Latest news with #Firebreak
Engadget
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Remedy is trying to fix FBC: Firebreak in response to middling reviews and player feedback
Remedy has shared its plans to improve FBC: Firebreak, the new multiplayer Control spinoff, following a string of less-than-stellar reviews that criticized the game's rough early hours. FBC: Firebreak was announced in October 2024 as the first online multiplayer game from Remedy, and another pitstop on the way to an eventual Control 2 . The full patch notes for Remedy's first update are available to view on Steam, but in brief, the biggest change the developer is making is to how missions are unlocked. Previously, Firebreak required players to play a simpler, shorter version of the game's missions (like dealing with multiplying post-it notes or pink goo, for example), before a more complex version of the mission became available. Now those full-fat missions are available from the start, and completing one unlocks the next type. Remedy's update also rebalances the cost of cosmetics and makes it easier to see and find in-game collectibles, among other tweaks. The developer is planning to make larger changes to how FBC: Firebreak explains the synergies of in-game weapons and abilities, but those onboarding improvements will take longer to implement. Future updates adding new missions and cosmetics where already planned for the game, so fixes will presumably be worked into the existing roadmap. We enjoyed our hands-on time with FBC: Firebreak , but reviewers report a less rosy picture after playing the game over a longer period of time. Eurogamer found Firebreak charming in Remedy's typical oddball way, but also inconsistent in terms of difficulty. GameSpot noted similar messiness in the game's mission design, and also the general lack of explanation for weapons and abilities. The more damning and existential problem highlighted by TechRadar is the dearth of story in the game, something that Control generally excelled at. Remedy doesn't appear to have a plan to address any perceived narrative shortcomings in FBC: Firebreak , and since it's a multiplayer game, the company may just have different goals. FBC: Firebreak is available now for $40 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. If you pay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, you can play the game at no additional cost.
The Verge
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
FBC: Firebreak is missing Control's weird charm
With FBC: Firebreak, Remedy Entertainment has entered the world of the first-person co-op shooter. Set in its Control universe — specifically the site of the first game, the brutalist nightmare office called the Oldest House — players control a member of the titular three-person team of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), tasked with addressing various containment breaches. Unfortunately, all the aspects that make Remedy's worlds so intriguing are completely absent in this bare-bones co-op shooter, which offers nothing for either longtime fans or those invested in existing shooters. Players in Firebreak are like firefighters or disaster responders, with each member occupying a different role: mechanic, water carrier, electrician. Across five recurring levels, teams must work to stop the spread of corruption, called the Hiss (a mysterious red entity that turns people into raging zombies and other types of creatures). Objectives vary from destroying Post-it notes to fixing fans, all while being assailed by swarms of various nightmare monsters. Control, the central foundation of Remedy's wider connected universe that also includes Alan Wake, is at its core weird. It's how Remedy developers have described it — to me and others — allowing for fluctuations between the terrifying, the quirky, the odd, and the hilarious. The Bureau itself is a government agency tasked with containing bizarre items and reacting to huge and strange world events: for example, a traffic light that, when it flashes red, sends people to different locations, or a fridge that eats people if you stop looking at it. In Remedy's universe, FBC workers document, monitor, and research these sorts of items with the gray-faced enthusiasm of every bored researcher. The number of times the toy duck teleports needs to be logged as much as how many coffee filters need to be replaced in the break room. That stone-faced reaction to the weird is only mildly present in Firebreak, with brief interactions with mission provider Hank Wilder, the security chief, detailing bizarre tasks in a slight monotone. Even player character barks demonstrate this. One of the player voice options is called 'Pencil Pusher,' who, when receiving friendly fire, screams that such actions 'violate office policy.' Health restoration involves characters huddling in a shower together; you can fix equipment by hitting it with a wrench. As someone obsessed with Control, I was eagerly anticipating a return — particularly in the shoes of ordinary personnel, rather than the almost godlike head of the agency, Jesse Faden (who you play in Control). But that sense of unease that plays off the quirkiness is not here. The Oldest House and its enemies feel like little more than an aesthetic, or even a kind of mod, for a generic co-op shooter. There is no sense of progression, no overarching goal to which you are working. Levels and tasks repeat. There aren't even creepy big-level bosses, like the terrors in Control, except in one area. You will have seen all the game has to offer within a few hours, since each level has only three or four stages (with each successive stage in the same level taking you further in), and some stages can be completed within three to four minutes. As an example, one stage involves destroying replicating Post-it notes. Once you have destroyed a sufficient number, you rush back to the elevator as a horde descends. The second stage requires the same objective, only this time you gain access to a second area to destroy more notes. The third stage repeats this, only you go further in and face a boss. All end with rushing back. While the game offers modifiers — such as harder enemies and corrupting anomalies that can slightly keep you on your toes — the core aspect wears out quickly. I do not feel I am making any headway in clearing out an entire level, since once cleared, there's no indicator our team made any difference. The only incentive is to obtain better gear. At least the game doesn't push microtransactions and is quite generous in its rewards, especially on harder difficulties. You also level up various roles independently: playing mainly as the mechanic, you will have to start from scratch if you switch to, for example, the electrician role. These roles do feel distinct, as you are given different gear and abilities. The mechanic can almost instantly repair broken equipment, a very useful skill given how many broken machines there are. But the game is filled with various hazards, such as fire and gunk, which the water soaker character — with their water cannon — can negate. Shooting feels good, but guns are standard: shotguns, machine guns, pistols. Don't expect weird weapons like the Service Weapon from Control. This is meat-and-potatoes destruction. That's precisely what disappointed me: ordinary workers in a world where fridges eat people is what made me love Control, and the idea of being able to play one of the lowly workers was exciting. Yet that charm is largely absent. I barely felt part of the FBC and it didn't seem like I was containing anything. In Control, you would clear rooms and see the game world change permanently. Obviously a co-op shooter can't do things in the exact same way. But why not tie something like this to the host player? If I have to see the same level three times, progressing further each level, why not show some permanent change from a previous run? There's no indication the world is reacting to the Firebreak team's efforts. In reality, Firebreak feels like one of the multiplayer modes that used to be tacked on to big-budget single-player games (think Mass Effect 3, for example). If players don't feel like they're making a difference as part of a team trying to stop an outbreak, why should we bother? The levels are akin to hero-shooter arenas, devoid of the deep lore of a Remedy game. At least with hero shooters, playing against other people keeps play constantly fresh. This felt like it was stale within a few hours, an avocado of a game. I genuinely don't know who Firebreak is for. Longtime fans of Control won't find collectibles, environmental storytelling, or anything to even read. And those looking for meaningful multiplayer shooters have plenty of options already. This is a strange dim light for a studio that usually produces brilliance. FBC: Firebreak is available now on the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X / S. It's also available for Game Pass and PlayStation Plus subscribers.
The Verge
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Posted Jun 17, 2025 at 10:46 AM EDT
Andrew Webster Firebreak with me. Remedy is working on a full sequel to Control, but in the meantime there's FBC: Firebreak, a co-op shooter set in the same universe that launches today. For more on what the studio is aiming for with Firebreak, you can check out this story I wrote in May.
CNET
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
FBC: Firebreak: 6 Fun Nods to Control
FBC: Firebreak is studio Remedy Entertainment's first multiplayer romp. As a Left 4 Dead-esque objective-based horde shooter taking place in the Oldest House (the headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Control), the game is heavy on action and light on story. That doesn't mean that the game is completely divorced from the shared Remedyverse that bridges the events of Control and the Alan Wake series. Firebreak takes place six years after the events of Control, and dimension-hopping Hiss invaders are still causing havoc throughout the building. There are many references and bits of dialogue that hint toward the events that transpired in Control, but you might miss them as you hose down the Hiss, stomp out sticky notes, pick up radioactive pearls and do more of the jobs no one else wants to volunteer for. As a matter of fact, the entire Firebreak initiative is named after the black rock-lined bridges that disconnected entire sectors of the Oldest House from one another when the Hiss initially invaded the FBC. Readers beware -- if you haven't yet beaten Control, this article will contain spoilers for events throughout the game. Here are the most interesting nods to Remedy's take on the X-Files/SCP Foundation genre of government agencies taking on the supernatural. This ragtag team of volunteers better hope and pray their HRAs don't get knocked off during the more frenetic fights. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET Every player is carrying a Hedron Resonance Amplifier No matter what cosmetic skin you apply to your Firebreaker, you'll notice there's a little black box strapped to your suit somewhere or another. Those are Hedron Resonance Amplifiers, and it's a good thing you're carrying them around. If you lost that piece of your kit, you wouldn't be yourself for much longer. These devices prevent the Hiss from taking over the human body by pumping out a different frequency from a more benevolent resonance-based organism: Polaris, Jesse Faden's symbiotic mental passenger, who accompanies you during the events of Control. Lots of care was put into differentiating the character cosmetics in Firebreak. The ragtag team of volunteers isn't armed to the teeth, but they've devised different ways to armor themselves against gunfire, flames or other field hazards. The single constant is the HRA, because no one would survive a mission without it. It's a nice bit of attention to detail -- keep a keen eye on your character model as you try out different cosmetics, because you'll always be able to spot Dr. Casper Darling's protective device. There's a fun narrative reason that the Black Rock Neutralizer will be an integral map pick up for your team. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET The Black Rock Neutralizer is the only way to handle paranatural threats Those Hedron Resonance Amplifiers didn't spawn out of thin air. The FBC's head of research, Dr. Casper Darling, needed to find a way to stabilize the anti-Hiss resonance. The Oldest House contains its own paranatural quarry containing black rock, a rare ore that can destroy or contain other powerful, unexplained phenomena. Black rock was used in the construction of the HRAs, and the FBC frequently boxes in altered items and dimensional thresholds with this material to ensure they can't spread throughout the agency's headquarters. In FBC: Firebreak, players will find special weapons called Black Rock Neutralizers that use chunks of black rock ore as ammunition. The ore is fed through a grinder, fragmenting it at high velocity toward enemies. (It's very similar to the skull-spewing guns from Doom: The Dark Ages.) During Jobs with a corruption variable, players may run into paranatural threats that make their lives harder. The Black Rock Neutralizer is the only way to eliminate these level-modifying altered items. The existence of this weapon is a testament to how inventive the Firebreakers are, creating an effective arsenal with the resources they have on hand. The Federal Bureau of Control planned ahead for paranatural emergencies -- and these bunkers were the result. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET The safe areas scattered about are what saved the FBC during the Hiss outbreak You'll feel an overwhelming sense of relief when you find the bunkers scattered throughout FBC: Firebreak's levels. Sure, opening them up will flood the zone with a wave of Hiss enemies, but after you deal with that pesky inconvenience, you'll have access to a new safe area filled to the brim with ammo drops, grenades, lost asset folders and a functioning sink for emergency healing. If you need to respawn, you'll come back from the closest shelter you've opened, which is far nearer than the elevator. If you're lucky, you'll even find a Black Rock Neutralizer to tear through the next bunch of baddies that come your way. These bunkers will be familiar to anyone who has played Control, because they were the last bastions of safety for some of the most important FBC agents once the Hiss invaded the Oldest House. Emily Pope, a research specialist and one of Jesse Faden's staunchest allies, was trapped in one of these bunkers in the Executive Sector until the Hiss presence was brought down to a more manageable level. These shelters also contained mods that buffed up Jesse Faden. In every game they appear, these bunkers are kind of just well-armored treasure chests, so crack them open and get to looting. The victims of the Bureau Book Club faced suspiciously similar fates to the fictional characters they read about. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET The reformation of the Bureau Book Bunch Control contains tons of collectibles that tell side stories that flesh out the day-to-day lifestyle of FBC agents. We got an idea of what the average work-life balance looks like for these folks as they balanced their time between fantastical paranatural jobs and the banalities of office paperwork. One of the most interesting sets of written correspondence players could run across was the notes from the FBC's Bureau Book Bunch. This quartet of agents would routinely meet in the Oldest House's cafeteria to discuss novels together, though the novel itself seemed to have paranatural properties, as each FBC agent involved in the book club would write a different synopsis of events contained therein. The Bureau Book Bunch fell apart during the Hiss invasion, with at least two of the members falling victim to the resonance-based hivemind. Though the Oldest House is still in a state of crisis by the time the Firebreak initiative is put together, it seems as though some FBC agents are trying to retain a sense of normalcy. During one dialogue exchange before players embark on a Job, the leader of Firebreak, Hank Flowers, is invited to a new iteration of the book club being put together by an agent named Francine. He quickly turns down the offer, but that doesn't mean the Bureau Book Bunch won't be riding again by the time a full sequel to Control comes along. Your parautility will give you a much-needed burst of firepower when the going gets tough in the Oldest House. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET Your ultimate ability is a paranatural force in and of itself The Firebreakers are pretty expendable foot soldiers in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't mean Hank is sending them out there intending for them to bite the dust. This volunteer force is made up of amateur parautilitarians (individuals who have bound and use paranatural items). Each Firebreaker carries a single altered item -- the garden gnome, piggy bank or tea kettle, depending on which kit you choose -- so they don't have the luxury of mix-and-matching powerful items like Jesse Faden does. Still, it's likely that these altered items (and the altered items that get in your way during corrupted levels) were released from the Panopticon area featured during the back half of Control. The Panopticon housed some of the most dangerous paranatural items and entities that the FBC has come across, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Now these powerful items are crisis management tools for the Firebreak initiative. Jesse Faden better be involved in a case well above my paygrade if she's not showing up to lend us a hand. Remedy Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET Director Faden doesn't have time for the Firebreakers Control protagonist Jesse Faden is one of the most powerful parautilitarians known to the FBC. After the death of director Zachariah Trench, she becomes the next wielder of the Service Weapon and subsequently takes his place as the acting director of the agency. Director Faden struck the first real blows against the Hiss invaders and other paranatural organisms in the Oldest House by binding herself to nearly a dozen altered items. She's absurdly strong, which would make her a great asset against the sticky notes, pink goop and other threats that players encounter in Firebreak. However, the most you'll hear about Director Faden is a couple of lines of dialogue explaining that she's busy dealing with more important issues. Hank grumbles that her presence would probably be good for the team's morale. When I'm armed with only a revolver and a glorified Super Soaker, I can't say I'd disagree. The Hiss have been running amok around the Oldest House for six years now, and things seem to be getting a little, y'know, out of control. Jesse Faden better be palling around with Alan Wake on a quest to save the world or something if she's not helping the CNET crew deal with the Hiss in Paper Chase.
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
British cyber-security firm invests $1.2m in Singapore office, will hire 20 engineers over 3 years
Goldilock co-founder and co-CEO Stephen Kines with the Firebreak device after the launch event held at CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre on June 2. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG SINGAPORE – British cyber-security firm Goldilock has invested $1.2 million to open an office in Singapore in July, and aims to hire about 20 engineers in the coming years. The company has also received an additional $800,000 from the UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D fund by Britain's innovation agency Innovate UK and trade agency Enterprise Singapore. The two countries had signed the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement in 2022 to boost digital trade between them. Goldilock will have five engineers – with additional support staff – in the first 1½ years of operation here, before expanding to 20 engineers over the next three years, its chief operating officer and co-founder Stephen Kines said on June 2. The company will also look to reskill engineers in other fields, as it believes in bringing different perspectives to cyber security, he added. 'We're looking for engineers that can understand how to think differently about the network architecture, and look at how Goldilock can be deployed in those different situations,' he said. Goldilock's entry in Singapore comes as the Republic's cyber-security workforce has grown in recent years, tripling from 4,000 in 2016 to 12,000 in 2022. According to a report by US-based consulting firm Research and Markets, Singapore's cyber-security market is expected to double to US$4.82 billion (S$6.2 billion) by 2029. Mr Kines was speaking at an event at the CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth (TIG) Collaboration Centre in Ayer Rajah on June 2. The Singapore office – which will serve as Goldilock's Asia-Pacific headquarters – will be located in the Ubi area. It is the third location for the five-year-old firm, after Britain and the United States. Ms Rhiannon Harries, deputy trade commissioner for Asia Pacific (South-east Asia) at the UK Department for Business and Trade, described Britain and South-east Asia as 'natural partners' in technology, with a shared ambition for growth and innovation. 'I am pleased that Goldilock has opened its new office in Singapore, highlighting our cyber-security partnership that is going from strength to strength,' she said in a statement. Goldilock's solutions protect users against cyber attacks by allowing them to segment and disconnect parts of their network they want to protect, Mr Kines said. Users can send a text message which activates the technology and effectively pulls the plug on their systems, making it impossible for an attacker to access, he added. 'Think of it as an invisibility cloak – the attacker can't see and can't attack what isn't there,' he said. He noted this is similar to what British retailer Co-Op did when faced with a cyber attack in May, reportedly taking its computer services offline to foil the attackers. The company is named after the Goldilocks principle of finding a balance that is 'just right', just like in the fairy tale of the same name . In the cyber-security company's case, it aims to find a balance between so-called 'hot storage', where data is quickly and easily accessible, and 'cold storage', which is isolated from the internet. On June 2, Mr Kines also announced the company's new modular unit, which is designed to make its solutions more adaptable to different environments. The technology presents an opportunity for the defence sector as well as other industries in the Asia-Pacific to enhance their cyber-security efforts, said Goldilock board senior adviser Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who attended the event. 'It's an opportunity to bring this brilliant UK invention to the region,' said Ms Trevelyan, who previously served as British Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific. In September 2024, Goldilock was one of 10 companies selected to join the second phase of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (Diana), a safety and security initiative by Nato, receiving up to €300,000 (S$440,730) in funding as well as other support. It had been selected for Diana's first cohort a year earlier. Mr Kines credited the 'invaluable support' of the CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre, as well as the British High Commission in Singapore, for allowing Goldilock to make progress in the Asia-Pacific region. The centre, a joint initiative by NUS and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, aims to establish Singapore as a global cyber-security innovation hub. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
