Imagine being locked in a Kafkaesque office building full of rage-filled zombie desk clerks, floating finance wraiths, and … sticky note behemoths.
That’s the pitch from Remedy’s FBC: Firebreak, now slated for Summer 2025 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
Remedy isn’t exactly known for multiplayer action, having spent years building industry-leading cinematic single-player action games, with titles like Max Payne, Quantum Break, and Alan Wake to their celebrated name.
Times a’ changin’ though, as the song goes, and Remedy is breaking out of its usual genre with its own take on 3-player PvE (player versus environment) co-op action, with a title that fans of Deep Rock Galactic and Left 4 Dead might feel at home with.
Recently, I was treated to a presentation behind digital closed doors for FBC: Firebreak, offering me a glimpse at what players can expect when they find themselves locked into the Federal Bureau of Control.
Reality is breaking down. Players are locked in with the chaotic remnants, with dwindling ammunition, food, and water — there are plenty of office supplies that could be weaponized, though …
A premium multiplayer PvE experience akin to Left 4 Dead
Those who have played Control will be familiar with the setting here, but for those of you who haven’t, FBC: Firebreak takes place in a world where reality is very much not what it seems.
The FBC or, Federal Bureau of Control is a secretive government agency tasked with containment and management of “anomalies” which threaten the very fabric of reality.
These extra-dimensional entities can be objects, locations, and in Firebreak’s case, even people.
Control explored the outer edges of what might be possible in a universe where, well, anything is possible. Firebreak, to some degree, deals with the aftermath.
An anomalous other-worldly signal known as “The Hiss” has completely taken over the FBC headquarters, which is itself an anomalous office building known as the Oldest House.
The remaining staff of the FBC have locked themselves in with The Hiss, which has the ominous power to warp reality, turning living beings into chaotic, aggressive, unthinking creatures.
Quarantined in a forever-changing building armed with makeshift weapons and critically low supplies, you and your remaining colleagues resolve to fight to the last breath.
Firebreakers are essentially FBC office workers who volunteered to take the fight to survive very literally.
With no real military training and even less military equipment, you and up to two friends will take on various “jobs” through the Oldest House building, weaving through warped office cubicles, trans-dimensional fractal structures, and Hiss-infested maintenance tunnels.
Players can take on jobs for a variety of resources and rewards, although Remedy says that it’s avoiding typical multiplayer addiction-traps like FOMO and battle passes.
Instead, rewards will be highly optional and entirely cosmetic, and all post-launch content updates will be free.
It’s an interesting model in a world dominated by predatory corporate multiplayer games, but games like Helldivers 2 prove that fans will reward studios that are willing to treat players more kindly.
But, much like Helldivers 2, the game actually has to be good. Luckily, Firebreak looks well within that purview.
For our preview, we were shown a mission known as Paper Chase, which revolves around anomalous … sticky notes.
Yes, sticky notes.
The haunted sticky notes have begun to multiply and coalesce in a corner of the building, creating deadly sticky note clouds that plaster players’ vision with yellow squares.
Later in the map, I saw sticky note wraiths, culminating in a sticky note behemoth boss battle.
It’s absurd. It’s awesome.
I think the aspect of FBC: Firebreak that is most enticing to me is that the studio is taking cues from the likes of the aforementioned Left 4 Dead rather than something that is impassionate and purpose-designed for engagement.
As such, Firebreak leans on physics systems and emergent chaos to keep things fresh.
Part of the toolkit Firebreak employees utilize for tackling jobs revolves around your chosen player loadout.
Described as “Crisis Kits,” they essentially form player roles for tackling jobs, which are split into three segments and can be undertaken at a variety of scaling difficulty tiers.
You can swap your kits out during each job’s midpoint safe rooms — akin to Left 4 Dead — and Remedy plans to add more types post-launch.
The three kits shown during the preview were all comprised of jury-rigged office equipment designed to counter and enhance other players in the mix.
The Splash Kit includes an “industrial” hydro-cannon that sprays water, which can put out fires, but also primes enemies and allies alike for additional status effects.
The Splash Kit player can also deploy a humidifier, which can heal teammates.
The Fix Kit gives players the ability to repair objects and items found throughout the game while wielding a large wrench (which can be deployed as a powerful weapon in its own right).
The Fix Kit can also deploy auto turrets for locking down objectives.
Finally, the Jump Kit, as its name suggests, allows players to rapidly reposition across the map while also deploying an explosive boombox that attracts and then detonates enemies.
Armed with an array of recognizable and less-than-recognizable weapons, research perks, and two at-least-fairly-competent friends — Firebreak looks like it’s set to be a ton of chaotic fun.
Firebreak is limited only by Remedy’s imagination — that’s a very generous limit
When I first saw Firebreak, I found myself intrigued by the mere virtue that Remedy, known typically for single-player affairs, was branching out so heavily like this.
I was skeptical, too, particularly as someone who feels generally fatigued by multiplayer games outside of the endless service comfort food titles I’ve been playing for years.
Firebreak looks interesting enough to break my self-imposed sabbatical, though.
Remedy’s Control universe is quite ripe for a title like this.
Anything, or anyone, can be an “anomalous” object, and the alternative-universe explanations for pop culture events and mysteries give Firebreak an exciting canvas to draw upon.
While I haven’t gone hands-on with the game yet, it does seem eyes-on to be fun and frenetic, producing the types of shareable moments that form long-term gaming memories for players, and meme-able content for streamers.
With Firebreak hitting PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass on day one, it should also give the game a sizeable user base from the outset.
In short, FBC: Firebreak is absolutely one to watch, and it’s dropping this summer on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
