Games to play to get ready for FBC: Firebreak's vibe and gameplay

Although Remedy Entertainment is typically associated with plot-heavy single-player games, ranging from Max Paye in the 2000s, to 2023’s Alan Wake II, with FBC Firebreak they are taking a shot as a different genre entirely.

Firebreak is a co-operative first-person shooter set in the same universe as Alan Wake and, especially, Control, to which it’s a sequel. It focuses on a group of Federal Bureau of Control operatives going into the far reaches of their HQ to clean out the remnants of the Hiss infestation from a couple years ago. Of course, The Oldest House is full of supernatural weirdness even without the Hiss, so they are in for a wild, weird, and occasionally horrific series of jobs.

Game	Release	Genre	Developer
Control	2019-08-27	Adventure & Shooter	Remedy Entertainment
Deep Rock Galactic	2018-02-28	Indie & Adventure	Ghost Ship Games
Warhammer: Vermintide 2	2018-03-08	Indie & Adventure	Fatshark
Left 4 Dead 2	2009-11-16	Shooter	Valve
Lethal Company	2023-10-23	Shooter	Zeekerss

Whether you’re new to this universe or a returning fan, you might want to get a feel for the kind of genre it operates in, from both the fiction and the gameplay angles. To help you with that, we’ve prepared a short list of titles which should get you amped and ready to start blasting sticky note monsters. No, it’s not a joke.

Get a vibe for FBS Firebreak with these games

Control

Release date:	2019-08-27
Genre:	Shooter & Adventure
Developer:	Remedy Entertainment

This is something of a no-brainer, really. Firebreak is essentially a sequel to 2019’s Control, so if you want to get in on the lore and tone, there’s no better way than playing through the paranormal adventure of one Jesse Farden.

Image credit: Remedy Entertainment

Step into the Oldest House, the dimension-defying, brutalist headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, an agency focused on investigating supernatural phenomena.

While the two games are connected by story, Control’s gameplay is very different. It’s a third-person action game which is happy to equip you with a transforming gun and a few psychic superpowers so that you can wreak havoc on the supernatural threat invading the Oldest House. There’s also a bit of Metroidvania in it — you’re free to explore the place, but certain locations are progress-locked.

You may like it because
Fantastic third-person, superpowered action game Interesting setting inspired by the SCP Foundation Impressive physics and fantastic graphics Set in the same universe as Remedy’s other hit, Alan Wake

Control

Release date:	2018-02-28
Genre:	Shooter & Adventure & Indie
Developer:	Ghost Ship Games

Changing gears from lore to gameplay, let’s talk about Deep Rock Galactic. It’s a fantastic co-op game about a crew of space dwarves delving into the resource-rich caverns of a humongous asteroid in search of gold, gems, and often also trouble.

Image credit: Ghost Ship Games

Not unlike Firebreak, DRG offers a mix of combat against dangerous foes and non-combat objectives to fulfill during a deployment.

Like in Firebreak, the dwarves also have a mix of weapons and specialized tools helping them do their job. There are four classes: Driller, Scout, Engineer, and Gunner, each with unique weapon and tool options. A well-rounded crew of full dwarves is equipped to deal with any challenge and terrain, although whether they have the skills to succeed and make it to extraction is up to you, players.

You may like it because
Four-classes with very distinct specializations Procedurally generated levels set in one of several very distinct biomes Several mission types, including basic mining, boss elimination, and sabotage Also very playable solo, you can even have a helpful drone as company

Deep Rock Galactic

Release date:	2018-03-08
Genre:	Cooperation
Developer:	Fatshark

Vermintide 2 leans heavier into intense combat heavier than either Firebreak or DRG, but as far as co-op FPS games go, it remains top-tier.

Image credit: Fatshark

It takes place in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, specifically: during its final years, and follows a crew of unlikely, and unsung, heroes pushing against the forces trying to end the world. Good luck.

Each of the five characters has four specializations with their own gear, talents, and abilities, and some of them change how the character works quite substantially. The combat is juicy, brutal, and intense, but, pleasantly, it’s not the game’s only strong point. Especially the narrative side is really good, with inter-party banter and numerous missions contributing to a larger storyline.

You may like it because
Five classes, each with four distinct specializations Excellent, satisfying combat Well-written characters with fun party banter Fundamentally co-operative: even when you play alone you get bots to help you

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Release date:	2009-11-16
Genre:	Shooter
Developer:	Valve

Not quite the original ancestor of the genre, but its most direct descendant and refinement.

Image credit: Valve

Left 4 Dead 2 is a first-person shooter set in the midst of a widespread zombie outbreak, and you (with a few of friends) are playing a crew of survivors trying to survive from one mission to other, accomplishing objectives and blasting their way through hordes in the meantime.

L4D2 is not the freshest game on the list, but its lasting appeal is undeniable and if you’d like a less melee-oriented counterpart to Vermintide 2, it will be a perfect option as your intro to co-op shooters and as a prep for Firebreak. Years later, the game still can create impressive moments of horror and desperate struggle for survival.

You may like it because
Top-tier co-op FPS Several game modes, including an asymmetric Versus PvP mode Excellent level design AI Director dynamically managing the tension of each mission

Left 4 Dead 2

Release date:	2023-10-23
Genre:	Adventure & Indie
Developer:	Zeekerss

Finally, Lethal Company, a game about gathering scrap from industrialized moons and abandoned facilities.

Image credit: Zeekerss

Of course, you’re not there on your own accord, the Company sent you there, as a faithful and disposable worker. The moons themselves aren’t much better: their environment is usually hostile, and their inhabitants not keen on visitors. You start to see why the facilities got abandoned…

Lethal Company’s popularity has dwindled since its biggest boom, but this first-person co-op survival horror is a fantastic, objective-driven game, as long as you can get some friends to play with you. The horror tint, coupled with the “get in – do the job – get out” loop can be a nice mood setter for Firebreak, and Remedy’s fondness for occasionally silly weirdness has its counterpart in Lethal Company as well.

You may like it because
Collect scrap, get money, earn your way to more complex assignments Spend your hard earned credits on cooler hazmat suits and ship decorations Co-op oriented, with a proximity chat as your primary mode of communication Procedurally generated maps you need to clear before your escape ship leaves without you

Lethal Company

Take control of the chaos

So there you have it, five games to give a chance to if you want to step into FBC Firebreak confident you have what it takes to make sense of what’s going on and respond appropriately. Good luck!