The First New Bond Game In Over A Decade Is Hitman Meets Action Blockbuster

IO Interactive seemingly wrapped up its assassination bid Hitman successful 2023, launching nan anthology connected practically each crippled platform. But it’s not done pinch sneaking, subterfuge, and… sniper rifles. The crippled developer announced that it was making a caller James Bond game, teasing an "unrefined" Bond successful training – yes, it’s different reimagined root story.

At a closed-door briefing astatine Gamescom, I watched nan squad play done immoderate early parts of 007 First Light, pinch Bond portion of a squad of much seasoned spies hunting down a rogue double-‘o’ agent. Ah, that sounds for illustration a Bond plot.

The gameplay was separated into 3 parts. First, nan creative, exploratory sandbox part, arsenic Bond tries to elbow his measurement into a bougie mansion – erstwhile he should beryllium readying nan flight car. Like Hitman, Bond tin sneak around, triggering items to tie distant guards aliases distract from his ain actions. He scrambles up a building to get successful done an unfastened window, while vaguely flirting pinch unit and pretending he’s meant to beryllium there. The squad explained that societal interactions will shape different portion of really nan rookie supplier tin interact pinch group and advancement done areas and toward goals.

Some features differentiate First Light from nan aforementioned bald-headed assassination games. First of all, it’s acold little centered connected each nan sidesplitting (at slightest until nan full-throttle action sections later), pinch nan squad attempting to bespeak Bond adventures beyond bullets and grizzly ends.

There’s besides an Omega-branded Q Watch that attempts to elegantly fold successful HUD features for illustration location markers, weaponry, and gadget selection. It’ll besides thief analyse nan situation for interactive parts and opportunities for Bond. Players will apparently person a grade of state to determine really they attack missions and areas, moreover if we only saw 1 attack during this presentation. It did negociate to convey nan accent and unit I’d expect to consciousness from an IO Interactive game.

The early demo diverges from Hitman familiarity elsewhere. IO Interactive said that while 007 will connection a linear escapade of sorts, players will still person “control of their adventure.” A blend of action setpieces and much measured, thinking, exploratory sections should abstracted it from different games and different Bond games, too, which person typically been first-person shooters, immoderate of which are terrible.

The demo jumps up arsenic Bond follows nan rogue supplier successful an exciting-looking car chase. These reminded maine of Uncharted car segments, filled pinch demolition and chaos. Bond drives done a Swiss market, pinch thing catching connected his car tires for nan remainder of nan chase, while location are jumps, explosions, and near-misses arsenic you conflict to drawback up. It’s a shame that, astatine this early shape astatine least, you tin show that sloppy of your honed driving skills, you will ne'er drawback up to your quarry until nan crippled wants you to. The pursuit ends astatine a very well-guarded airbase.

This leads into nan different facet of First Light: gunplay and measurement excessively galore lipid drums and trucks filled pinch gasoline. The last conception includes Bond rushing nan airbase and chasing a subject carrier trade arsenic it takes off. Fighting is simply a operation of duck-and-cover, utilizing nan environment, and, if each other fails, throwing your weapon erstwhile it’s retired of bullets.

There’s a awesome constituent aft Bond hardly makes it connected committee nan level conscionable earlier it takes off. He uses his Q Watch to tilt nan plane, swinging cargo and enemies into nan walls of nan level aliases moreover retired nan cargo door. Eventually, 007 is flung from nan level too, and arsenic he falls, has to declare a parachute.

It’s a existent alteration of gait from nan early portion of nan demo but suggests First Light mightiness screen each nan Bond movie beats. I mightiness not beryllium sold connected different Bond root story, but hopefully, IO Interactive tin successfully blend 3 different types of crippled together.