Despite a decent technical presentation, FBC: Firebreak is a tragically shallow and repetitive co-op shooter with unsatisfying combat, boring missions, and a severe lack of content that fails to justify its price. A hard pass.
FBC: Firebreak is a three-player cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency. The premise involves an elite unit attempting to regain control of a headquarters under siege by otherworldly forces. It operates on an extraction-style gameplay loop where players engage in missions to gather resources and subsequently upgrade their gear. The game offers a selection of three distinct classes, each with unique abilities intended to encourage team synergy and tactical play during encounters.
The execution of its core mechanics, however, falls short. The combat lacks visceral impact, with weapon audio design being a significant point of failure; powerful firearms produce weak sound effects that undermine the action. Mission design is a source of major frustration, relying on highly repetitive and uninspired objectives. These tasks often devolve into mundane chores, such as shooting hundreds of post-it notes or transporting barrels, which quickly become tedious. This rinse-and-repeat structure fails to provide engaging or varied challenges for players.
The experience is further hampered by a shallow progression system and a general lack of content. Character advancement is limited, with only a small number of unique perks available for each class. Enemy variety is minimal, with the same few types appearing consistently throughout the game. The environment design borrows heavily from Control, another title from developer Remedy, but lacks its creative spark. Ultimately, with a very short completion time, the game offers a poor value proposition, presenting a grind that feels both unrewarding and fundamentally boring.
