I had received note that people enjoyed reading my game reviews and because it’s been a while, I decided to cook something up for a game I’ve been enjoying recently. There was several games I could’ve chosen: Peak, Rematch, Dead Island 2…but I chose FBC: Firebreak. Peak was just a little too new, Rematch an arcade game, and Dead Island 2 several years old. Firebreak, as I’ll call it from now on, released on June 17th, 2025. It’s still new enough where my opinion might be able to sway your own after reading. The one difference in this review compared to past reviews is that it’s not a complete story game. There’s main quests and side quests, but not in the same way as Indiana Jones or Avowed. It plays somewhat like an arcade, replay-able shooter, but gives so much more. Without further delay, let’s get into Firebreak.
Game At A Glance
From the creators of games like Alan Wake, Control, and Max Payne comes Remedy’s newest game: FBC: Firebreak. (Because I was curious, the FBC stands for Federal Bureau of Control). Firebreak is a first person, three player co-op shooter. While attempting to clean up and “control” (pun intended) what’s happening at the FBC, various zombie-like monsters will attack you, attempting to slow your progress at fixing what needs to be cleaned. Different monsters have different abilities, meaning some will try to melee you with an axe while some float around in wheelchairs shooting lasers. You can alter the number of “stages” (called levels), the difficulty from easy-medium-hard-expert, and corruption, which I’ll explain briefly.
The missions are incredibly wacky and somehow, someway, you can make them even crazier through corruption levels. For example, one mission has you destroy sticky notes. Yes, you heard that right. By the end of the mission, you’re yelling at friends coordinating how to beat “Sticky Ricky”. It’s funny, it’s stressful, and satisfying when you’re finally leaving on the elevator by the end.
Characters Classes
Usually here, I’d discuss the characters including protagonists, antagonists, and everyone in between. However, as the only “characters” are you and your two teammates, I want to discuss the three available classes instead. The three classes are “Fix”, “Jump”, and “Splash”. Each kit has a unique role in a three-stack and makes for a smooth play-through. To understand how the classes you work, you just need a basic understanding of English. The Fix kit specializes in fixing broken things, in which there are quite a few in the FBC building. The Jump kit was a little confusing, but it’s not a physical jump, it’s jump-starting electronics. It’s a useful class to turning on electronics or stations, like the ammo refill or healing shower.
Splash is my personal favorite kit, as you carry an extinguisher or as they call it, “fluidic ejector”. You can put out fires, dampen sticky notes, and so much more, making you a vital part of the team. While Fix and Jump stations can be manually charged, nothing replaces a good ol’ splashing. While teams can use more than one of the same kit, it’s best if there’s one of every kit to make the run go by faster. Manually charging stations can be done, but takes time, meaning Jump kit can be essential. Each class carries a weapon as well in addition to their special kit: Fix carries a shotgun, Jump carries a revolver, and Splash has a submachine gun. All guns can be swapped with requisition medals, however.
Story + Setting
Firebreak takes place six years after the events of “Control”, Remedy’s award-winning game. The building, the Federal Bureau of Control, has been taken over by enemies known as the “Hiss”. You and your teammates, “Firebreakers”, are sent in to kill the Hiss and secure the building. Keep in mind, you’re playing as volunteer firebreakers. They’re not even paying you to risk your life! Unlike Remedy’s other games, Firebreak doesn’t have a solid narrative. Instead, the game is broken up into individual missions with their own subplots which don’t have any continuity to others.
The setting is nothing absurd; it feels like you’re in an episode of Severance, but they painted the white walls black and red. It’s a liminal space that doesn’t quite feel liminal. As someone who never played any other of Remedy Entertainment’s games, I enjoyed the setting. It felt comfortable yet eerie, a perfect design for a game like this. There’s not much more to say besides it’s an office space.
Side Missions Corruption
There are no side missions in this game in the traditional sense, so I replaced it with a unique aspect of Firebreak: Corruption. I’ve only played around with corruption a few times, as it’s not my favorite part of the game, but it adds such interesting and hilarious additions only the developers at Remedy could think of. All of a sudden, you have a floating ramen lantern following you around the building. How about a possessed mailbox? Don’t even get me started on the traffic light. Corruption adds a fun little twist on the gameplay. With these new corrupted items brings weird settings (for example: the Wolfff Globe reduces gravity). Some of these are beneficial, some don’t change gameplay, and some are horrible. Keep the table saw away from me at all costs.
While corruption may be some player’s cup of tea, I just never found a lot of enjoyment through it. The corrupted items bring in new layers of gameplay, but sometimes, simpler is better.
Gameplay
The final decider once again comes down to the gameplay. The premise of the game is simple, despite being slightly altered depending on the mission you’re playing. There is a progression system for both your kit level and overall level, unlocking different items. After each run, you can use requisition medals to purchase new abilities and perks to equip for your kits. Because each mission is unique, I want to highlight one just so you can have an example of the work you’ll be doing as a firebreaker.
In Paper Chase, you have to destroy sticky notes. As I mentioned earlier, yes, this is a real mission. You can melee them, step on them, shoot them, however you can destroy them. Meanwhile, the Hiss will be spawning at random intervals to attack you. After completing the mission and clearing the stages (based on how what level you choose to play), you’ll need to evacuate. Everyone goes to the elevator and you fight for your life while it comes. You get to play quick-time events to refill ammo, repair stations, and do objectives. Oh, and should I mention, you have to take a chemical shower to heal. And it fits all three members of your crew.
The game is fun however it’s very reliant on the rinse and repeat formula seen in many games. It’s one of those games that will produce lots of fun and laughter at the beginning, but once you pass a certain hour threshold, it becomes more tedious than anything. My recommendation is to play for a little, take breaks often, days at a time, and return to the game after said time.
Worth the Purch?
Now it’s time for the big question, the one everyone’s been waiting for: Is FBC: Firebreak worth the purchase? No, I do not think FBC: Firebreak is worth the purchase. I’ve given the game some high praise in this article, but I could’ve written much more on the negatives of the game. The game, at $40, does not have enough content to justify the price. The release of Firebreak was extremely buggy and unbalanced, and while it is young and there’s time to improve, it didn’t show well with potential buyers.
I have noticed a couple of bugs myself, but nothing game-altering. My biggest gripe would be the price. As always, I must thank Xbox Gamepass for allowing me to play this along with so many other games for a monthly fee. I think with the amount of content this game provides, $20-25 would be a more fair range. This, coupled with the poor release, has thrown it backwards in terms of player count and support. I love playing this game and am continuing to have a lot of fun, but I wouldn’t vouch to pay $40 full price for FBC: Firebreak.
Got any other games you want me to review? Leave a comment down below and I’ll look into reviewing them as soon as possible! Thanks!