Remedy Entertainment’s FBC: Firebreak poses an interesting question. What if we could combine the destructive, hilarity-inducing systems of Helldivers 2 with the tense rush of being swarmed in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, wrapped up in the eerie trappings of Control?
As it turns out, you get a game that’s pretty fun to play, at least from my experience so far. I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with this upcoming co-op first-person shooter for just under two hours in a preview event, trying out three of the missions, or “Jobs,” that are on offer.
While there’s no shortage of various multiplayer and co-op games constantly cropping up, FBC: Firebreak feels a bit special, and it’s one I highly recommend checking out when it launches this summer.
Left 4 Dead meets the Oldest House
Remedy says that the game is firmly a “Double-A” title, with a budget and price to match. While it’s been developed with some longtime studio veterans, there are also a number of newcomers, befitting the studio’s exploration with a completely new genre. It’s also completely self-published.
In keeping the budget under control (pun intended), Remedy made some definitive calls. Cutscenes are limited, and the team focused on simply getting players into a match as fast as possible. Future content drops will be free, as the studio doesn’t want players worrying about which of their friends did or didn’t buy some seasonal pass.
Finally, there’s cross-play, ensuring players can team up with friends regardless of where they choose to play.
Diving into FBC: Firebreak, the premise is fairly simple and instantly enticing: The Federal Bureau of Control (as seen in Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure game Control) is being overrun by otherworldly dangers like the monstrous Hiss, sending the facility into disrepair.
With supplies limited, ordinary office workers have to step up and take on these challenges, fighting back against the invaders with whatever they can get their hands on. While your kit is initially fairly limited, completing Jobs and rescuing lost data unlocks a number of additional tools, weapons, and cosmetic adornments.
Playing on PC, everything felt fairly solid. The controls felt very standard for first-person shooters. I was a little wary considering this is Remedy’s first time making this kind of game, but it felt solid, with no obvious bugs or oversights from my admittedly limited time playing.
The formula will immediately feel familiar for anyone that’s played co-op player-vs. environment (PvE) games before, with huge waves of foes to take out as you try to complete your objectives. Once your task is complete, you race to the elevator, fighting off the hordes and minibosses that run your way until you can safely escape.
The paranormal is in the details, however, and it’s in the moment-to-moment gameplay that FBC: Firebreak feels fresh.
One particular Job tasked my squad with taking out sticky notes. Thousands upon thousands of sticky notes clogged the room, latching on and obscuring our vision while overtaking everything. Another job had us harvesting radioactive pearls from leeches, cutting back the creatures that grew out like the world’s gnarliest barnacles.
There are also a number of environmental systemic reactions to play around with that add to the chaos. Friendly fire isn’t, with grenades and other devices cutting down allies as well as foes.
Fires spread and empower the Hiss, so you’ll have to complete a small minigame to pat them out…unless you happen to have a water cannon. You’ll have to complete a similar input minigame to jump-start electronics…unless you have a charge kit. Irradiated materials quickly make you lose health, so you need to wash them off in the shower.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but all these details quickly add up to a formula that had my co-op squad laughing as we ran around with our pants on fire (literally) trying to complete our tasks and get out alive.
While you’ll be replaying the same Jobs multiple times, increasing your Clearance Level unlocks new complexities, extending Jobs with additional tasks to complete, areas to explore, and much more.
The difficulty leap can be a bit jarring, as my crew completed one Job at the base clearance level without too many problems, but we were completely wrecked the next stage up. Still, there’s plenty of gear we hadn’t unlocked before trying a higher difficulty, and I’m sure those upgrades might’ve made a difference.
While I had access to three different Jobs during this preview, Remedy tells me that the full game will launch with five, with an additional two Jobs coming at some point post-launch later in the year.
Not too long to wait
Overall, I’ve come away impressed, with my concerns surrounding FBC: Firebreak mostly alleviated. The gameplay loop is fun, and it feels satisfying to pull off an escape as an endless horde closes in on you.
All of the different mechanics seem to interact in clever ways, rewarding careful selection of equipment as well as quick thinking when things go awry.
Above all though, FBC: Firebreak feels like a Remedy game at its core, with all the weirdness that can and should imply. Whacking at piles of sticky notes before desperately running to a shower feels engaging and terrifying, and I’m looking forward to seeing what other secrets lurk at higher clearance levels when the game launches in June.
FBC: Firebreak is slated to launch on June 17, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), and PlayStation 5. It’ll also be available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium.
