Combat and Takedowns

32:04 Combat in 007 First Light is hand-to-hand first and guns second. IO Interactive describes it as precision gunplay blended with close-quarters melee: parries, throws, takedowns and disarms, and Bond can fire a gun only after earning License to Kill, once a fight turns lethal. Enemies telegraph their attacks with colored icons, answered with a parry, a side-step or a counter, and the room itself is a weapon: walls, tables, ledges, mugs and empty guns. A slow-time meter, Focus, lines up shots. Reviewers liked the brawling more than the shooting, and most found it not especially hard outside crowds.

Quick facts

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Sep 3, 2025; TheSixthAxis, Jun 4, 2026; IOI 1.1.0 notes, Jul 24, 2026; IOI on Steam, Oct 8, 2026.

Hand-to-hand

20:32 Shacknews calls the melee "free-flowing", with punches, grabs, dodges and side-steps, and compares it to the Batman Arkham games; TheSixthAxis adds Uncharted 4. Before an attack lands, an enemy shows a red or yellow icon, your cue to parry, dodge or counter. The reviews do not spell out which color means which response. Can I Play That? warns that the fights lean on precisely timed parries, a barrier for some players.

11:33 One on one, the brawls feel good: PlayStation LifeStyle enjoyed grabbing an enemy and slamming him into a table or wall, but found swarms of about six enemies claustrophobic. GamingBolt warned before launch that fights against many opponents are challenging "even on Normal".

Using the environment

10:06 Much of the fun is improvised. Bond can slam an enemy's head into a wall or throw a coffee mug, bounce enemies off hard surfaces to stun them, and barge them off ledges. PowerPyx's trophy guide shows how far this goes: hold R2 on an enemy at a ledge to tackle both of you over it, drag an enemy into a taser's blue line ("Positively shocking") or push one into a wall extinguisher ("Firestarter"). Since update 1.3.0 (Oct 1, 2026), enemies can return the favor: Bond himself can be thrown off ledges. The full list is on Trophies and Achievements.

Takedowns

0:14 A silent takedown removes a guard quietly, and Instinct can lure a guard into position for one. The Q-Watch's laser briefly stuns an enemy so you can close the distance. IOI's TacSim rules treat the two kinds separately: under the "Silent takedowns only" Game Changer, a close-combat finisher fails the Escalation, and the "8 for 8" challenge asks for eight or more stealth takedowns. Bodies stay where they fall, since they cannot be moved. Boomstick Gaming's May 26, 2026 tips video (the clip above) gets round that by grabbing a guard instead and throwing him over a ledge or railing, which leaves no body for a patrol to find. For the stealth side, see Stealth and Disguises.

License to Kill

14:53 Bond does not shoot at will. He earns "License to Kill" when lethal force escalates; Shacknews puts it as no firing until "an enemy shows the intent to kill". Once it is earned, Hardcore Gamer found the gunplay "strategically weighty": you can shoot a weapon out of a hand or bring an enemy to his knees, and TheSixthAxis lists leg shots and disarming among the non-lethal options. The guns themselves are on Weapons.

Focus

4:18 Focus is the meter that slows time while aiming. TheSixthAxis names it the Focus meter, and Game Rant found the slowdown makes headshots easy to line up. IOI's Sep 2025 overview ties slowing the action to Instinct, and IGN's May 27, 2026 guide (the clip above) shows how the two fit: Focus is spent from Instinct, read on a meter at the bottom left of the screen. Update 1.3.0 closed an exploit that gave extra Focus for pressing its input just before and after firing.

Gunfights

11:53 Gunfights are the part reviewers liked least. Shacknews found the shooting "fairly tight" but the weakest piece of an encounter, livened by explosive barrels, steam pipes and destructible cover, with late levels often ending against armored guards. PlayStation LifeStyle found long open shootouts a chore as ammunition runs low. Beebom's Slovakia walkthrough advises parrying in the twin fight and shooting red barrels in the gunfight. Since 1.3.0, reloads, aiming, weapon swaps and throws look and feel smoother.

Difficulty and combat

On the three standard presets, Beebom says Novice makes enemies "easily killable" and Purist makes them much stronger (Difficulty Settings). The 00 Difficulty, added free on Oct 1, 2026, is far harsher: two-hit kills and tighter parry and side-step timing, with some guards swapped for tougher variants.

Frequently asked questions

How do you parry in 007 First Light? Watch for the red or yellow icon an enemy shows before attacking, then parry, side-step or counter. 007 First Light's parry timing is tighter on the 00 difficulty.

Why can't I shoot in 007 First Light? Bond fires only after earning License to Kill, when an enemy shows intent to kill. Before that, 007 First Light expects stealth, gadgets and hand-to-hand.

What is Focus in 007 First Light? Focus is the meter that slows time while aiming, making precise shots and headshots easier. Update 1.3.0 (Oct 1, 2026) fixed a way to gain extra Focus in 007 First Light.

Is combat hard in 007 First Light? Not usually: TheSixthAxis found 007 First Light's melee not especially hard, though groups of about six enemies get tough. The 00 difficulty adds two-hit kills.

Can you throw enemies off ledges in 007 First Light? Yes. Hold R2 on an enemy at a ledge to tackle both of you over it, or barge him off; since update 1.3.0 enemies can throw Bond off too.

Sources

• Watch over 30 minutes of 007 First Light gameplay, launching March 27, 2026, PlayStation Blog (Yann Roskell, IO Interactive), Sep 3, 2025
• 007 First Light's Stealth, Action, Set-Pieces and Gadgets Detailed in Hands-On Preview, GamingBolt, May 1, 2026
• 007 First Light, 15 More Things to Know Before Launch, GamingBolt, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Review, Game Rant, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light review: Tomorrow Never Dies, Shacknews, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Trophy Guide & Roadmap, PowerPyx, May 26, 2026
• All 007 First Light Difficulty Settings Explained, Beebom, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Review, PlayStation LifeStyle, May 27, 2026
• 007 First Light All The Time in The World Mission Walkthrough, Beebom, May 27, 2026
• Review: 007 First Light, Hardcore Gamer, Jun 2, 2026
• 007 First Light Review, TheSixthAxis, Jun 4, 2026
• 007 First Light accessibility review, Can I Play That?, Jun 9, 2026
• 1.1.0 Game Update, IO Interactive, Jul 24, 2026
• 1.3.0 Game Update, IO Interactive, Oct 1, 2026
• Prove Your 00 agent Skills!, IO Interactive on Steam, Oct 8, 2026
• 007 First Light - Gameplay Reveal, 007 First Light, Sep 3, 2025 (video)
• I recommend: 007 First Light (Review), Skill Up, May 26, 2026 (video)
• 007 First Light Review, IGN, May 29, 2026 (video)
• Beyond the Light Episode 1 - Gameplay Dev Diary, 007 First Light, Dec 3, 2025 (video)
• 007 FIRST LIGHT - Every Tip I Wish I Knew From The Start!, Boomstick Gaming, May 26, 2026 (video)
• 007 First Light - 007 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting, IGN, May 27, 2026 (video)