007 First Light Is Already Dividing Gamers… And That’s OK 

IO Interactive has rewound time to give fans the origins of the most iconic figure in espionage, James Bond. The Hitman studio’s new game 007 First Light depicts a young, reckless, and developing Bond during his time in the MI6’s training program as the former naval air crewman trains to confront a global conspiracy. The game explores how the spy became who he is, developed a moral code, and became the magnetic figure known as Agent 007. 

The game stars Irish actor Patrick Gibson (who previously played young serial killer Dexter Morgan in the Showtime series Dexter: Original Sin) as James Bond and has received overwhelming acclaim from critics but mixed reviews from players. While online commentary from gaming fans and influencers has run the usual hyperbolic gambit between “horrible” and “top contender for Game of the Year,” the game has also raised questions about time and money that are worth exploring.

With an estimated standard runtime of 15-20 hours, 007 First Light adopts a heavy focus on showing Bond’s development as a spy, meaning the training sequence runs well over an hour before the player goes on their first mission. The game is segmented into 17 chapters, a mix of cutscene-focused chapters that focus on story development and gameplay-focused chapters, which include the heavier infiltration missions. 

With each chapter lasting an hour or more, the game packs in a lot of character development, and gameplay can run up to well over 30 hours. Despite this, the standard runtime has some players opining that the game isn’t long enough. 007 First Light costs $69.99 for its standard edition and $79.99 for its deluxe edition and some fans believe that an average of 15 hours of gameplay isn’t worth the price. 

“While I enjoyed the story, visuals, and the gameplay combo of Hitman + Watchdogs feels good, I cannot really recommend anyone pay 70 euros for 15 hours of campaign,” player Dani commented on Steam.  

However, others say it is due to user error, with many who have beaten the 15-hour mark within the first quarter of the game. 

“I’m on Chapter 5, and I just hit the 18-hour mark,” Reddit user AiserComplex posted. “Maybe don’t try to speedrun the game on your first playthrough, and you might get more out of it.”

The question of value in gaming is not one that’s unique to 007 First Light. While the issue of gameplay time is a mixed bag, the increasing prices of AAA games with decreasing runtimes are an increasing complaint. AAA game developers are beginning to lose their grip on the industry’s wants, leading to an increase in complaints ranging from cost, production, and a lack of understanding of the source material. 

There has been some additional griping that the identity of James Bond is not fully encapsulated by the game. However, that seems to be due to the era of Bond’s life in the game, with the agent not yet being the fully actualized Bond that fans know from the movies. He is coming directly from being a soldier in active combat to now learning the intricacies of spydom. The transition adds to Bond’s learning the difference between a master manipulator and a calculated killer. 

Gameplay has also received some criticism, particularly its gun fights, for being underwhelming, quickly running out of ammo, and clumsy shooting mechanics. 

All of these critiques (even from reviewers and fans who are otherwise positive about the title) seemingly represent the newest reality of AAA games, as studios assume that quality will make up for a lack of quantity, or vice versa. For some fans, it just doesn’t, and that is OK. 

Despite the criticism, 91.78% of the reviews are positive on Steam, with criticism mixed into many of the positive reviews; the majority like the game. The appreciation of the story-driven game for a character like Bond is a trend in reviews. 

This is ultimately good news for the spy game genre, which has sorely lacked solid narratives since the release of IO Interactive’s Hitman 3. The gaming community’s occasional frustration might be the adjustment to a more story-forward experience. 

Narratively compelling games have been on a comeback for a few years, but it seems that the early 2000s-2010s style that was prevalent in the Uncharted series, Assassin’s Creed 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and the Arkham Knight series is making a comeback. 

Now, 007 First Light may not be on the same caliber as all of those games, but it is a step in the right direction to finding the balance of storytelling and gameplay that fans have been missing. 

007 First Light is now available to play on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.