A new episode of “Beyond the Light” is available for IO Interactive’s 007 First Light, a new standalone title based on the legendary James Bond, which also serves as an origin story. This time, the focus is on the narrative, as main writer Michael Vogt outlines the process and how the team approached his character.
After all, this is a younger version of Bond – one who’s fresh out of the army (with some brief snippets showcasing some of his dangerous missions) and joins MI6 to find his path. But even though he learns a lot along the way and matures, First Light isn’t looking to “resolve” his character.
“So, we are going to put him on a trajectory,” says Vogt. “But we’re not going to resolve the character in this game. I think to me, Bond is someone who clearly grows and evolves, but he’s not somebody who changes fundamentally. Rather, he has some innate qualities that make him an agent of change. You know, he changes the world, right? He does that all the time.”
And while he isn’t the posh yet jaded individual that we’ve seen in movies and books, there are some “inherent Bond qualities” present “from the get-go.” However, instead of transforming into the Bond we know and love, First Light’s story is “as much about how he changes MI6 and how he changes the characters around him.”
“Bond has heart, and he’s very tenacious, and he’s willing to take risks, and that actually changes the way MI6 operates in an era that is otherwise kind of risk-averse and data-driven. Our Bond definitely leans more on other people than we’re used to seeing. One, because he’s not a seasoned agent yet and he’s still learning the ropes and also because games are fundamentally different from film in that players spend a long time alone on the sticks,” said Vogt.
“So you do need that supporting cast to communicate the story, really. So Bond has several strong relationships throughout the campaign, some known and some new, and they each kind of affect him in different ways and play a role in how he develops as a character.”
We’ve already been introduced to several such figures, including M, Miss Moneypenny, Greenway and Q, who’s especially interesting because he’s more of the “cool uncle figure.” Of course, it remains to be seen how the villains will affect Bond’s development. Bawma (played by Lenny Kravitz) and his rise from nothing is one example, but there’s also the unrevealed 009, who has betrayed the agency for unknown reasons.
007 First Light launches on May 27th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
