I’m a big fan of everything Remedy does. I won’t go so far as to say they’re a developer who doesn’t get their flowers, because they do. I fell in love with their Lynchian story crafting during the Alan Wake days; however, as an intersection of economic game design, narrative, and atmosphere, Control stands tall among their catalogue without rival.
Although we expect Director Faden’s return in a true sequel to Control, Remedy’s decision to set their new co-operative shooter within their shared universe might prove to be an inspired move.
Set six years after Control, FBC: Firebreak’s premise revolves around three-strong teams venturing into the twisted, departmental wings of the Oldest House and purging its halls of the Hiss, the interdimensional, paranatural entity with a virulent nature that wormed its way into the Federal Bureau of Control’s ranks.
There’s no through line to be found in FBC: Firebreak when it comes to the story. If you treat it as a “monster of the week” kind of set up, it’s a riveting reminder of the utter strangeness of Control’s world. It’s a series of peculiar events that could only exist in this world, whether it’s clearing an office of sentient sticky notes numbering in the thousands, or feeding contaminated pearls farmed from the bellies of giant leeches into a push-cart which’d go on to be used for rocket fuel. It’s because Remedy is so good at building their worlds that I can’t help but lament this game’s lack of plot, but the small bits and pieces we get through office comms will have to do.
Being the overachievers they are, there’s nothing Remedy can’t do, seemingly. For a developer who has cut their teeth and built their reputation on third-person action titles, like Max Payne and the aforementioned Alan Wake, it came as quite the surprise that Firebreak is as solid as it is. I’d argue the shooting in its purest form, which is solid enough, mixed with the rather uniform nature that the game’s hordes bum rush you, would have made for a rather dull experience had Firebreak been a one-trick pony.
Fortunately, it’s the other systems that put the shooting on its shoulders and do a lot of the heavy lifting.
The game might resist the urge of falling into the safety of hero shooter tropes; however, its Crisis Kits serve as the root of each player’s loadout. With three to choose from, the needs of each assignment go a long way to informing which kit works best, if you’re tackling it solo, or how to compose your team. Fix Kits, to me, feel like the all-rounder class, as their proficiency for repair work has a use case for pretty much all of the available jobs.
Jump and Splash Kits, whose strengths lie with electric-charging and water cooling, respectively, certainly have more combat applications than the Fix Kit, especially given their natural, elemental synergy. In addition to shocking crowds, which feels like the perfect alley-oop pay-off after they’re inflicted with wet, the Jump Kit proves to be the workhorse of the trio for its ability to fast-charge generator batteries that’d otherwise rely on a series of under-pressure input.
The Splash Kit, on the other hand, is perhaps the most novel of the three, which is thanks in large part to the elemental and chemical duress you can suffer during certain jobs. Take the first job, Hot Fix, for example; working your way through a stifling floor where heat is a factor, someone with a Splash Kit can cool others down before it becomes overbearing and tick damage is incurred. Similarly, if you’re contaminated by the aforementioned leech pearls, the kit can be used to clean players off.
Ahti, Control’s offbeat janitor, said it himself: “Water is the oldest balm.” This is especially true in Firebreak. Not only is it useful in the ways described above, but it’s the game’s literal healing agent. Splash Kits might be able to extinguish flames, but safety showers scattered within the levels actually replenish health—an unconventional, typically Remedy take on health kits, no doubt.
In fact, these clever uses of the elements are prevalent throughout the entire Firebreak experience, and, as such, the game’s genius design offers unexpected ways for you to get around the perceived need for a Splash Kit to your flambéed teammates. If you’re overly hot, wind resistance from riding a zip line can have a cooling touch, while working in sub-zero temperatures will result in sluggish movement. It’s all so considered and provides a level of on-the-fly strategy I didn’t expect from FBC: Firebreak.
With only five jobs available at launch, I had significant concerns over the game’s longevity, at least on first blush. Thankfully, there’s a replayability that isn’t immediately apparent, and it’s courtesy of the fact that each job has three clearance levels in all. Beginning with level one, you unlock the others in sequence as, with each attempt, the scope of the job balloons, moving from one area to the next and, ultimately, culminating in a surprisingly involved third act that, regardless of the actual task, flexes Remedy’s creative muscle. The previously mentioned Hot Fix job culminates in a finale that involves feeding barrels of Black Rock particulates into a furnace to quell the level’s heat problem—filling the barrels and sending them across the map, all the while managing your overheating and the Hiss, reaches levels of plate-spinning that made me love raids in Destiny.
Granted, they’re not all quite as involved from a mechanical sense. One has you searching frozen storage for mannequins to stage on a ski lift that circles overhead, which was an anti-climactic, albeit hilarious note to end on. In addition to clearance levels, which determine how many phases a job will have, you’re also able to set the threat level, which determines how challenging it’ll be.
The last means of customising the player experience comes in the form of setting the corruption level, which is where Firebreak feels at its most Control-like. These are mere gameplay modifiers, though it’s how they combine and dictate your style of play that’s most impressive. It’s through these Objects of Power that the game, and each run, can feel distinct, outrageous, and special. Like the famous ‘Fridge Duty’ side quest from Control, it transforms mundane, everyday items into unexpected nightmares. For a traffic light, coupled with the incredible sound effects that signal its presence, to make me stop in fear is a testament to Remedy’s bewildering little universe that they’re so expertly building.
Remedy has resisted marketing FBC: Firebreak as a live-service game, and whether it’s a matter of optics or not, you call a wolf in sheep’s clothing for what it is. But instead of relying on nickel and diming consumers and playing into people’s fear of missing out to keep players checking in daily, they are letting their game do the talking. It’s an inherent risk, but it’d be a long, long bow to draw for anyone to consider this game predatory. The only microtransactions present take the form of Requisitions, which, like the War Bonds in Helldivers II, exist in perpetuity, meaning no one is in danger of missing out on the skin they’re after. They’re unlocked using the files and briefs you collect during, or are rewarded after, a run.
As the primary currency for the game, these briefs are also used to unlock perks. The way it’s designed means you’ll be splitting your time and resources between the two. There’s a heap of level-gating, which struck me as confusing at first, that ensures it, with perks being locked between player level and their slots being gated behind your kit level. In a standard move, each perk has three tiers, with the second and third tiers requiring job-specific materials only available in high-corruption runs. It gives you cause to grind the game’s handful of levels, if you’re compelled by the locked gear.
Unfortunately, customisation is an area where I felt a tad let down. Control, with its iconic depiction of a brutalist world so rich with form and shape, still stands as an all-timer for so many. Although they didn’t fumble the level design here, it’s spectacular. I felt so uninspired by the player-characters, the tools available to “make it my own” are disappointingly shallow and don’t capitalise at all on the strength of design that made Control undeniable. The choices of whether to don a gas or boiler mask and which guffawing, yahooing voice preset to go for made for a dour opening.
Even the extra armour sets available through the Requisitions didn’t instil in me much confidence that the so-called cosmetics treadmill would be worthwhile. In addition to extra jobs and kits, I’d be shocked if their future plans didn’t include a relatively robust smorgasbord of looks.
I’m so thankful that cross-play is where it is. FBC: Firebreak is a game that will likely live or die on its ability to establish a tight-knit community, which, quite frankly, would be very unlikely in today’s market, where mindshare is so valuable, were the player base segmented. It launching into PlayStation’s Plus service, as well as Xbox Game Pass, should provide the early numbers it’ll need to steady the nerves. The party integration, with its lobby codes, is so headache-free, it’s truly painless to play with friends anywhere. The game also runs like a dream; even when waves of Hiss spawn in and the corrupted item results in extremely fast enemy movement, it doesn’t falter.
Of course, I do have concerns for the game’s future; it’s hard not to in this climate. I might be satisfied with the offering at present, but, objectively, with only five jobs, the game is what I’d call light on content. As someone who, a lifetime ago, fell into the Destiny loop of running strikes and raids, so much of FBC: Firebreak speaks to me.
