007 First Light’s Best Gadget Is Its Biggest Disappointment

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for 007 First Light.

The game 007 First Light generally does a fantastic job of bringing James Bond’s iconic gadgets to life, though one specific gadget falls flat despite being hyped as a highlight. While the research and development lab, Q-Branch, has appeared inconsistently in the films, the game’s developers, IO Interactive, cleverly make it a frequent location where players can explore, talk to scientists, and experiment with various fun devices.

The gadgets in 007 First Light are generally either recognizable from previous Bond games or smartly reimagine familiar gameplay elements – for example, Bond’s laser watch returns, and the wireless earbuds double as flashbang grenades. These gadgets really enhance the game’s excellent stealth sections, and Q Branch provides a few other explosive surprises. While the game builds anticipation for a standout gadget moment reminiscent of classic James Bond films, it unfortunately doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

Driving The Aston Martin Valhalla Is A Huge Letdown

Throughout the game 007 First Light, players are teased with the promise of driving Bond’s new Aston Martin Valhalla. It’s shown being built in Q-Branch, and Q mentions it several times, but the actual driving sequence is a letdown. Instead of open roads, you’re limited to using the Valhalla’s weapons – machine guns and missile pods – within Q-Branch to defeat dozens of Damien Webb’s guards.

Okay, so the idea of driving around in circles in a surrounded Q-Branch while trying to save MI6 with the Aston Martin Valhalla sounds awesome, right? But actually playing it? It’s…not great. Basically, you just hold down the gas, spin around and shoot for a few minutes. It doesn’t feel anything like the epic Aston Martin chases we all love in the Bond movies. Honestly, it feels more like a scene from a Bond film – it reminded me a lot of the car chase in No Time to Die – and would’ve worked way better as a cutscene than something I actually control in a game.

The driving in 007 First Light isn’t groundbreaking, but the car chases are still thrilling. The best one happens in Slovakia, where you pursue Agent 009, though it’s also the first major chase (excluding a practice course in Malta). While the game features the Aston Martin Valhalla, actually driving it around freely will be added later as an update to the Tactical Simulation mode.

Bond Driving Aston Martins Is One Of The Franchise’s Greatest Traditions

It’s especially frustrating that 007 First Light spends so much time building up the importance of the Valhalla, given Aston Martin’s long history with the Bond franchise. Since the DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger, the third Bond film, Aston Martin has become a symbol of James Bond himself. While the DB5 is arguably Bond’s most famous car and appears frequently throughout the series, other Aston Martin models have also played a significant role.

Although a version of the Valhalla car appears in the movie No Time to Die, Bond never gets behind the wheel. This makes the anticipation built up in the game 007 First Light feel a bit drawn out for fans. Unfortunately, the car stays at Q-Branch and isn’t used in the game’s final mission, which is a slight disappointment. However, 007 First Light offers so much more than just driving a cool car, and this is really the only area where the game falls short of what players expect from a James Bond title.

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2026-05-27 18:20