Natalya Simonova

Lore & Background

Natalya Simonova works as a programmer at the Severnaya facility of the Russian Space Forces, on work involving missile guidance systems. When the treasonous General Arkady Ouromov and Xenia Onatopp attack the station with a stolen Tiger helicopter, she is left the only survivor, besides Boris Grishenko, who had allied himself with Ourumov and Alec Trevelyan, the plan's mastermind. Simonova attempts to find Boris, who she believes to be innocent; he meets her in a cathedral and turns her over to Onatopp. Simonova and James Bond, who have both been captured by Trevelyan, are trapped in the stolen Tiger helicopter. The helicopter is programmed to fire missiles at itself, but Bond is able to eject the two, who are subsequently arrested by the Russian government. Ourumov sets Bond free to clear his own name of murder; Bond escapes but loses Natalya in the process. He then rescues her from Ourumov and Trevelyan, and they become lovers. The two then follow Trevelyan to Cuba. Finally, the two assault Trevelyan's satellite base, where Natalya is able to prevent the rogue satellite Mischa from sending an electromagnetic pulse to destroy London. Natalya breaks into the computer room and resets the satellite's course to cause a burn up over the Atlantic Ocean. She destroys the GoldenEye satellite and commandeers a helicopter to pick up Bond and herself, by using the gun Bond gave her. Natalya saves Bond right after he defeats Trevelyan. She and Bond leave in the helicopter and get dropped off a distance away, where Jack Wade is waiting for them.

In Their Own Story

The cold Siberian wind howled through the broken glass of the Severnaya control room. Natalya Simonova, her fingers numb, typed frantically at a terminal. The Janus soldiers had come without warning, killing everyone. She had only survived by hiding. Now, a British agent named Bond was her only hope. She handed him a disk—the only copy of the GoldenEye activation codes. 'You must stop them,' she whispered, her voice trembling. 'Before they use it again.'

Reader's Guide

Natalya Simonova is a non-playable character in the single-player campaign, acting as a mission-critical ally in the St. Petersburg and Jungle levels. She follows Bond and must be protected from enemy fire; if she is killed, the mission fails. She can be ordered to stay or follow, and she provides useful dialogue and hacking assistance at key points. In multiplayer, Natalya is a selectable character with no special gameplay advantages—her hitbox and movement are identical to other characters. She is distinguished by her green sweater, dark hair, and determined expression. Her role is purely cosmetic, but she remains a fan-favorite choice for players who enjoy her character from the story. To succeed with Natalya in the campaign, keep her close but not in the line of fire, use the 'stay' command to secure her in safe rooms, and clear areas of enemies before moving her forward. She is essential to progressing through the game's later levels.

Did You Know?

• In an early draft of the script for Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond mentions to Wade that Natalya married a hockey player, a reference to Izabella Scorupco's real-life marriage to Polish hockey player Mariusz Czerkawski.
• Cracked.com rated the version of Natalya in the 1997 video game as 10th on their list of The 15 Most Annoying Video Game Characters (From Otherwise Great Games), noting the artificial intelligence given to the character lacked any 'instinct for self-preservation'.
• Author Helena Bassil-Morosow states that 'like her predecessors, Tatyana Romanova and Anya Amasova, Natalya is strong, beautiful and resilient but still needs Bond to save her.'
• IGN ranked Natalya as the 7th best Bond girl, saying 'she was exactly what the franchise needed to get back on top after a lengthy time away from the big screen'.