FBC: Firebreak is a new entry from Remedy Entertainment. A studio that is primarily known for the Max Payne and Control series. While we have haven’t had anything new to the Control universe since it released DLC back in 2020, there was brief cameo for the FBC in Alan Wake 2, fans have been waiting for a new entry to the series and while FBC: Firebreak will not scratch that itch, it lets you visit locations from the game with friends.
Story
FBC: Firebreak takes place 6 years after the events of the game and the oldest house is getting out of hand with phenomenon affecting it. Whether its sticky notes slowly taking over a part of the building or a massive infestation of hiss, there are 6 iconic locations from the game where you and 2 other friends can equip yourself with different weapons, equipment, perks, and more to take on a PvE experience to bring order back to the house.
The story has little relation to the events of the game and is mainly there as a setup so that the players know their actions make an impact to the Control universe. While you will not have any interactions with Dr. Darling or Jesse when in the house, there is still a lot of housekeeping to be done as the chosen custoidans to maintain order.
Gameplay
The game has a very repetitive yet satisfying loop. You choose a location that is called a job(6 jobs available at launch), your clearance (what part of the level you start that job at), and lastly, the corruption. This is a new take on objects of power from Control where everyday objects are possesed and become a hinderance to you and your team by giving the Hiss extra abilities or powers, or just make your mission extra difficult.
Lastly, you choose the threat, the difficulty at which you play the game. Higher difficulty offers more reward as always.
In between you can also acquire Requistions (which work like the battle pass from Helldivers 2), and research which acts as the perks tree to give your character extra abilities, stats or improvements to synergize with your squad to make your chances of surviving in a game more likely.
It sounds overwhelming at first but as you play the game, it slowly becomes better and easier to understand, which is really the big selling point of the game.
The gameplay loop reminds me of Rainbow Six Siege: Extraction in 2022 because that game also tasked you with completeing tasks in a certain area before moving on to the next one, but the difference is at the time of exfiltrating, you have to make your way all the way to the start of the level, which at that point is a massive amount of Hiss after your blood.
However, similar to Rainbow Six Siege: Extraction, this is where the game falls to that camp for me. The gameplay loop and formula feels familiar and I personally enjoyed my time playing with other people, which is another thing I enjoyed with Extraction until the content ran out and my friends and I quickly droppped it.
Remedy says that they have a good plan for the longevity of the game, and if its anything like what I played during my review period, I am optimistic on what is to come for the game. While this is not the Control game fans were waiting for, it still does scratch that itch ever so slightly if you want to play the universe again and bring friends along.
Presentation
I played on the PS5 Pro and with the added option of PSSR for better level detail, the game looks and runs great. To revisit all of the locations from the first game felt great and while I did not have The Service Weapon powers of Jesse in my hand or her abilities, I still had a great time playing this game and enjoying the brutalist architecture from within once more.
The level design is still true to the source material which helps players get into the immersion for the game, and whether you run into new enemies or some familiar foes from the main game, FBC: Firebreak is a great game that lets you revisit the oldest house with new people and still feel welcome to explore .
Conclusion
FBC: Firebreak is going to be one of those I only recommend if you plan on buying it with your friends and genuinely cooperative PvE shooter games. With a better gameplay model that does not make you feel like grinding to get good at the game, it is a solid product that with constant content update can shape up to be one of the better games of 2025. It has a lot of love and care given to the source material making it a genuinely rewarding experience and now the ball is in Remedy’s court to maintain the content flow for the game for its future.
