn't have worried because my first look at 007 First Light at Gamescom completely blew me away.

The world premiere hands-off demo initially feels like a Hitman mission, where even Moneypenny's voiceover and accompanying visuals feel familiar to when Diana Burnwood is briefing Agent 47. That's not too surprising, given that First Light is also developed with IO's proprietary Glacier Engine, which powered the last three Hitman games. But while there are similarities, notably having a fairly large sandbox environment you can explore - in this case, a grand chateau in the mountains - that's also populated with an impressive mass of NPCs, what sets it apart is character.

Whereas Agent 47 is skilled at blending in with the crowd, here you play as one of the most iconic characters in any form of media, brimming with suave British charisma, and that really comes across visually, thanks to an engine overhaul allowing for detailed facial expressions.

Bond is back

This origin story also allows for a refreshing look at a young Bond newly recruited to MI6 and before he has even earned his 00 licence. In fact, in this mission, you don't see him in his trademark tuxedo but in the somewhat lowly role of a chauffeur (complete with a driver's cap), where he's also a part of a team of agents in a 'black tag' operation to locate Agent 009.

Of course, it's not long before this hot-headed rookie decides to do his own thing by following a suspicious bellhop. This actually constitutes an optional side mission and is a lot like a Hitman mission when you're just scoping out your surroundings and looking for opportunities to use stealth or cause a diversion.

What stood out for me was a moment when Bond infiltrates a building by climbing through an upper-floor window, surprising the NPCs nearby. Being caught where you're not meant to be, especially in that comical a fashion, would usually raise an alert, but the cocky upstart doesn't miss a beat, and with the gift of the gab just pretends to be part of the staff checking for security flaws before proceeding to walk through the room unchecked.

That is, apart from a maid he passes by and who can't take her eyes off of him, until turning the corner, you hear her gossiping to a colleague about making sure to leave an extra mint on his pillow. It's a moment that really demonstrates how you're embodying Bond's charming and sexy persona rather than Agent 47's cold, cipher demeanour.

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The next parts of the demo take even more of a departure from the World of Assassination, as the mission isn't just contained in the chateau's surrounding area but breaks off into more action-packed set pieces, including a car chase and a full-blown shoot-out. That should be enough to tell you that First Light harks back to the kind of cinematic third-person action-adventure that Naughty Dog specialised in with the likes of Uncharted, complete with lavish in-engine cutscenes that flow seamlessly between gameplay.

It also wouldn't be Bond without the presence of familiar high-luxury brands, which in another game you'd accuse of being cynical product placement, but here is arguably essential to the 007 identity. That's why at the start of the mission, Bond, in his chauffeur disguise, is driving a Jaguar Land Rover, while he later gets behind the wheel of an Aston Martin during the aforementioned car chase. If I thought the car chase itself was actually a bit linear and went on a bit longer than necessary, this was made up for by the combat section of the demo.

Unlike Agent 47, you can't just whip out your gun whenever, and it's only during a last resort scenario that Bond is granted licence to kill, which also suggests these will occur in scripted moments of the game. However, this wasn't just a linear corridor cover shooter sequence, as I was watching Bond spinning around to take down goons from all sides, while making use of what's available. Sometimes that includes some predictable and conveniently placed red barrels, canisters, and tanks, though the slightly slow-motion explosions look cool nonetheless.

But two even more bad-ass moments I noticed were how Bond can also be improvisational in combat. Borrowing a Hitman mechanic, he's able to lob his gun directly at an enemy's head to stun them, leaving them open for him to rush them with a melee attack. Speaking of detailed and expressive animations, the most impressive of these was seeing him kick a shotgun on the ground up into his hands instead of just a bog-standard crouch and pick-up animation.

Of course, the caveat is that this might not be a reflection of the final game since things can always change in development, although what I saw really was someone playing it live and not just a recorded presentation. Ultimately, this first look at 007 First Light is a showcase of how much IO has overhauled its Glacier Engine to serve a much more cinematic character and story-driven blockbuster, while still carrying over elements of the sandbox gameplay that have made Hitman's reboot over the past decade a deserved success.

007 First Light is releasing on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. For more Bond fun, read our look at the cancelled Lego James Bond video game and take the ultimate movie logos quiz.