We often talk about moments from our years playing video games that remain with us long after we’ve rolled the credits on the adventures they were a part of. Arkham Asylum and the games that followed often creep up in those conversations, as titles that didn’t just let us step into Batman’s shoes, but into the very soul of the character, standing for everything he stood for in his fight to ensure Gotham’s safety.
Why have we brought that up all of a sudden? We’re glad you asked, since we believe that another character with cool gadgets and a strong sense of justice is getting his due in a similar fashion. IO Interactive’s take on James Bond in 007 First Light is looking like its gameplay systems and mechanics are built around the character and all of the cool things he’s garnered a reputation for over the years.
There have been other Bond games before, with GoldenEye 007 coming close to bringing the character to life in ways that count. But just like how Rocksteady made us feel like we were actually Batman every time we picked up a controller, First Light looks like a great opportunity for its studio to do the very same thing with James Bond.
Join us as we explore how First Light could finally let us take on an experience that makes us feel like James Bond instead of merely controlling him.
A Hero As A Playable Fantasy
Let’s look at what made the Arkham games awesome before we dive into why First Light could achieve a similar vibe with James Bond. Beginning with Arkham Asylum, the game didn’t waste any time with Batman’s origin story. That was a good move considering that part of Batman’s ethos was well-established at that point, and by putting him right in the middle of a scenario that allowed us to take on his mantle in a way that was true to the character.
It didn’t copy its source material outright, but wove it into the gameplay loop in meaningful ways. Each of its systems tackled an aspect of the character that had been woven into why he had so many fans in the first place. Every blow from his fists was calculated, precise, and brutal in a fight. Striking from the shadows was designed to strike fear into the hearts of his prey, with the game actually making that emotion a tangible part of the experience.
His cowl came with detective vision, which played into Batman’s technological prowess, and the intelligent use of Wayne Industries tech to support his crusade against crime. His gadgets made the Utility Belt a necessary part of his adventure, and each one furthered the notion that Arkham Asylum wasn’t for beginners, but rather a seasoned crime fighter who was well-equipped to handle threats that Gotham’s finest would have been hard-pressed to contain.
We think that First Light is an opportunity for something similar to James Bond. It could be special since it seems to understand that its story and systems need to make the character feel inevitable. It needs to trust its own mechanics to sell the illusion that we’re actually being Bond, instead of merely playing as him.
From what we’ve seen, things are looking pretty good on that front. While Asylum didn’t need to reintroduce Batman’s tragic origins to the world, First Light, focusing on Bond in the early stages of his career as a spy, is a great way to have us invested in his eventual progression into the super spy we all know and love. Let’s look a little deeper at how the game could achieve that.
Living The Bond Dream
We’ve all fantasized about gallivanting around the world on top-secret missions, being bold enough to chart our own path to our objectives, orders from above be damned. Well, with Bond being positioned as a talented but rather reckless operative, we think that First Light is on to something special. That’s because playing through the adventure ties systemic progression to his character arc in a way that instantly creates a sort of connection between the game’s systems and its narrative.
When you look at the game through that lens, it’s easy to see how each mission you take on can feel like you’re helping good old James grow into the legend we already know he’s going to be. He’s a talented yet impatient operative, and he’s going to have to learn to take a more restrained approach when the situation demands it, even if he’s more than capable of going in all guns blazing. His gadgets could let him gradually learn new ways to handle tricky situations, and the 00 status could then be a reward that’s earned alongside his status as one of MI6’s most legendary names.
Where Arkham Asylum put the legend of Batman to the test, First Light could be the game that lets you become the legend, standing at Bond’s side through a story that tackles the character’s nuances in ways that feel organic and rewarding. We think that IO Interactive, being the studio behind First Light, is a good thing in this regard. We’re sure you’ve all heard the comparisons to Hitman already, and we’re not going to dwell on that other than to say we think that First Light might share some of its DNA with the studio’s previous work, but could build on it very well.
We say that because the Hitman games do bring in the element of solving problems in a way that feels elegant rather than just brute-forcing your way to a solution. That’s what Bond’s all about, and any story involving him must have enough forward momentum while weaving in a sense of danger, while Bond’s charismatic nature and, of course, the spectacle of it all, support the game’s systems.
While Hitman was all about preparation and careful execution, Bond often finds that his best laid plans are often overridden by the situation and that improvisation is the need of the hour. And that’s where we think that First Light’s systems are crucial in setting up an adventure that feels true to the character, instead of merely telling the story of his early days.
The Definitive Spy Experience
We’d say that IO really has its work cut out for it if it aims to bring Bond to life in a way that feels respectful to what the character represents. It’s going to have to weave in stealth, social manipulation, melee and ranged combat, driving, investigations, and cinematic chases ending in grand set pieces. All of that is quite challenging on its own, but there’s also the component of player agency to consider.
It needs to make us feel like a spy, with the ability to hide in plain sight, eavesdrop on conversations, turn security systems against whatever they’re protecting, and bluff our way to otherwise inaccessible areas. It needs to make us feel like Bond’s charm is at our disposal in those conversations. And when words don’t work, it needs to make Bond feel like a lethal force in the field, or one whose tech provides the scope for further improvisation.
Of course, it can’t make Bond feel invincible, and must make him feel like he’s just a few bad calls away from an abrupt end. None of the Arkham games made Batman feel like nothing could bring him down. But they didn’t reduce him to just punching his way through hostile areas either. There was a balance to it all, and we think First Light is well poised to bring that balance to a Bond title. It cannot reduce Bond to being a reckless operative who just shoots his way past obstacles.
Where Arkham made Batman feel like the world’s greatest detective and a deadly predator, First Light must make Bond feel like the world’s greatest improviser, who adjusts to any given situation with style and substance. And while we’re on the subject of style, we don’t think that Arkham’s free-flow combat system could work in First Light. Instead, it needs to give us the impression of an agent who is able to keep a cool head and survive with his presence of mind, letting him find clarity even in situations where everything around him is falling into chaos.
To that end, First Light needs to ensure that Bond uses his fists and guns in ways that let him stay a step ahead of his enemies, his training allowing him to win fights not because he’s a superhero who can dominate the battlefield, but because he’s a deadly threat that acts on sharp instincts and quick thinking. Of course, Agent 47 has always been that way, and translating all of that to a Bond title isn’t too much of a stretch. That’s another reason why we feel First Light could be a breakthrough title for the character.
A World Of Intrigue
There’s another aspect to consider when we put Arkham Asylum in conversation with First Light. Where Batman’s pilot adventure in that franchise made the asylum a deadly stage that let the adventure unfold, Bond’s new outing cannot be limited to a single location. In such a scenario, the environments you’re going to be navigating as Bond need to become meaningful parts of the experience instead of just pretty backdrops.
Where the asylum was a place that felt like the perfect playground for a Batman fantasy, the world in First Light needs to be a chessboard where Bond and those opposed to him are constantly making moves against each other. Of course, that comes with the caveat of the game feeling too much like a cinematic action game, but we feel that weaving in player agency into the mix could offset that problem. It would let First Light become an experience that’s more than just us controlling Bond as he pulls off awesome stunts or does a lot of cool stuff.
By making players feel like they’re the reason behind every one of Bond’s antics in the field, First Light could further cement the feeling that we’re actually behind Bond’s rise to fame and glory. It’s great, then, that the game is taking us back to the character’s early days, as it frees him from his well-established legacy in the films and books about him, and allows us to take him down a path to his glory days that feels personal and entirely our own. It’s smart to give us Bond at a time before his myth instead of introducing him to us at his peak.
If it’s all done right, First Light could be the game that becomes the template for what a Bond game should feel like, just like how the Arkham titles rose to being a benchmark for superhero experiences that would then be imitated in some form or another for years after Asylum was released. There’s a similar opportunity with First Light, and the potential for multiple titles that gradually expand on what he can do until we get to the point where he’s a master of his craft.
We’re hoping that everything we’ve talked about here is something that the game’s developers have also had conversations about. If that’s true, First Light could be the game that ushers in James Bond, bringing him to the screens of a new generation of gamers and cementing his place in modern gaming. It’s too early to tell if we’re right, but this is one bet we’re rather averse to losing. All that remains is to wait for the game to drop, and the adventure to begin.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
