A Fiery Co-op Shooter That Needs More Fuel
Remedy Entertainment are back – this time with another game based around the universe of Control. The thing is, I have never played Control (I know, I know!). With that in mind, this will be treated as a standalone affair, as far as I am concerned.
It comes in the form of FBC: Firebreak; a first person, cooperative shooter with a class based twist. As the developer has a deep back catalogue and reputation, can it bring anything new to the table?
Elite Unit, Otherworldly Threat
The story of FBC: Firebreak is a bit light, which I found more than surprising. We are part of the Federal Bureau of Control’s elite unit, Firebreak. Apparently, only this department has the versatility to deal with what is happening! You see, we have been under assault by other-worldly forces for years now, and luckily, we have the “gear and guts” to sort out the problems.
Heading to the Oldest House, the FBC’s headquarters during its darkest and strangest hours (it says here, anyway), the plan is to go and solve all manner of issues. This might be reality warping anomalies, it might be waves of monsters, it might be all of the above and more. Are you ready to answer the call?
Grim Industrial Vibes
Well, assuming you are and you do, we’d best have a look at the presentation of the game, hadn’t we? The basic look of FBC: Firebreak is pretty nice, with good sized levels to wander around in, full of things to fix, multiple routes to find and monsters to shoot. With a grim kind of industrial vibe going on, the game certainly looks the part.
The monsters we fight are an odd looking bunch, from humanoids that can either attack with melee weapons or guns, up to hulking monstrosities – all of other worldly life is here. The design of the three basic classes that we can play as is also decent, and while we don’t see ourselves after the launch screen (well, only our hands and weapons) the rest of the team looks good. Thankfully, the camera is well up to the task, and I have had no grumbles about the looks.
The sound is also up to snuff, with little snippets of voice acting peppered throughout, usually when reviving a colleague. The gunfire, the sound of the specialised tools that we can use, and the roars of the monsters, not to mention the ambient noises of the levels themselves are all very nice indeed. All things considered, FBC: Firebreak is a well presented game.
Class-Based Combat
But let’s get into the guts of the game.
At the heart of the gameplay is a class based system, with three basic classes you can play as, known as kits: the Splash kit, that allows you to put fires out with water; the Fix Kit that allows you to mend delicate electronic devices by smacking them with a big wrench; and the Jump kit. The Jump kit does not, as you may think, let you jump about the place like a grasshopper: no, instead it is Jump as in jumpstart, and this kit allows you to restart electrical devices that need power.
The main device for each kit does what it says on the tin, basically, and in addition each has a firearm that goes with it – namely an SMG, a shotgun and a pistol. Choosing the kit that suits you, and then making sure that the rest of the team play their parts by choosing a different kit to ensure all bases are covered, is all part of the fun.
The plan is to go and not only complete jobs (more on these in a moment) but also collect various bits and bobs in the world. These can be brought back to add extra bits for the kit’s loadouts. The first thing to unlock is a grenade, which is pretty weedy to start with, but everything can be researched and upgraded, letting you tailor each kit to your playstyle to a certain degree. This flexibility is a big part of what makes FBC: Firebreak fun, and mixing and matching the various components is quite interesting.
Limited Longevity and Flaky Feedback
As far as the actual missions themselves, and well, they are a mixed bag. Longevity is not really on the menu here, with only a few jobs to go at, although there are multiple difficulty levels to keep things a little bit more fresh. Usually, it plays out requiring us to fix a raft of things, and then move on to the next section and deal with whatever the game throws at us.
Obviously, I’m not going to go into detail here as each time you play a job, the basic layout is the same, and I don’t want to spoil it for you.
The main issue I’ve had with the gameplay is that it all feels a little bit floaty, a little airy. When attacking, there is no sense of doing damage, really, and the same is true when we receive damage: a large part of the time I seem to be running around actually on fire, and without frequent trips to the shower to dowse the flames, death comes suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, you can revive your team mates and carry on, but a bit more warning of when death is likely to occur would be nice.
A Fun Co-op Shooter for Dedicated Squads
And it means that FBC: Firebreak is fun, but for a limited amount of time. I’ve noticed the player base already seems to be tailing off, sadly, even if there is no real difficulty in finding a team to play with. Playing with randoms is a whole other level of annoyance, of course, but if you have a regular squad and can devote the time, then FBC: Firebreak can be quite rewarding.
Don’t come into this one as a time-poor player, as FBC: Firebreak just doesn’t do enough to reward the casual ones out there.
Important Links
From the Makers of Alan Wake & Control: FBC: Firebreak Will be Your New Game Pass Obsession! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/from-the-makers-of-alan-wake-control-fbc-firebreak-will-be-your-new-game-pass-obsession/
Download FBC: Firebreak through Game Pass – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/fbc-firebreak/9pdcn8z4hkrn
Or take in the Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/fbc-firebreak-deluxe-edition/9NT9204DGTS8/0010
