Review: FBC: Firebreak (PS5) – PS Plus Shooter Proves Remedy Should Have Stayed in Its Lane

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In an unusual turn for Remedy Entertainment, known primarily for creating single-player games such as Alan Wake 2, they’ve ventured into multiplayer territory with their new project, titled Firebreak – a game that offers an amusing twist on the usual gaming experience.

Firebreak, a cooperative first-person shooter game, is part of the Remedy Universe. Although there’s much to appreciate in this new venture by the developers, it might have been more effective if they had stayed with their familiar territory.

In the story, we find ourselves mere weeks following the incidents in Control, as chaos reigns inside The Oldest House due to the relentless Hiss invasion. It falls upon a special task force known as Team Firebreak – a group of dedicated FBC agents – to ensure order is maintained and necessary repairs are carried out.

In essence, you’re not getting much backstory here; instead, the game plunges you straight into action, assigning your first task or mission. Granted, it’s common for a multiplayer-focused cooperative shooter like this to prioritize gameplay over storytelling. However, a small hint or reference to the series that initially captivated us would have been nice.

In other words, FBC has a significant advantage in terms of appearance thanks to the connection shown, where ordinary offices, brutalist buildings, and a few sticky notes are creatively intertwined. To start each sequence, there are even title cards with white font, which adds to the overall visual impact. It’s all quite striking to behold.

So, could you explain specifically what tasks you’re carrying out at The Oldest House? Your role seems to involve a variety of duties, from fixing up the ventilation, to managing radiated spheres, and even dealing with an overabundance of sticky notes in certain areas.

Players are given three different types of equipment classes to perform tasks:

1. The Fix Kit is similar to an engineer’s toolkit, allowing you to quickly repair broken items with a few well-timed swings of a large wrench.
2. The Jump Kit contains an electrical charge that can be used to power various stations and also serves as a means to jump higher or dodge enemies.
3. Lastly, the Splash Kit resembles a water cannon, which can extinguish fires and cleanse teammates of infections by spraying them with water.

As a gamer, I’ve got my Fix Kit equipped, meaning I can still douse fires just like a Splash Kit user maintains our lighting systems. But here’s the catch, you’ll need to navigate through a sequence of L1 and R1 button presses – kinda like ordering up stratagems in Helldivers 2. Seems straightforward, right? Well, it takes time, and during those moments, enemies can swarm in, putting me in a tight spot. So, it’s crucial to have the right player with the right gear handling the tasks at hand for optimal gameplay.

Essentially, these basics are what Firebreak has, but regrettably, they make it rather uninteresting. The initial stages and weapon selections lack excitement, as the tasks don’t have much pizzazz, especially when playing alone. This is even more noticeable if you choose to play the game solo.

The technical aspects are solid, if not exceptional. To put it simply, this game performs flawlessly on both PS5 and PS5 Pro. The frame rate remains consistently at 60 frames per second for most parts, and the haptic feedback on the DualSense controller is top-notch, even surpassing expectations. Interestingly, a studio known for creating third-person games has delivered a remarkable experience with

Although these initial stages require effort from every player, they seem devoid of life, and it takes some time before a hint of excitement is noticed in Firebreak. The game consists of five missions, each with three distinct clearance levels, introducing a fresh room with each level and a boss or boss-like challenge. To increase the intensity, there are multiple difficulty tiers and corruptions, which essentially function as challenging modifiers that can make your progress tougher.

After every mission you complete, you’ll gain XP and Misplaced Fragments, resources that allow you to acquire new weapons, equipment, and special abilities. More challenging missions yield exclusive currencies for enhancing these abilities even more. As your collection grows, you can customize your loadouts significantly with numerous perks and up to nine slots per setup.

As more elements are introduced, FBC’s systems and gameplay mechanics begin to feel much more cohesive. The roles assigned by your equipment become crucial for success, team collaboration becomes essential, and closely monitoring ammunition, health, and especially status effects like fire, frost, or radiation becomes absolutely critical.

Of course, typical of Remedy’s style, there’s a touch of quirky flair throughout the gameplay. With time, each kit grants access to a unique ultimate weapon – for example, a teapot gun that spits out lava or a piggy bank that unleashes a storm of coins. Additionally, each level introduces distinct mechanics such as a gooey pink substance expanding and obstructing passages, or sticky-note characters darting towards you. Furthermore, the gameplay is accompanied by impressive displays of Hiss numbers, with countless enemies charging at you in frenzied haste.

Even though gameplay can be a bit uneven in this area, there’s an exciting blend of mechanics, enemies, equipment, and loadout options that recaptures the enthusiasm we felt when the developers initially unveiled the game. This section exudes a lively, chaotic vibe which we think many players will find appealing.

Nevertheless, such instances of frenzy and flavorful gameplay are scarce and infrequent for us, and it’s fair to say that the game lacks a compelling factor to entice repeat play.

The team has been transparent about avoiding the model where they require players’ constant time commitment and dedication to the game, even as they plan to provide post-launch content. This approach is similar to the one used by FromSoftware for Elden Ring: Nightreign, which also focuses on delivering content after the initial release.

While Nightreign captivates right from the beginning and grows more engaging as you approach its conclusion, Firebreak is generally satisfactory, improving only towards the later stages before abruptly losing momentum. It lacks the drive to keep going, and the climactic moments often feel underwhelming instead of exhilarating.

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2025-06-17 13:07