Summary
- Firebreak is a 3-player cooperative FPS set in the Control universe’s FBC headquarters.
- Players choose one of three specialized “kits” (classes) and tackle bizarre objective-driven missions (like containing pink goo or burning haunted notes).
- Firebreak is fun for short bursts of team play (especially via Game Pass), but its shallow progression and repetitive design suggest waiting for future updates if you’re unsure.
FBC: Firebreak game review covers Remedy’s first multiplayer title, a cooperative shooter set in the strange world of the Federal Bureau of Control. You play as a Firebreak team member sent into the Oldest House to restore order during a paranormal siege. The tone is quirky and humorous, which makes for a fun change of pace. This game review breaks down the gameplay, performance and content to help you decide if FBC: Firebreak deserves your attention.
Game Overview
Remedy Entertainment introduces their first multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak, launching June 17, 2025 continuing the storyline of Control. This takes place in The Oldest House (the shifting HQ of the FBC) during an otherworldly invasion. The catch here is that only the Firebreak unit – a highly adaptable response team – can clean up the chaos that unfolds.
As a player, you will join a team of three to tackle cooperative missions. Remedy’s site confirms the game is available on PC (Steam and Epic), Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and it’s a day-one title on PC Game Pass and PS Plus Extra.
The low $40 price (and inclusion on subscriptions) makes trying it easy. It really lived the Control world as it looks and feels very much similar with the heavy concrete architecture mixed with wild paranormal phenomena. Only this time, they’ll be shooting from a first-person perspective.
Gameplay
The gameplay centers on teamwork and objectives, making coordination a must to survive the game. Each player picks one of three kits (essentially character classes) before a mission. Each kit has a unique tool, utility and “parautility” device for objectives and combat.
For example, the Fix Kit acts like an engineer: its main tool is a giant wrench that can repair environmental objects (like healing showers and ammo stations), and it can later build an auto-turret.
The Splash Kit wields a water cannon that can put out fires, weaken enemies and create damp zones; it comes with a humidifier deployable and a special gadget (a boiling teapot) that sprays flaming steam.
The Jump Kit specializes in electricity and mobility, leaping around the map, but even without detailing it here, you can see each kit’s playstyle is very different.
These kits synergize, for instance, Splash’s water makes enemies more vulnerable to Jump’s electricity. This earned praise from many for this design which showcases variety and team synergy to keep combat fresh.
Missions
Meanwhile, the missions (called Jobs) are highly objective-driven which can be quite tough to complete. A job might require collecting eerie resources or powering strange machines, all while fending off hordes of paranormal enemies.
The bizarre objectives are a highlight: one Job might have you pumping explosive pink goo, another shredding animated sticky notes, and yet another assembling monstrous living office equipment. Each Job has up to three Clearance Levels. Completing Level 1 unlocks Level 2, and so on, making the mission longer and harder but with better rewards.
The final level often introduces major challenges that will test your limit. For example, a boss fight where you must coordinate multiple kits’ powers to defeat a giant sticky-note monster. Moreover, you can also increase difficulty through optional modifiers it provided.
A Threat Level setting spawns many more enemies (including heavy variants) and powerful named bosses. Another system called Corruptions adds cursed items into the mission; for instance, a “Table Saw” might disable your shields, or “Exploding Corpses” cause defeated enemies to explode. These mechanics add chaos and strategy – you must decide whether to remove a corruption early or adapt to its effect.
Overall, this makes Jobs feel hectic in a fun way, especially at higher difficulty settings. The progression is relatively straightforward. Completing Jobs grants currency (Lost Assets) to unlock new weapons, grenades and upgrades on a simple requisition menu. You’ll level up kits to gain new perk slots and purchase perks that tailor your build.
This system works well with the game by giving players items to upgrades to pursue without overwhelming choice. There are no pay-to-win traps or forced “grinding” as the focus remains on playing missions.
Graphics and Performance
Visually, Firebreak maintains Remedy’s strong style. It’s the Oldest House we know from Control – brutalist hallways, looming concrete pillars and surreal architecture – now filled with neon goo, flying desks and other oddities.
The art design is striking, and the weirdness is played for laughs and excitement. The writing also injects humor: characters banter with snarky one-liners, treating the paranormal chaos like just another workday (even joking about taking showers together in the middle of missions). This gives the game a light tone that players have enjoyed.
On PC, the technical performance appears solid with a smooth performance and without stuttering. Even at native 4K on a high-end GPU, the game was able to ran smoothly with frame rates well above 60 FPS.
Remedy built Firebreak on its Northlight engine, and it shows through the effects like lighting and water which look good. There are also options for ray tracing and DLSS to boost frame rates. In short, the game should run well on most modern PCs, and the console versions appear stable at launch.
Should You Be Playing FBC: Firebreak?
FBC: Firebreak offers a fun, fast-paced co-op experience with a quirky Remedy twist. If you enjoy working together with friends to complete chaotic objectives, you’ll likely find it rewarding. To sum it up, its core loop is solid which makes an incredibly fun and entertaining horde shooter game despite its flaws.
The lack of FOMO systems (no battle pass grind or gacha) and its inclusion on subscriptions make it easy to jump in without worry. The game’s strongest points are its unique setting, humorous writing and the variety of kit combos. However, temper your expectations about its gameplay depth.
Multiple critics have warned of repetition and limited content at launch, failing to offer something new and creative for each mission. They can feel similar after you’ve played each Job several times, and some players complained that enemy variety is low and progression is shallow.
Balance issues have also been noted as at higher difficulties, certain kits or tactics may feel underpowered compared to others. Essentially, Firebreak feels great to play in the moment, but it doesn’t have the long-term complexity of bigger live-service shooters yet.
Should You Play It Now?
If you are already a fan of Remedy’s style or love cooperative shooters, and especially if you can try it on Game Pass or PS+ for no extra cost, it’s worth sampling. You’ll get several hours of enjoyment out of the core five Jobs, and may appreciate the offbeat humor. But if you value a deep campaign or endless variety, you might want to wait a bit. Remedy’s roadmap promises more content soon, so the game will only get bigger.
In summary, FBC: Firebreak is a good casual co-op game, but be aware it’s a bit light on content at launch. Fans of control, weird worlds and friendly team shooters will probably have a blast, while others may hold off until the game “cooks” a little longer.
Conclusion
FBC: Firebreak Game Review shows this co-op spin-off is worth a try for fans of chaotic teamwork and Remedy’s universe. The game is visually striking and full of humorous oddities, and the core shooting-and-repair gameplay is genuinely fun. If you have friends to play with, you’ll likely enjoy Firebreak’s team-focused action. Casual players or those seeking a long campaign might wisely wait for upcoming updates to add more missions and polish.
