The name is Bond, James Bond. But what if we made a James Bond game without the actual James Bond? That almost happened to 007 First Light, according to the team behind it.
When we think of upcoming James Bond franchise movies, there are always questions like who will be the Bond girl this time, who will be the villain? The ensemble of Bond characters always make it worthwhile even if James Bond is the eponymous protagonist. But what is this sudden talk of what could’ve been?
In a conversation with Eurogamer, IO Interactive and 007 First Light main writer Michael Vogt said the team started its Bond journey by wanting to have a game that would be more of an ensemble piece than a classic 007 film. They wanted to focus more on what was around Bond, including agents and support personnel, and how they would’ve worked rather than Bond’s more brash style of espionage.
Back to Bond Basics
Despite the Bond game going in a more obvious way, there are still crumbs left of what could’ve really been the game. The game goes over restarting the 00 program, which recruits Bond and other promising agents. After being recruited by the agency, Bond is off to Malta as he becomes accustomed to the program and other fellow trainees.
Therefore, we do see the camaraderie in the game, the dynamics between the 00 agents both in London and in Malta, and for the initial mission in Slovakia. This dynamic could’ve been explored more, but it was eventually pushed to the side for a more classic approach because the team behind First Light was a bit antsy about tackling the massive hero right away. Still, the traces of this ensemble approach are seen in the final product. The banter and dynamics between Bond and his colleagues were a fun contrast to the lonewolf Bond that we are used to.
Of course, the game takes a different turn after introducing all these characters, which seem to be close to Bond; the camaraderie built is pulled under Bond’s feet, setting the game for a more grim and usual setting for 007.
The traces of this ensemble approach are seen in the final product.
Vogt now won’t recall the exact details, as after all, this game spent seven years in development to deliver this very fine result. The idea was to show how everything can be quickly gone in the blink of an eye, so all the connections, banter, and daily fun can be gone, staying true to how M emphasises to Bond that 00 agency life expectancy is very short.
It added great dynamics as well as the characteristic survivor’s guilt that Bond carries throughout, which becomes a very strong part of him. As the games were made in the Daniel Craig era of the movies, it also makes sense that they carry the essence of Daniel Craig’s Bond’s sorrows and regrets over actually making it out alive.
