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0 FBC: Firebreak is a new 3-player co-op FPS by Remedy Entertainment, the same studio that brought us Control. Take a step back into the FBC’s headquarters and clean up various paranormal occurrences within. It is available now on PS5, Xbox X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic, or PC Game Pass. Today I’m checking out the PC version.
Contain Chaos in FBC: Firebreak
Control is a very enjoyable game in my humble opinion. I definitely never spent nearly as much time as I could or wanted to spend in it, but it is one of the few games that I have completed the main story in. FBC:Firebreak is a completely different style of game though, so I was curious where the similarities bled through. What I found was an interesting mixture of genres with a whole lot of Hiss to fend off. Check out my review of the PC version of the game below.
Gameplay
FBC: Firebreak is a co-op objective FPS set in the same universe as the hit game Control. You play as a member of the Firebreak team and are responsible for responding to emergencies within the FBC. What kinds of emergencies does the Firebreak team respond to you may ask? The odd, the strange, and the utmost paranormal of course! The FBC’s headquarters have been under siege for some time now, and it’s time to get in there and clean up the place. So team up with two others and head into the weirdness! Fight everything from the hiss and monstrous creatures to sticky notes – sometimes both!
Players have the option of using three different kits in FBC: Firebreak. Each kit has its own special tool for jumping, soiling, and fixing to tackle the objectives at hand. You can all three have the same kit or strategise to make things work best. The player can also set up different loadouts with their choice of weapon, grenade, and perks. Weapons and grenades are unlocked and advanced through a requisition system. Perks are unlocked through a similar unlock system that requires materials gathered from missions, the further down into the tree you go.
The primary issue I have at the moment with the game is the matchmaking system. In FBC: Firebreak, you have the options of squadding up before selecting a mission, during, or matchmaking after you’ve already selected and chosen to start the mission solo. (Even on easy, I was having a rough time on solo – do not recommend.) There’s also the top option in the menu for Quickplay. The issue I found with quickplay is that it really does seem to be quick. Quick at throwing you directly into whatever opening is available, regardless of the difficulty and corruption. I only found this after completing a mission in which I died constantly and earned an achievement for completing any mission on Extreme difficulty.
Graphics & Audio
Though FBC: Firebreak is Steam Deck verified, I’ve been playing it mostly on PC. Graphics are top notch and a lot of the aesthetic brought me right back into that Control vibe. I did opt to render at a slightly lower resolution than 4k and did not have any issues at all. The only issue I will say I did encounter was with HDR. I usually have HDR off on my system, but I thought I would turn it on since I was given a prompt to do so. I soon found that this was a poor decision, as the setting took effect on my system as a whole. Needless to say, I was quick to revert it and turn off the setting next time.
As is my usual struggle of what to say about the audio… FBC: Firebreak has as much quality audio as it does visual quality. I’m not sure how many assets carry over from Control to this game, but there wasn’t anything to stood out as not belonging to this game. The hiss with bags over their heads floating around on chairs is creepy enough on its own, so I didn’t catch if there were much for audio cues either. I did note the somewhat random reactive voice lines. Thankfully, they are not constant enough to be annoying.
Longevity
Each level or job in FBC: Firebreak has three different clearance levels, which provide different areas of that job. There are also different levels of difficulty and the number of corruption items to be present during the job. This itself provides a fair number of ways to play the game. The requisitions, which are both provided and purchasable via DLC, provide some further gameplay and cosmetic customizations. With how things are set up, I would presume this means that additional jobs may be come later along with new requisitions.
Final Thoughts
FBC: Firebreak brings the action back into the Control universe with a different perspective. Still, all the crazy amount of paranormal things you’d expect, though, and sometimes more. Is it worth your time to check out? I’d definitely say yes if you love the lore and setting from Control and enjoy some co-op nonsense.
Just be aware that it’s fairly straight into the fire and may be rough to get going. I recommend bringing along some friends. It could do for some minor improvements such as more accurate matchmaking and a robust player stats area. However, Remedy Entertainment has already put out a patch addressing some of the major gameplay issues brought forth by the community.
FBC: Firebreak is definitely worthy of the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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