"Firebreak: The Year's Weirdest Shooter Unveiled by FBC"

Mere hours after diving into FBC: Firebreak, I found myself indulging in a delicious cream cake. In a clumsy twist of fate, a dollop of cream landed in my blood orange cocktail, swirling into a mesmerizing blend that transported me back to the eerie corridors of the Federal Bureau of Control. As I fired bursts of liquid at glowing red enemies, it was clear that a visit to Remedy's headquarters had twisted my brain in the best possible way.

Remedy Entertainment has a diverse portfolio, from horror to sci-fi and neo-noir detective stories. What sets this studio apart, particularly with titles like Alan Wake and Max Payne, is its fearless embrace of the absurd. Firebreak, their latest venture into first-person and co-op multiplayer, epitomizes this silliness. In just a two-hour session, I wielded a deadly garden gnome and battled a towering sticky note monster. This unique blend of humor and creativity convinces me that Remedy can indeed carve a niche in the often serious world of online shooters.

FBC: Firebreak - Gameplay Screenshots

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Set six years after the events of Control, Firebreak returns to The Oldest House, a setting familiar to fans of Jesse Faden's journey. The brutalist architecture and Finnish folk music create a haunting yet comforting backdrop. Players, grouped in squads of up to three, re-enter this mysterious government building to combat localized outbreaks of the Hiss, the inter-dimensional threat from Control. Armed with shotguns instead of proton packs, we're essentially the universe's Ghostbusters, and crossing the streams is not just allowed—it's encouraged.

Firebreak introduces three specialized "kits" that function as classes, each enhancing team dynamics in unique ways. The Fix Kit lets you repair machines like ammo stations and healing showers—a quirky touch given that FBC employees replenish health by getting drenched. The Splash Kit equips you with a hydro cannon for both healing teammates and dousing foes. The Jump Kit features an Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor for stunning enemies. When combined, these kits create powerful synergies, like electrifying soaked enemies for devastating effects.

While Firebreak is playable solo, it thrives on teamwork and communication, particularly when missions get intense. Each mission, or "job," follows a familiar structure: infiltrate, complete objectives, and retreat via elevator. My initial task involved repairing three faulty heat fans amidst enemy waves. "Paper Chase," on the other hand, required us to destroy thousands of sticky notes, with Hiss interruptions and damaging notes turning the phrase "death by a thousand paper cuts" into a literal threat. Efficiently dealing with these notes using water and electricity showcased the game's clever use of elemental kits. Firebreak's gunplay is solid, allowing for effective solo play, and I found the machine gun particularly satisfying against the Hiss.

The third mission in Black Rock Quarry demanded the most teamwork, involving shooting leeches to obtain radioactive pearls for containment and transport. The need for regular showers to cleanse radiation, along with relentless enemy attacks and astral spike entities, made this mission challenging yet enjoyable.

While the mission objectives are engaging, Firebreak's map design leaves me ambivalent. Unlike the labyrinthine corridors of Control, Firebreak's maps are more linear and less complex. This makes navigation easier in first-person view, but at the cost of some of The Oldest House's enigmatic allure. Don't expect anything as intricate as the Ashtray Maze; instead, prepare for more straightforward, grounded environments.

Completing missions unlocks higher clearance levels, introducing longer, more complex excursions with additional chambers and tougher foes. Boss encounters, ranging from bullet sponges to intriguing creatures like the giant sticky note beast, demand teamwork and strategy. These battles, blending puzzle-solving with combat, remind me of the engaging finales in Space Marine 2.

Firebreak's integration of everyday objects into its weird universe is a highlight. Although I didn't encounter any during my session, the promise of corrupted items like a rubber duck that diverts enemies or traffic lights that can deal significant damage adds an exciting layer of unpredictability. The developers are addressing readability issues with these items, ensuring they're more noticeable in the final release.

Unlock tokens earned from missions allow players to acquire new, quirky tools. Ultimate abilities such as the Splash Kit's Teapot, which burns enemies with superheated globules, or the Jump Kit's chaotic garden gnome, which summons an electrical storm, add to the game's frenetic fun. However, the on-screen chaos can occasionally become overwhelming, making it hard to distinguish targets and navigate tactically. The development team is actively working to improve readability before the game's launch on June 17.

Firebreak will launch with five jobs, with two more planned by the end of 2025. These are considered more like game modes than simple missions, offering replayability and depth through multiple clearance levels and evolving objectives. Priced at $39.99 / €39.99 / £32.99 and available on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, Firebreak promises hours of entertainment for both Control veterans and newcomers seeking a fun shooter.

Navigating the crowded space of online co-op shooters is challenging, but Firebreak's solid foundation, combined with Remedy's unique quirky flair, suggests it can indeed find its own niche. Just like that unexpected dollop of cream that found its place in my cocktail, which I drank in its entirety.