FBC: Firebreak

What could be better than enjoying a shower with one of your best friends / coworkers? That's right, sharing a shower with TWO of your best friends... This is an oddly common occurrence within FBC: Firebreak, and one that sets the tone of this bizarre title well. FBC is a three-player coop horde shooter, set within the Remedy universe (Alan Wake and Control). More specifically, you play as a member of Firebreak, an elite crew formed to handle the bizarre and supernatural events that take place within The Oldest House.

- By Jacob Sanderson

Publisher: Remedy Entertainment

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Genre: Action

Release Date: Out Now

Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox X|S

There's not particularly an overarching story (beyond what was previously mentioned), but each Job, the game's level structure, has its own small stories which tie directly into your goals. These consist of you having to handle one of many bizarre supernatural happenings within different parts of The Oldest House, from culling an outbreak of explosive pink goo to stopping the mass replication of evil sticky notes. It’s weird — incredibly weird — but it makes for a really unique atmosphere, and despite having very little experience with Remedy’s other titles, it matches what I know of their world design.

This bizarre atmosphere is carried even further by the fantastic writing. Despite the story not being the most integral part, the writing manages to be incredibly charming. Both the playable characters, who'll make silly quips as you do different things within the Jobs to Hank and Jerry, higher-ups within the FBC who'll guide you through certain missions. Each character feels like they're just enjoying another day at the office, which makes for a very entertaining contrast to the actual events of the game.

The core gameplay loop is where FBC: Firebreak really shines brightest. There are three different Kits that you can equip, and these function essentially as classes. They don't alter any core aspect of your character, though; they simply give you access to a unique tool, utility, and parautility. The tools are arguably the most important part of your kit, all three of which have specialised uses for objectives, and have quite good utility in combat too. Each Kit's utility item can also be found around the maps randomly too, and repaired using their Kit's dedicated tool.