FBC: Firebreak Review – Twisted and Tactical Trip

FBC: Firebreak Review

At first blush, FBC: Firebreak from game developer and publisher, Remedy, seems like a radical departure for them. This is the studio known for Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Control, and Max Payne. All their previous games are narrative driven, single person experiences. A thee-player co-op shooter is a new direction, but closer examination reveals quite a few similarities.

Even in their single-player games, Remedy has built a reputation of games that are quirky. Ever since 1995, their aim is to create games that break media boundaries and feature iconic characters. Firebreak certainly has the quirk down plus unique characters that exist in equally unique classes. There are lots of quirks in the game because of the weapons and enemies you will encounter.

The game leans into the universe of Control. Here, the Federal Bureau of Control(FBC) has been in a long-term conflict with the otherworldly Hiss. In Firebreak, that conflict has come to a head, and it’s up to the FBC’s most versatile unit, Firebreak, to take the Hiss on. The battle takes place in the FBC’s headquarters, the Oldest House, a mysterious building in Manhattan.

The setting is important to Firebreak because the Oldest House is a Place of Power. A Place of Power is a nexus of many locations. Each location has their own unique logic to them. This allows for a great diversity in the environments. The Oldest House consists of two environment types. There are those of Control with hard, sharp concrete lines that stress function over form. Whereas the areas controlled by the Hiss are organic and fluid in nature.

Fixers, Jumpers, and Splashers

At the game’s start point, you choose between three classes, The Fixers, the Jumpers and the Splashers. Here the Remedy quirkiness comes into play. The Fix Kit comes equipped with a giant wrench that repairs things like showers, lighting, and breaker boxes. The Jump Kit features an electro-shocking device that looks like something Doc Brown from Back to the Future would construct. Users can employ it to shock enemies and power various electrical devices.

Finally, there is the Splash Kit that comes with a big water gun. It negates the negative status effects on yourself or your teammates. Splash Kits also put out fires. The elemental nature of the Splash and Jump Kits works well together to soak and shock enemies. The elemental nature of the kits also give a twist to the shooter mechanics.

On the negative side, all three kits are underpowered at the start. So there is a grind to improve your weapons through missions known as Jobs. Each Job has three increasingly longer and harder levels. At the end of the third level, you face either a boss fight or some other finale-style event. This setup can lead to misconceptions about the game. It’s not till you get into the later levels that the true strengths of the game play reveal themselves.

Team work is essential are the Hiss hordes will quickly overwhelm you. There is a ping system that shows you the location of your teammates, but it is inadequate. There is no in-game chat function which is essential in this type of co-op game. If you are playing with friends using Discord or a console platform’s chat helps a great deal. It’s difficult to do this when playing with strangers.

Resonants

Firebreak’s gameplay strength shines through with its attention to class builds. There is a huge perk tree that offers passive perks such as longer throw distances, faster reloading, and stronger melee attacks. Each of these perks has an additional three unlockable tiers that increase the power of the perk from weak to strong and to the game’s signature attribute – resonant.

Resonant is the ability to share a perk with your team. If you remember the Splash Kit, the resonance attribute acts like a healing agent. This perk is distance limited. By making resonance available to other perks beyond healing, one can really change the dynamics of the gameplay loop. With planning and experimentation, you can end up with a character who is, for all intents, a superhero.

 

The same applies to the game’s weapons. They look and feel great, even the early, under-powered ones. They aim and fire in a well-designed way. The revolver has a massive impact while the SMG is effective in rapid fire mode even with the erratic kick it has. The upgrading of weapons, grenades and equipment is the key to finding Firebreak’s strengths. You can also create support devices such as gun turrets and water sprinklers.

Firebreak looks outstanding, with great art direction that employs a skillful use of lights and shadows. You can see the influence of the graphics from Alan Wake 2 and Control. Their in-house Northlight engine allows for some eye-popping visual effects. The highlight VFX is the one with the Jump Kit and the ultimate ability to launch a lawn gnome – yes that Remedy weirdness comes into play with ultimate perks – to create a massive electrical storm. The storm destroys all enemies within its radius and is a sight to behold.

Corrupted Items

Not all perks are positive, though. There are Corrupted Items that change attributes such as increased enemy health, make defeated enemies explode, and decrease gravity. These not modify gameplay but allow for new strategies where you can turn these negatives into positives for your team. For example, you can make the defeated enemies explode corruption work to your advantage when combating a horde of them.

Remedy will expand the game beyond its initial launch. Of special note, all of the post launch content will always be free. There are two major updates scheduled for 2025 and will contain a new Job and also new game systems and features. The fall will see the release of a new job codenamed – Outbreak. It will be followed by a winter update with Blackout being the next new job.

Firebreak is emblematic of the old saying – “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The early missions are not reflective of the true depth and replayability the game offers. If you invest a bit of time and upgrade your kit, there is a lot of fun to be had here.

***FBC: Firebreak PS5 review key provided by the publisher.***