GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter that features both single and multiplayer modes. In the single-player mode, the player takes the role of James Bond through a series of free-roaming 3D levels. Each level requires the player to complete a certain set of objectives—such as collecting or destroying specified items, rescuing hostages, or meeting with friendly non-player characters—and then exit the stage.[1] Some gadgets from the James Bond film series are featured in the game and are often used to complete mission objectives.[2] For example, in one level, the electromagnetic watch from Live and Let Die is used to acquire a jail cell key.[3]
The arsenal of weapons includes pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, grenades, and throwing knives, among others.[4] Guns have a finite magazine and must be reloaded after a certain number of shots, but the player may acquire and carry as many weapons as can be found in each mission. The player's initial weapon in most missions is the Walther PPK, called the PP7 special issue in-game. Most of the game's firearms are modelled on real-life counterparts, and others are based on James Bond devices, such as the Golden Gun and Moonraker laser. Characteristics vary such as rate of fire, degree of penetration, and type of ammunition used, and inflict different levels of damage depending on which body part they hit.[5][6] Stealth is significant, and frequent gunfire can alert distant guards,[7] and alarms can trigger infinitely-respawning enemies. Certain weapons incorporate suppressor or telescopic sight attachments to aid the player in killing enemies discreetly.[5] There are no health-recovery items, although armour vests can be acquired to provide a secondary health bar.
Four save files are available to track the player's progress through the game's twenty missions, each of which may be played on three difficulty settings.[5] Higher difficulties affect factors such as the damage enemies can withstand and inflict, the amount of ammunition available, and the number of objectives that must be completed.[5] Once a mission is completed, the player may either continue progressing through the story or choose to replay a previously completed level. Completing certain missions within target times unlocks bonus cheat options on already completed levels.[5] Upon completing the game on the hardest difficulty setting, an additional mode is unlocked, allowing the player to customise the difficulty of a mission by manually adjusting enemies' health, reaction times, aiming accuracy, and the damage they inflict.[5]
The multiplayer mode allows two, three, or four players to compete in five different types of split screen deathmatch games: Normal, You Only Live Twice, The Living Daylights (Flag Tag), The Man With the Golden Gun, and Licence to Kill.[8] Normal is a basic deathmatch mode in which the main objective is to kill opponents as many times as possible. It can be played as a free-for-all game or in teams.[8] In You Only Live Twice, players only have two lives before they are eliminated from the game, while Licence to Kill is a mode in which players die from a single hit with any weapon.[9] In The Man With the Golden Gun, a single Golden Gun, which is capable of killing opponents with only one shot, is placed in a fixed location on the map; once the Golden Gun is picked up, the only way to re-acquire it is to kill the player holding it.[9] The player with the Golden Gun is unable to pick up body armour while opponents can.[8] In The Living Daylights, a flag is placed in a fixed location on the map, and the player who holds it the longest wins.[9] The flag carrier cannot use weapons but can still collect them to keep opponents from stocking ammunition.[8] Aspects of each gametype can be customised, including the chosen map, class of weapons, and winning condition.[8] As players progress through the single player mode, new maps and characters are unlocked in the multiplayer mode.
