From Russia with Love is primarily a third-person shooter, with the player taking on the role of James Bond. The game is played across 14 main levels, but includes four bonus levels which can be unlocked throughout. The player has mission objectives that must be carried out before proceeding to the next level.[1]
The game includes several driving levels, in which the player takes control of various armed vehicles and must evade enemies, using weapons such as a machine gun and rockets. Speedboats and Bond's Aston Martin DB5 are among the armed vehicles used by the player.[2] Jet packs, equipped with machine guns and rockets, are also used throughout the game.[2]On foot, Bond can jump across certain designated ledges. He can use his usual Walther PPK, in addition to other weapons such as shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, bazookas, and grenades. He can also engage in hand-to-hand combat with enemies. Points can be collected throughout the game, by killing enemies in specific ways, or by collecting schematics hidden in each level. Such points can be used to upgrade weapons, or unlock bonus content such as concept art and behind-the-scene movies.[1][3]A variety of Q gadgets are used throughout the game, including a rappelling gun that is used to climb and descend to new areas. A laser wristwatch is used to penetrate bulletproof glass and destroy control panels, thereby unlocking security doors that block the player's path. Mini helicopters are used to access remote areas and can be detonated, also to destroy certain control panels. Sonic cufflinks can be used to emit a high-frequency that temporarily incapacitates enemies. A serum gun can be used to inject enemies from afar, confusing them into turning against their own. In addition, there are instances where the player must equip a gas mask to proceed through rooms that become filled with toxins.[4]The game includes an offline multiplayer option,[3] with various gameplay modes, characters, and locations. It supports up to four players.[1][5]The PlayStation Portable version plays largely the same as the home-console versions, although it includes mini-games and new multiplayer levels and characters, but removes the driving missions.[6][7][8]