'007 First Light': the youngest James Bond is born in Barcelona

For some time now, Catalonia has become a major hub of talent within the video game sector, but rarely does a studio established in our country lead a blockbuster of the caliber of 007 First Light. It is the most ambitious video game made to date by the studio IO Interactive (IOI), originally from Copenhagen but with a key headquarters on Enric Granados street in Barcelona. Thanks to the mix of their recognized experience in the stealth genre (they are the creators of the Hitman saga) and the license to use the James Bond universe, comes one of the most anticipated action and adventure titles of the year of the year.

The agent had not appeared in a video game since 007 Legends (2012), but, in addition, the franchise is currently in a period of cinematic emptiness. Daniel Craig left his role on the big screen and the new director of the saga, Denis Villeneuve, has no new film in the works. IOI seizes the opportunity and bets on new faces and a cast of caliber. The one in charge of bringing the digital James Bond to life is Irishman Patrick Gibson (best known for his role as young Morgan in the prequel Dexter: original sin), but he is accompanied by other stars such as Lennie James, Gemma Chan, or Lenny Kravitz himself. Their performances have the potential to define a fresh, own identity for the character and the saga, in a story that narrates the starting point of the world's most famous secret agent.

The origins of a young and inexperienced James Bond

Inspired by Ian Fleming's novels and the film saga, First Light tells an original and independent story about the origin of James Bond. In fact, in the game we will not find the professional and impeccable spy sporting a tuxedo, but a 26-year-old young man described as immature and reckless. The adventure begins with a mission in which an inexperienced naval pilot earns a life-changing opportunity: to participate in the 00 program of the British intelligence service MI6. The ultimate goal of the game, therefore, will be to earn the right to wear the badge that grants him the famous license to kill.

In a very ingenious way, IOI includes this distinctive feature within the gameplay, and the use of game weapons will be forbidden only in moments when the agent's life is at risk. First Light makes a clear commitment to offering a complete secret agent fantasy, where unpredictability is key. In terms of gameplay, this translates into the fact that there is freedom to opt for stealth or brute force: the player decides the strategy. Infiltration tasks can be carried out thanks to mythical gadgets, taking advantage of the environment or the protagonist's own ease of speech and persuasion. But the game also offers the potential for great action moments, with frantic shootouts, big explosions, fistfights, and chases at the wheel of iconic vehicles.

Varied missions and high replayability

First Light is very cinematic in various aspects, such as rhythm, shots, and sequences. Despite this, its general structure is linear and clearly organized by very defined missions or chapters, which act as levels in terms of gameplay. Each mission is designed down to the last detail and in a very in-depth manner, to offer multiple viable approaches to achieving the final objective. The ambition and variability of the adventure are also reflected in the various locations visited by the agent, such as Iceland, a training base in Malta, a luxurious hotel in the Slovak Carpathians, Vietnam, or a secret facility in Antarctica, among others.

Regarding playtime and replayability, each level offers a series of optional challenges that will be difficult to complete in one go, which encourages players to revisit each mission and execute it in different ways. Thus, the main story of the title lasts about twenty hours, but if you want to complete all the optional achievements proposed or experiment within the extra TacSim mode (tactical simulator), the duration can easily exceed forty hours.

The return of 007 to video games

There is no doubt that Goldeneye 007 (1997), the Nintendo 64 classic that reaffirmed the first-person shooter genre and had Pierce Brosnan's face printed on the box, is the game that has most marked players and fans of the spy so far. First Light aims to be a new benchmark for the modern era from a third-person perspective and to win the approval of both veteran followers of the franchise and a younger generation who may discover the agent's universe through this video game.

To conclude, it should be noted that the title is published with only the original voices of the interpreters in English. Even so, the texts will be available in various languages, among which unfortunately Catalan will not be present. When will the day come when a major production will be translated into our language, especially if it has been partially developed here? IO Interactive's new title is available from today on all current platforms except Nintendo Switch 2, where it will arrive later, but still without a specific date.