A constant struggle for the supremacy of the Galaxy to protect Super Earth from the brutal communist invasion of the Automaton and the anti-democracy of the Terminids. Is it Vietnam flashbacks all over again? Luckily no, it’s Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Studios and published by PlayStation Studios and Sony Entertainment. But is it worth your time?

Space… the final frontier?

Someone once said that space was the final frontier for the entire human race. If I’m not mistaken, it was Spock who said it aboard the Enterprise, while Captain Kirk was trying to figure out which direction to go. Should we dash between those damn asteroids, or instead risk our luck activating hyperspace? Well, in any case, this is not an appropriate comparison, for Helldivers was clearly inspired from Paul Verhoeven’ Starship Troopers. A movie that certainly needs no introduction, from which Helldivers 2 takes many interesting elements, most of all its approach to the sci-fi genre.

In the 50+ hours I spent on the game, trying to cover everything, even what would be considered secondary, I never expected to find a multiplayer experience that could pique my interest, just like Sea of ​​Thieves and For Honor. Okay, I’ll come out and say it: Helldivers 2 is a monstrously fun, satisfying and deranged experience. It is a game that lets the player decide the way in which to approach present different scenarios, giving them the opportunity to experience stories – poignant ones – together with his companions, or even alone.

War on a large scale

It all starts from a quick and intuitive tutorial, in which very little time is needed to learn the main game mechanics. Helldivers 2 commendably takes the formulas of the best TPS around, inserting integrated dynamics within it. In the tutorial, as mentioned, it is explained how to shoot, how to throw a grenade and, above all, how to activate the strategems, of aid for the Helldivers arriving directly from the mothership, supporting the team’s offensives. However, what is immediately striking, after accessing your own ship, is the possibility of customizing both your vehicle your Helldiver.

But to be a king at customization, you’ll “unfortunately” need to take part in the large-scale war going on in the galaxy. On the star map you can select where you prefer to engage in combat. But wait, this is not the same star map already seen in Mass Effect or other similar sci-fi affairs. The two scenarios on offer at the moment – with a third being added soon – give rise to a conflict on two fronts, that you can experience in whichever order you prefer. Even if the wars against socialist robots might sound attractive, I’d recommend starting to climb the rankings in a more structured way. Go out and sow panic and discord on the eastern front of the Galaxy, directly against the ugly Terminids. They are insectoids who have no mercy for anyone, they are only looking to get their sticky feet on all the planets of Super Earth.

Alone and in company

Helldivers 2 is a multiplayer video game where cooperation between players is fundamental. On every available planet, you face increasingly fierce hordes of enemies. As the game experience progresses, the selectable difficulty increases, and so do the enemies and monstrosities that can both emerge from the ground and arrive from the sky. While, on one hand, the Terminids are certainly easier to deal with , when up against the Automaton things change, and this can be felt right from the first mission.

However, it is better to proceed in order: the TPS formula within Helldivers 2 works and involves, giving the player various possibilities to approach the battles against bestiality in an ever-different way. To further satisfy your urge of killing insect, there is the possibility of using stratagems, carpet bombing, air raids on individual objectives, the resupply of one’s allies, the use of defensive turrets and yes, also the possibility of having secondary weapons, such as the Vigoroso, a portable gatling gun that will chop up those ugly bastards.

Is it possible to play Helldivers 2 solo? Theoretically yes, but definitely not with the most difficult missions, in those support companions are needed to maintain fundamental coordination between each member. Helldivers 2, in this sense, is as much full of action as it is a tactical shooter: communication is essential to ensure that you reach the objective without too many issues. Furthermore, the variety of missions keeps things interesting : destroy broods, set up antennas, save colonists and, above all, take defensive or offensive actions based on what happens. Unlike many similar titles , Helldivers 2 keeps things light and fun and, especially, does what many other titles of its ilk should do: it is not invasive with its microtransactions.

They are present, obviously, but you can decide whether to purchase an object, or whether to earn it on the field, which I’d recommend. By obtaining war medals, you can purchase new weapons, skins for your Helldiver, emotes and more powerful armour. What is very involving, however, is the possibility of choosing before each mission how to go to war: sometimes it will be essential to be offensive, thus guaranteeing a barrage from above and air attacks capable of causing harm.

At a later time, however, it will be fundamental to try to defend what has been achieved, such as a quick extraction, the moment in which the missions are completed, and it is time to return to the ship. Within the work, however, there is another currency that allows you to purchase as many stratagems as possible, to make the battles even more frenetic. Stratagems are additional aids to the Helldivers, allowing them to defend an area, attack with cluster bombs and request turrets from the mothership. The other currency, however, is the Metalbond, which allows you to purchase further stratagems directly from the mothership.

PASSION & INVOLVEMENT 

I admit it: I would never have spent a cent on Helldivers 2. At this moment, in which the omnipresence of multiplayer productions has become alienating, we needed a video game that was entirely dedicated to the player more than the rest, that spoke directly to their heart and their requests. But I came out very pleasantly surprised.

In order to tell us all about this huge conflict, Helldivers 2 does not take war seriously. Firstly, it makes fun of the Helldivers’ philosophy, similar to that of Western democracies, such as the good ol’ US of A. But the lore is still being written, there is still a lot to understand about what it will actually offer in the upcoming months, but at the moment it is building in quite an interesting way. The first chapter, however, was markedly different: a top-down view experience, but with the same incredible and engaging context, brutal in every way. As is war. War never changes.

Despite some server problems, which the team is hard at work to fix as soon as possible, Helldivers 2 is a great third-person shooter, currently sitting atop the Steam rankings. A sign that the best is yet to come. It must come for Democracy.

Helldivers 2 is available on PlayStation 5 and Steam.