Mere hours after diving into FBC: Firebreak, I found myself savoring a delicious cream cake. Unfortunately, my clumsiness led to a dollop of cream landing in my blood orange cocktail, swirling and melting into it. As I watched, my mind was transported back to the Federal Bureau of Control, where I imagined firing white-hot bursts of liquid at the glowing red enemies that haunted its corridors. It's this kind of wild, imaginative leap that a visit to Remedy's headquarters inspires.

Remedy Entertainment has crafted an eclectic library of games, spanning horror, sci-fi, and neo-noir detective fiction. What I've always admired about the creators of Alan Wake and Max Payne is their fearless embrace of silliness. Firebreak, their latest venture into first-person shooting and co-op multiplayer, exemplifies this playful spirit. During a two-hour play session, I obliterated foes with a murderous garden gnome and battled a 30-foot-high sticky note behemoth. These experiences convinced me that Remedy's unique blend of the weird and wonderful could set Firebreak apart in the often serious world of online shooters.

FBC: Firebreak - Gameplay Screenshots

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Set six years after the events of Remedy’s 2019 hit, Control, Firebreak returns to The Oldest House, a setting familiar to those who followed Jesse Faden’s story. The brutalist architecture and Finnish folk music create a comforting, yet eerie atmosphere. In Firebreak, squads reenter this enigmatic government building to tackle localized outbreaks of the Hiss, Control's inter-dimensional threat. You and up to two teammates become the universe's version of Ghostbusters, armed with double-barreled shotguns instead of proton packs, where crossing the streams is not just allowed—it's encouraged.

Beyond standard pistols and rifles, Firebreak offers three distinct "kits" or classes, each enhancing team dynamics in unique ways. The Fix Kit allows you to repair machines like ammo stations and healing showers (yes, FBC employees boost their HP by getting drenched—a delightfully absurd concept). The Splash Kit equips you with a hydro cannon to both heal teammates and drench enemies. The Jump Kit features a short-range Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor to shock and immobilize foes. When combined, these kits unleash devastating effects—like the electrifying results of sending a high-voltage bolt into a soaking wet mob.

While Firebreak can be played solo, the game's design clearly favors teamwork and communication, especially as missions grow more chaotic. Each "job" follows a similar structure: enter, complete objectives, and return to the elevator. My first assignment involved fixing faulty heat fans in the building’s furnace while fending off enemy waves before retreating to safety.

The next mission, "Paper Chase," was a stark contrast, requiring us to destroy thousands of scattered sticky notes. Hordes of Hiss periodically interrupted our progress, and the notes themselves could attach and harm us, epitomizing the phrase "death by a thousand paper cuts." These notes were easily destroyed by melee attacks but disintegrated more efficiently with a combination of water and electricity, showcasing Firebreak's clever elemental system. The solid gunplay ensures that even solo players can contribute effectively—I found the machine gun particularly satisfying for mowing down the glowing red ghouls, which burst into the oily haze reminiscent of Control.

The third mission at The Oldest House’s Black Rock Quarry demanded the most teamwork. We shot squelchy leeches from the cavernous walls to obtain lethal radioactive pearls, which needed to be contained in a shuttle and moved along a track. This was the most challenging mission, stressing the importance of communication amidst droves of enemies, radiation exposure, and instakill astral spikes. Despite the chaos, I found it immensely enjoyable.

While I'm generally pleased with Firebreak's mission objectives, the map design left me divided. The Oldest House in Control was a labyrinth of morphing corridors and secrets, but Firebreak's maps are simpler and more linear, better suited for first-person navigation. However, this simplification may have cost some of the unpredictable charm that made The Oldest House so compelling. Don’t expect wonders like the Ashtray Maze here; instead, you'll find more straightforward, grounded environments.

Completing missions unlocks clearance levels, adding further objectives and extending playtime. Subsequent revisits open up new chambers and introduce more complex challenges and enemies. Bosses, ranging from bullet sponges to unique creatures like the giant sticky note monstrosity, gate progress through certain areas. The latter was particularly thrilling, requiring communication and teamwork to defeat—a blend of puzzle-solving and damage dealing reminiscent of Space Marine 2's expeditions.

These monsters made from everyday objects echo some of my favorite elements from Control, and it's exciting to see such weirdness in Firebreak. Randomly spawning corrupted items, like a rubber duck that redirects enemies or traffic lights that can deal heavy damage, add layers of intrigue, though I didn't encounter them during my playtime. These elements promise to inject even more Squid Game-like color into Firebreak's otherwise grey brutalist setting.

Firebreak's strong foundations are complemented by unlockable loadouts and zany new tools. Completing missions grants tokens for abilities like the Splash Kit’s Teapot, which burns enemies with superheated globules, and the Jump Kit’s chaotic garden gnome, which summons an electrical storm. These abilities often led to frenetic, fun battles, though the screen can sometimes become too cluttered, making it hard to discern objectives or avoid friendly fire. The development team is actively working on improving readability before the June 17 launch.

Firebreak will launch with five jobs, with two more promised by the end of 2025. These "game modes" offer 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 offers substantial value for both Control veterans and newcomers seeking an entertaining shooter.

Navigating the always online co-op shooter landscape is challenging, but Firebreak's solid foundation and Remedy's quirky personality suggest it can carve its niche. Just like that dollop of cream found its place in my cocktail, which I still enjoyed to the last sip.