007 First Light Review: Spy Improv at Its Best

I’ll admit I was skeptical when I first heard about 007 First Light. It’s from IO Interactive, the studio behind the brilliant Hitman World of Assassination trilogy—so a perfect match for a spy game, you’d think. But early reports compared it more to Uncharted than Hitman, and that didn’t exactly thrill me. So imagine my surprise when it became one of my favorite games of 2026. The secret? Pure improvisation.

Winging It Works

007 First Light thrives on spontaneity. There’s a bluffing mechanic that lets you talk your way out of tight spots—it can feel overpowered in situations where it probably shouldn’t work, but that only adds to the fun. More importantly, every weapon has very limited ammo, and there are no ammo pickups anywhere. You can’t just hide behind cover and methodically take down waves of enemies; you have to keep moving, switching tactics constantly. When the bullets run dry, you rely on melee and environmental takedowns—chucking coffee cups, shoving armored enemies into holes, or even throwing the gun itself at someone’s head like something out of John Wick. These moments feel less like failure and more like the game’s intended flow. The game constantly forces you to think on your feet, turning every encounter into a unique puzzle.

Like Hitman, but Messier

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