Known for its signature eccentricity that mixes offbeat storytelling with quirky aesthetics and inventive worldbuilding, Remedy Entertainment has developed a type of persona. FBC: Firebreak is the cooperative multiplayer shooter in the Remedy Connected Universe that continues this Legacy. The title heads into the live-service space offering something new and risky that retains the developer’s signature quirkiness while incorporating unseen gameplay mechanics. Unlike other shooters, it has a weird charm thanks to its strange objectives and creepy enemies. However, it’s not yet the next FPS phenomenon.
Creative Mechanics That Shine
FBC: Firebreak takes the players as average workers at The Oldest House where they are tasked with fighting supernatural enemies as part of their jobs. The game provides players with three uniquely designed combat classes called Crisis Kits affixed to a tool.
- Fix Kit: Comes with heavy-duty wrench for speeding up repairs.
- Splash Kit: Has an innovative water propulsion system to interact with the environment uniquely.
- Jump Kit: Uses a power pack similar to that of an industrial defibrillator.
The game-play is built around maintenance kits which give deadly enemies a constant presence. The genius is in how these kits work together. To illustrate, a user of the Splash Kit can soak enemies with a Wet effect, amplifying the damage of a Shock ability generated by a Jump Kit. This synergy creates powerful teamwork that rewards players who play together. The Hot Fix missions show how useful the kits can be when you need to fix a fan or recharge a generator, to speed up Fix and Jump. Although completing it yourself is fine, it is much more rewarding and efficient with the right kit, additionally, it adds depth to your co-op experience.
As gamers level up, the kits change as new attacks and tools become available. This strengthens the gameplay loop. Yet, playing this game alone is a struggle and robs the game of its fun cooperative charm, as the mechanics are designed around team play. When players sync their kits, weapons, and perks, it is a very satisfying feel, the same as a crew doing a job together.
Where Fun Meets Frustration
Even with its high points, FBC: Firebreak isn’t always great fun. Some game modes like Paper Chase distract you by making you destroy a seemingly endless number of sticky notes, which is quite boring.
It is boring to have to wet these notes before shooting them. Even humidifiers make it no fun at all. Even though a boss meeting with Sticky Ricky is a fun break, it doesn’t save the mode from being repetitive. Although not as boring, the other game modes mostly utilize a more or less similar repetitive task, while the mini-bosses are just tougher variants of regular enemies.
The live-service model further complicates things. The number of weapons feels quite low, not much modding of weapons, and without gun crafting or something similar, it is hard to keep players engaged for long. The battle pass has introduced new abilities and mechanics, but the overall progression feels restricted by the live-service format. The game feels incomplete and not worth the $40 price tag. The value of the additional paid battle passes is in doubt, given how basic the main experience is to fully justify the cost.
A Promising Yet Incomplete Package
“FBC: Firebreak demonstrates Remedy’s ambition to expand on familiar territory, as it attempts to mix its signature weirdness with cooperating devoid of altercations.” The inclusion of Crisis Kits and teamwork centric-moments allows for flashes of brilliance when players work together to fight the game’s monsters. However, the launch repetition and narrow content hold it back from reaching its maximum potential.
Coming up next, Remedy would be adding new game modes and content in the year 2025, which could cover a few of these shortcomings. For now, FBC: Firebreak feels like a work in progress – a game built on solid foundations but without the meat to fully engage players. Gamers who enjoy cooperative shooters and enjoy Remedy’s unique flair will find plenty to like, but others may want to hold off a while to see how the game shapes up.