Playing 007 First Light got me thinking about the times when studios were encouraged to make games that had no bearing on what came before. Examples that spring to mind include RPG specialists BioWare and the whole Anthem live service mess, or Dishonored developer Arkane and its much-maligned vampire shooter Redfall.

007 First Light, on the other hand, is successful because Hitman developer IO Interactive has been allowed to play to its strengths, taking everything it learned from the World of Assassination trilogy and re-purposing it for a James Bond origin story that works on almost every level. While I’d love to come up with something more original than describing 007 First Light as Hitman meets Uncharted, it really is the best way of contextualising IO Interactive’s newest adventure.

In many respects, Agent 47 and James Bond are two side of the same coin. Both are highly resourceful secret agents involved in international espionage, but while Agent 47 is a stone-cold killer bereft of feelings, Bond is a charming Lothario with a strong moral compass.

The differences are reflected in the 007 First Light’s gameplay systems. The new bluff mechanic means Bond is able to talk himself out of trouble and charm his way into restricted areas, whereas Agent 47 would simply choke someone to death and steal their outfit.

Likewise, instead of the piano wire and silencer pistol available to Agent 47, Bond is able to utilise the gadgets created by Q to inject targets with non-lethal doses of poison, or hack into electronic equipment to create distractions. The latter is somewhat reminiscent of Aiden Pearce from Watch Dogs.

Bond does have a license to kill bad guys, of course, leading to the kind of bombastic set pieces that you would find in games like Uncharted.

Levels often mix the two disparate gameplay styles, beginning with Bond using his spying skills to stealthily explore sandboxes like luxury hotels and nightclubs, before funnelling players into spectacular car chases, fist fights and shoot outs.

While it results in a game that’s more linear compared to the World of Assassination series, it makes sense given the source material.

007 First Light also features one of the best tutorial sections in modern gaming. MI6 training takes the form of a movie montage, teaching you skills in bite-sized chunks that don’t outstay their welcome.

The more established cinematic universe of James Bond justifies the blockbuster approach, and results in a much more coherent narrative with far superior storytelling compared to the recent Hitman games.

This is helped by a strong cast of characters and actors, including a breakout performance by Patrick Gibson, as well as an excellent (and believable) supporting cast featuring the likes of Lennie James, Chris O’Reilly, Jessica Rhodes, Priyanga Burford and Kiera Lester.

I actually cared about the characters in 007 First Light, making some of the twists far more impactful than I was expecting.

With ten years of development time, multiple sequels and countless updates, I can see myself going back and revisiting the Hitman games more than First Light, but as a standalone adventure that tells the origin story of a beloved character, I think 007 First Light is a hugely successful endeavour by the creative minds at IO Interactive.

If IO Interactive is able to continue adding to the game with DLC and gameplay updates, then I couldn’t care less if they never make another Bond movie again, because First Light is more than capable of scratching my 007 itch.