It may have taken nearly 30 years, but Remedy Entertainment is one of the industry’s most exciting and lauded game studios. Although games like Max Payne and Alan Wake had a dedicated audience, it wasn’t until 2019’s Control that it felt like the company really came into its own. 2023’s Alan Wake 2 continues to showcase its world-building prowess and is a shining example of the Finnish studio’s creativity. So, it seemed like an interesting move for the studio when it announced FBC: Firebreak, a cooperative first-person shooter.
While it is somewhat unfamiliar territory for Remedy (it published CrossfireX), the quirkiness the studio is known for is maintained in FBC: Firebreak. Set in the Oldest House from Control, the volunteer first responders known as Firebreakers are tasked with containing the Hiss in certain sectors of the Federal Bureau of Control’s headquarters. I recently played roughly three hours of the upcoming multiplayer shooter. While the studio looks to have created something unique within the crowded genre, I’m not too convinced it is one that will stand out in the long run.
Before beginning a mission, which is referred to as Jobs in FBC: Firebreak, players will have to choose their Crisis Kit. This is essentially the game’s class system, each of which has its own unique abilities and equipment. For the majority of my duration with the game, I focused on using the Fix Kit, which focuses on solving the many problems that occur on a Job by hitting stuff with a wrench. There is also the electricity-based Jump Kit and the water-based Splash Kit.
Although they operate very similarly mechanically, the Crisis Kit determines the role each player will play on a Job. The Splash Kit is meant to cleanse players of harmful effects and heal with the humidifier. The Jump Kit seems great with crowd control, as its Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor tool can stop huge crowds of enemies in their tracks with one charged hit. The Fix Kit seems more damage-based with its hard-hitting wrench tool, swivel turret item, and explosive Piggy Bank Altered Augment. Each Kit also serves more practical purposes. The Jump Kit can instantly power up generators, while the Fix Kit can repair broken machinery. The Splash Kit can extinguish fires, which can be a huge damage dealer to players if not dealt with immediately.
FBC: Firebreak is designed to be easy to get into, and these Crisis Kits are a huge part of that direction. They each feel familiar enough for anyone familiar with first-person shooters to jump in and play. They also each promote teamwork, as certain Crisis Kits are better suited for certain roles. Players can jump in with three Fix Kits, but it definitely feels like that would be a detriment to the experience and add another layer of difficulty to what is already a fairly unforgiving experience.
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Which brings us to the Jobs themselves. In my time with FBC: Firebreak, I played three of the five jobs that will be available at launch: Hot Fix, Ground Control, and Paper Chase. Each one offers a vastly different objective to contain the ongoing Hiss threat. Before starting a Job, players will have to choose a Clearance Level and Corruption Level. The former is the overall difficulty, with the first Clearance Level of the three being the easiest, while the Corruption Level adds an extra level of difficulty by introducing Corrupted Items, which are essentially level modifiers, and also determines enemy behaviors and level randomizations.
I do appreciate the level of customization there is for Jobs. It allows players to create the experience they want to have. Whether a group is playing FBC: Firebreak as a means to hang out with friends or challenge themselves, its Clearance and Corruption Level settings allow for that.
Overall, I think the direction Remedy is taking with FBC: Firebreak is great. The barrier to entry seems low enough for any gamer to hop in and enjoy their experience. Each Job offers vastly different tasks that shake things up each session, and promote teamwork. It also has fairly customizable difficulty options suited for just about anyone playing. However, where things started to lose me was once that elevator door opened to start a Job.
My main gripe with FBC: Firebreak is its lack of communication during a Job. Obviously, the main objective for these Jobs is straightforward, but some of the finer details feel lost in the chaos of dealing with the unforgiving and aggressive Hiss horde.
This felt most present during the Hot Fix Job, which tasked us with repairing fans in the Maintenance Sector and ended with us feeding the Furnace (as seen in Control) with barrels filled with Black Rock Powder. During that final section, I was feeding barrels to the furnace, thinking I was completing the objective, but I noticed it wasn’t counting the barrels I turned in. It was then that one of the people in our group said that they had to be filled with the Black Rock Powder, and they didn’t all already have the substance in the barrels like some of the others around the area.
As all of this is getting done, there are swarms of Hiss doing huge damage to the group, as well as a huge blast from the Furnace that essentially downs a player immediately. It’s possible that the in-game person on the radio was giving us hints for those finer details for each Job, but that voice gets lost when dealing with the aggressive Hiss, avoiding periodic life-threatening blasts, filling barrels, and chucking them into a furnace all at the same time. This was an issue I had throughout my time, but most prominently during that Job, which made it pretty frustrating to play. There just isn’t a lot of visual language pointing players in the right direction, which I could see turning people away.
FBC: Firebreak seems to be exactly what Remedy has been advertising this entire time. It’s a no-frills multiplayer first-person shooter that takes advantage of the studio’s distinctive universe. It is unabashedly a Remedy game, with a fun take on a popular genre. Mostly every facet is well designed, providing unique experiences, even for those looking to just hop in for one short Job. However, as much as I love experiencing an “aha moment” in a video game, there are moments where I could have used more clarity with its systems and objectives. I’m not really convinced FBC: Firebreak will take the world by storm, but at the very least, Remedy seems to be providing fans with something different, even if they don’t end up sticking with it.
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