- Publisher: Io Interactive
- Release Date: May 27, 2026
- Also On: PC, Xbox Series X
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May 26, 2026First Light’s biggest problem is its own scale and form. It’s a game from an incredible team playing against type, one which has a tendency to obscure its own strengths and overplay its weaknesses. Sometimes it wants to sand down its rough edges and be everything to everyone, but all of its best moments are where it stalwartly refuses to where other studios would fold. It’s too expensive for its own good, it’s smarter than it has any right to be and so much dumber than you wish it actually was. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s still a fun time at the movies, or rather, in front of your PS5 for a weekend or two. It is, for good and for bad, a James Bond film that you can play. Mission accomplished.
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May 26, 2026007 First Light is an incredibly shiny, well-polished game that truly lives up to its name. In fact, it's tough to argue against it being the best Bond game of all time. That doesn't mean it isn't flawed, however, and I spent the opening third wondering exactly when it was going to properly kick into motion. I wish it leant more into its Hitman side, with more solutions for each level, and rewarded exploration with more than just world-building, as neat as that is. As an incredibly solid foundation for a sequel, however? It's an absolute blast.
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May 27, 2026First Light’s variety kept me on my toes, never once allowing me to guess where the game would go. The spectacle and set pieces rival even Uncharted, without ever once making me feel like I was merely a spectator. It’s not the Hitman-like game I initially expected given its developer; instead, it’s one of the best action games I’ve ever played, one that leans into the elements that have made Bond so enduring. And with the future of the film franchise up in the air, First Light is coming at exactly the right time and clearly in the right hands.