With Hitman developer IO Interactive at the helm of 007 First Light, there was an expectation that the new James Bond game would be a showcase for what the developer does best: intricately crafted levels and worlds that run with clockwork precision. What I wasn’t expecting was a game where throwing hands wasn’t just surprisingly effective, but also evocative of a beloved open-world classic, Sleeping Dogs.
In 007 First Light, Bond often finds himself in a situation where gadgets or bluffing won’t suffice. Unlike Hitman: World of Assassination, brawling is one of the best ways to move forward, and it’s brilliantly realized with a system of hard-hitting blows, grapples, and using the environment to your advantage. It’s a skillset that was understandably absent from Agent 47’s tour across the World of Assassination, with any fisticuffs usually being over in three button prompts and running the risk of alerting a small army of security guards to open fire on you.
But with Bond, the world is more forgiving of outbursts of violence. Fighting in 007 First Light feels dirty, brutal, and improvised, a sensation that United Front Games mastered in its 2012 masterpiece, Sleeping Dogs. A love letter to Hong Kong action movies, Sleeping Dogs gave you ample opportunity to drop a Triad gangster with a spinning roundhouse kick, and that action was one of its greatest strengths.
007 First Light’s brawls feel like a spiritual successor to the showdowns of Sleeping Dogs, as both games offer players the opportunity to improvise on the fly with environmental takedowns and using whatever’s at hand to bludgeon an enemy into submission. There’s an inherent savagery to the combat in those games, a no-holds-barred approach to breaking bones that’s enhanced by top-notch sound design and feedback to your actions.
