FBC Firebreak, A Hot Off The Presses Review

Finnish Remedy Entertainment has been known for years for its narrative single-player games. The Max Payne, Control, and Alan Wake series have drawn us into their quirky, surreal worlds and provided us with unforgettable stories. 

Remedy's latest game completely deviates from this approach, as FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative shooter for three players set in the imaginative world of Control. Since the cooperative online space is quite saturated, Firebreak needs to be a good game to be worth our time. Is it, indeed?

Are you looking for something completely different to play? Check out our The Alters review!

The Story of FBC Firebreak

Firebreak is set several years after Control in the surreal Oldest House. FBC workers are trapped inside, and the paranormal force Hiss is a thorn in their side. The workers decide to form the Firebreak initiative and voluntarily fight against Hiss, and players take on the role of these volunteers.

It would be great if there were an in-game encyclopedia that explained the events, enemies, and everything we need to know, but there isn't. Additionally, the story lacks many of the mysterious, cryptic, and meta-narrative elements that were present in the original. But the story isn't significant here.

Firebreak exists for you to have fun with friends.

First Impressions

The game is visually impressive. Textures and models are of exceptionally high quality, and the lighting system is excellent, even without ray tracing. I didn't experience any major bugs, and the game ran at around 150 frames per second with minor drops here and there. Of course, ray tracing consumes the frame rate, but on the other hand, it provides a much greater depth to the lighting. I think that for this type of game, a smooth experience is more important than better graphics, so it's useful that ray tracing can be turned off.

One of the most significant problems with FBC Firebreak is that it doesn't have a proper tutorial. You'll discover most things on your own. Some mechanics are pretty straightforward, but others you'll need to learn through trial and error. Firebreak isn't complicated at all, but the process of getting to know the game is bad, and you only get one chance to make a first impression. All explanations are presented in text form during the game or in menus, and most players won't read them.

An interactive tutorial mission, similar to those in Helldivers 2, would significantly improve the initial impression. The first half hour of the game is crucial for making a good impression, and this part is often the weakest. You don't know anything, you have the worst equipment, and the only available missions are very short and straightforward. However, if you continue playing, you'll discover an excellent game with great features.

The Gameplay of FBC Firebreak

The basic structure of the game involves entering a mission, completing objectives, and exiting the mission via an elevator. Here, you can adjust the duration, complexity, and difficulty of the mission separately. Do you want a short, intense experience that lasts five minutes? Or a light, relaxed mission that lasts 20 minutes? It's up to you to decide, and as you complete missions, you'll unlock additional modifiers that give you rewards and introduce elements of randomness to each mission.

To unlock mission modifiers, you'll need to complete the mission three times successfully. It's also important to note that each mission has different mechanics, and objectives rarely repeat. To understand the full depth of Firebreak, you'll need to unlock these modifiers. With them, the game becomes much more fun and chaotic.

This brings us to playable classes. There are three options: Fix Kit, Jump Kit, and Splash Kit. If you choose Fix Kit, you'll fix things with a giant wrench, Jump Kit will activate generators and electrocute enemies, and Splash Kit will heal your friends and put out fires. Certain classes are better suited for specific missions, and some require all three if you don't want your blood pressure to rise.

For example, the mission Freezer Duty gives you the objective to activate heaters and throw them into huge ice anomalies. For an easy success, only the Jump Kit is needed. However, the mission of Hot Fix will be complicated if you don't have all three classes on the team because it requires you to fix fans, turn on the power, and the temperature keeps rising, making it easy to catch fire.

The Coop Mode

That's when I experienced what it's like to be a summer barbecue when a faulty fan set us ablaze. If you have three players with different classes, the game is a smooth experience because the classes support each other, and each has its function. Cooperative play is super, and everyone can feel like a hero. But there's one big "BUT."

Firebreak doesn't have a developed communication system in the game. You can ping an object or enemy and say, "Stay together!" or respond with a positive affirmation, such as "Yes." Those are all the tactical options available. There's no text or voice communication – you need to figure it out yourself.

 I was somewhat lucky when playing with random players, but I noticed they struggled with certain aspects of the game. If there had been effective communication, I could have explained the game to them more effectively. Although most players use Discord today, the social charm of the game is lost. You can't connect with random players as easily as you used to. What a shame.

If you decide to play solo or with two players, the number of enemies will be lower, and they'll attack less frequently. Regardless of the number of players, I always felt that the difficulty was just right. If you decide to play on maximum difficulty, you'll have a tense, chaotic, and crazy experience. You'll be under constant pressure, and enemies will keep coming.

 One moment, everything is calm, and the next, you're on fire, your teammate has turned into a monster made of sticky notes, and the third player is taking a shower while throwing grenades at enemies. That's why it's so satisfying when you finally manage to complete these missions successfully. The longer you play, the better Firebreak gets.

The Concept Is Fun And Addictive

Teammates can revive each other, but if you fall to the ground enough times, you'll need to spend one point to respawn and get back into the fight. When all points are gone and everyone is dead, the mission is aborted. However, if you've completed the main objectives and died, it still counts as a success. 

Similar to Helldivers, the mission is more important than your survival. To delay your inevitable death and regenerate your health, you need to take a shower or drink water. Yes, that's right – FBC Firebreak is the first multiplayer game that forces gamers to take showers and drink water. Horror!

Unfortunately, enemies aren't very imaginative. You have standard zombies that run toward you, guys with guns, big guys with machine guns and grenade launchers, characters that float on chairs, and a few rare enemies. The diversity of enemies is terrible here.

The Progression System in FBC Firebreak is Lacking

The progression system is quite simple and surprisingly fast. The game has a requisitions menu, similar to a battle pass system, where you unlock pages and choose what to take, but most rewards are cosmetic or linear weapon upgrades. Additionally, you can unlock upgrades for your character, such as more ammo, faster sprint, etc. Playing with a specific class allows you to put more upgrades on that Kit.

Firebreak has a weak arsenal with only six firearms. When you start playing, the guns are weak, slow, and bad. When you unlock better variants, you shoot faster and deal more damage, and the guns are generally more fun to use. So, shooting at the beginning is bad, but eventually, it becomes good. Generally, the whole game is quite bad for the first hour, but when you get additional options and unlock some things, Firebreak becomes enjoyable to play.

After ten hours of playing, I reached the last page of the requisitions menu, unlocked the best guns, and maxed out the Fix Kit. However, I achieved this by collecting documents in shelters and from defeated boss enemies. The game doesn't explain this, but if you manage to collect a bunch of items and successfully escape, you'll progress two or three times faster if you're lucky.

In Conclusion

FBC: Firebreak is a game with a smaller budget but a big heart. The Remedy Entertainment team decided to experiment and create something new, something they don't usually do. They mostly succeeded – missions are fun and diverse, and the gameplay is excellent from moment to moment. 

The biggest problem with Firebreak is that it takes a lot of time to start having fun. The most detrimental aspect is the lack of a proper tutorial that explains the game's systems in detail. That's why I understand teams that play for half an hour and give up. Maybe experienced players could explain some things if there was a communication system, but there isn't one.

The result is a solid game with a relatively accessible price of € 40. If that's too much for you, the game is available on Xbox and Playstation subscriptions. Remedy promised us two more free missions, and we can expect other improvements in between. However, we're reviewing the game as it currently stands, not as it will be in six months. 

I recommend Firebreak if you're patient and willing to give it a chance longer than the first few hours. Just don't expect something you'll play for years – there's not enough solid foundation for that.

Rating: 7.5/10

The game gets a 7.5 because it has a lot of potential, but the lack of a proper tutorial and communication system holds it back.

Recommended age: 16 and above

The game is recommended for kids aged 16 and above due to its complexity, violence, and mild horror themes.