A fun and entertaining homage to a literary classic, would you like to know more?
An out of nowhere explosive game, Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Studios, is an unexpected hit, cementing the age of independent game developers outperforming the standard triple A company. A sequel to the minor indie top-down shooter title Helldivers, this game takes place 100 year later after the plot of the first game, with vast differences in the gameplay and vision than it’s predecessor, Helldivers 2 is a 1-4 player thirdperson extraction shooter where the players are on a race against time to complete a wide variety of objectives while battling an invasive alien bug species known as the Terminids, or the violent, killing machines known as The Automatons for the defense of the humanity, under the banner of “Super Earth”. Helldivers 2 however catches my interests as a Sci-Fi military fan with it’s homage to Starship Troopers.
Helldivers 2 and Starship Troopers.
As a fan of Starship Troopers, both the book and the movie, this game feels like a proper adaptation to both visions of this grueling interstellar conflict. Though borrowing more of director Paul Verhoeven’s satirical vision of the story, Helldivers 2 still pays it’s homage towards the original, even it’s name sake, as the deployment method for the soldiers being orbital drops is a reference to the “Hell-Jumpers” in Starship Troopers the book. The game’s soundtrack is also styled after the film as well as other media inspired by S.T, as it uses a heavy emphasis on orchestral soundtracks with synths and drums. Although it shares more of a vision with Starship Troopers, other various media is involved as well with minor references to other sci-fi media as well through small jokes or design homages in it’s armor. I recommend this game for anyone who is a fan of the military sci-fi genre.
The Gameplay: A well-done and grandly executed idea that leaves players coming back and wanting more.
No two missions ever play out the same way.
IGN Reviewer, Will Borger.
https://www.ign.com/articles/helldivers-2-review
Helldivers 2 has an well designed and exciting game loop that excels in making every mission feel different from the last, no matter the enemy you are facing. Be it the Automatons or the Terminids, be it on a icy hell or a fiery doomsday planet, the options are near limitless in strategy and acumen on how you approach these missions. You start the mission in your Super Destroyer by selecting your arsenal to bring with you and then your stratagems, a tactical device with it’s own minigame that allows you to turn the tide of any battle towards your favor. During deployment, you can select the best route to deploy and face enemies and complete objectives. The game will always keep you on your best senses as it has ways of removing your advantages against the enemy as you try to navigate your way to completion then extraction while coordinating with your teammates, creating a chaotic battlefield of 4 players facing off against overwhelming odds. The completion of a mission is both satisfying and rewarding, allowing you to upgrade your ship and granting you better stratagems and weapons as well as boosters that’ll help your squad. Even without premium war bonds, you have access to a wide array of armors and weapons from the standard unlock system. For those who want more of a challenge or want better rewards, higher difficulties will add new modifiers to the enemy, such as increased counts, or a new threat that has to countered with a different strategy. Overall, it perfectly nails what is expected to be fun in a game without compromising itself with design flaws.
