FBC Firebreak marks quite the departure for Remedy Entertainment. The studio is renowned for its story-driven single player experiences, including the likes of Alan Wake, Control, and Max Payne. Firebreak, on the other hand, is a co-op FPS in the vein of Left 4 Dead and Helldivers 2. It's set in the Control universe, sure, but it's about as far from Jesse Faden's adventure you could get. Now that Firebreak is here, however, it hasn't been going down well on Steam.
FBC Firebreak has Remedy's signature style all over it; you squad up in a group of three and head into the Federal Bureau of Control to take out some otherworldly forces. You can use an array of weird and wonderful weapons, gadgets, and tools to come out on top, and you'll definitely need them. You come up against everything from more humanoid creatures to dimensional horrors, and a seemingly never-ending sticky note menace. Right now, however, this doesn't seem to be enough.
As of writing, this isn't one of the best FPS games. It's sitting at 'mostly negative' on Valve's platform. That's 38% positive from around 250 user reviews, with many players touting the same issue: a lack of things to do.
"Not that much content for an apparent '1.0 release'. It's fun, especially using the pogo. But I think the game needs a lot more content. It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't so pricey on launch," one player writes.
"[In this] current state I cannot recommend the game cause it is not worth the money, it's still fun but it needs a lot of work," adds another.
Some players are being kinder to Firebreak, though, even if they'd prefer to see Remedy stick to what it's already been making. "They made a Control game without the cool superpowers and physics that made the original stand out. The atmosphere is still there and it looks good but it's kind of just a generic co-op shooter without a lot of the stuff that makes Control different from other games."
Even with all of these criticisms, there's a few things you need to keep in mind. First up, while FBC Firebreak is $40 on Steam, Playstation and Xbox players can get it for less. The game is available as a part of both a Playstation Plus and Xbox Game Pass subscription. This doesn't negate what players are saying about the lack of content, but it's worth knowing that some people on consoles will be playing at no extra cost.
The team at Remedy has also outlined two major FBC updates that are planned for 2025, which are sure to expand the experience. You can expect new jobsites, gameplay systems, equipment, enemies, and free earnable rewards to arrive over the next few months.
If you're diving into the game, we've got you covered with the best FBC Firebreak kit to choose. Otherwise, we've got plenty of other multiplayer games if you want something else.
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