The primary new Bond recreation in over a decade is Hitman meets motion blockbuster

IO Interactive seemingly wrapped up its assassination sequence Hitman in 2023, launching the anthology on virtually each recreation platform. But it surely’s not performed with sneaking, subterfuge, and… sniper rifles. The sport developer introduced that it was making a brand new James Bond recreation, teasing an “unrefined” Bond in coaching – sure, it’s one other reimagined origin story.

At a closed-door briefing at Gamescom, I watched the staff play by means of some early elements of 007 First Gentle, with Bond a part of a staff of extra seasoned spies searching down a rogue double-‘o’ agent. Ah, that seems like a Bond plot.

The gameplay was separated into three elements. First, the artistic, exploratory sandbox half, as Bond tries to elbow his means right into a bougie mansion – when he must be readying the escape automobile. Like Hitman, Bond can sneak round, triggering gadgets to attract away guards or distract from his personal actions. He scrambles up a constructing to get in by means of an open window, whereas vaguely flirting with workers and pretending he’s meant to be there. The staff defined that social interactions will kind one other a part of how the rookie agent can work together with individuals and progress by means of areas and towards objectives.

Some options differentiate First Gentle from the aforementioned bald-headed assassination video games. Initially, it’s far much less centered on all of the killing (no less than till the full-throttle motion sections later), with the staff making an attempt to replicate Bond adventures past bullets and grizzly ends.

There’s additionally an Omega-branded Q Watch that makes an attempt to elegantly fold in HUD options like location markers, weaponry, and gadget choice. It’ll additionally assist analyze the surroundings for interactive elements and alternatives for Bond. Gamers will apparently have a level of freedom to determine how they method missions and areas, even when we solely noticed one method throughout this presentation. It did handle to convey the stress and stress I’d count on to really feel from an IO Interactive recreation.

The early demo diverges from Hitman familiarity elsewhere. IO Interactive mentioned that whereas 007 will provide a linear journey of types, gamers will nonetheless have “management of their journey.” A mix of motion setpieces and extra measured, pondering, exploratory sections ought to separate it from different video games and different Bond video games, too, which have usually been first-person shooters, a few of that are .

The demo jumps forward as Bond follows the rogue agent in an exciting-looking automobile chase. These jogged my memory of Uncharted automobile segments, crammed with destruction and chaos. Bond drives by means of a Swiss market, with one thing catching on his automobile tires for the remainder of the chase, whereas there are jumps, explosions, and near-misses as you combat to catch up. It’s a disgrace that, at this early stage no less than, you possibly can inform that no matter your honed driving expertise, you’ll by no means catch as much as your quarry till the sport needs you to. The chase ends at a really well-guarded airbase.

This leads into the opposite side of First Gentle: gunplay and means too many oil drums and vehicles crammed with gasoline. The ultimate phase consists of Bond dashing the airbase and chasing a army transport craft because it takes off. Preventing is a mixture of duck-and-cover, utilizing the surroundings, and, if all else fails, throwing your gun as soon as it’s out of bullets.

There’s a fantastic level after Bond barely makes it on board the aircraft simply earlier than it takes off. He makes use of his Q Watch to tilt the aircraft, swinging cargo and enemies into the partitions of the aircraft and even out the cargo door. Ultimately, 007 is flung from the aircraft too, and as he falls, has to assert a parachute.

It’s an actual change of tempo from the early a part of the demo however suggests First Gentle would possibly cowl all of the Bond film beats. I won’t be offered on one other Bond origin story, however hopefully, IO Interactive can efficiently mix three various kinds of recreation collectively.