Helldivers II can be summed up quite simply; You land on a planet, complete a series of tasks and shoot lots of bugs or robots, which is sometimes the main task, and then return to your ship. Helldivers II is pretty simple at its core, but of course almost every game can be summarized in such a simple way. The reason I chose this approach, however, is that I was a little afraid that everything Helldivers II had to offer would seem very simple and monotonous, and my first jumps into the inhospitable planets weren’t much I left an impression. of something else. You land, have to reach a point, shoot, complete the task and return to your ship. This repeats itself over and over again and after a few games I almost felt a little full, but at the same time there was something entertaining in all its simplicity and if you are prepared for what awaits you here and accept that simplicity, you might even find it This makes Helldivers II very entertaining.
After a short briefing to learn the basics, you’ll join the army to save Earth from the threat. What stands out most during the initial briefing is the fact that things like new ammo, weapons, and even fire support can be accessed by entering a short combination using the digital control panel. For example, if you want to rain fire on your enemies, all you have to do is press a simple little combination, reminiscent of the classic Konami code, but thankfully much shorter.
Advertising:
So my first jump was alone before I was lucky enough to realize how much more fun it was with others, but on my first solo mission I managed to do what I needed to do. However, your first jump is on a very easy preset difficulty and the only time I was able to die was when I got off the plane and the ship that picked me up landed on my poor head. Another hilarious scenario like my first death occurred a few missions later when I was lucky enough to see three other players on my ship. Not only did I realize that this was the right thing to do, but also that the missions were completely different. As you complete your first few missions you also unlock new difficulty levels and we jump onto a snowy planet to kill something. After a successful mission, on the way back, a large insect appeared a little ahead of me and I brutally pulled the trigger, only to see one of my poor companions, who was running in front of me, torn to pieces. There is friendly fire here, so you need to keep your eyes on the right target. Luckily he coped well and there was no revenge.
After completing each mission, you level up and must return to your ship to prepare for the next mission. You choose which planet you want to visit on a map. It also shows how close you are to victory, which is a collective effort by all Helldivers II players. The selection of planets here is a bit sparse to start with, although they are quite diverse and offer some different missions. For example, in one I fought against robots and with increased difficulty there was much more tension than in my first fights with the enemies. Here every shot and every grenade was important, and since the number of ammo, grenades and stim packs is limited, it is important to use what you have until you find a break to continue the sequence and get new supplies obtain.
These ordinances you can invoke are used quite frequently, and while they have a short “cooldown” before they can be used again, I would have preferred them to be somewhat restricted. Airstrikes become a little more hectic when you’re in a squad of four. However, the effect is very cool with explosions and really strong lights, which brings us to the visual part and here I think Helldivers II works very well in many ways. The graphics are far from the most sophisticated, but everything from the image to the aforementioned lighting effects is really nice. There’s also a nice bug splatter when you shoot them, but a little more variety wouldn’t hurt. There are also some areas where it doesn’t quite reach the visual level that we’re pretty spoiled with these days, but since it flows so well when it comes to planets, I wasn’t overly critical of it overall. I also like details like seeing ships in the distance firing at the planet, giving the impression that the war is happening on all fronts. However, what I like best visually are the smooth animations and the pretty lighting sources. The soundtrack creates a great atmosphere and the sound effects are well timed. In short, it’s not technically a top-notch game, but it’s good.
Advertising:
A comparison or inspiration that certainly stands out and that I have deliberately not mentioned before is the cult film by Paul Verhoeven from 1997. I am of course referring to “Starship Troopers”. There’s a clear nod to the film in everything from the first little propaganda film to the design to the swarms of insects you fight. And while I appreciate that Helldivers II is everything it is, no frills, I think it could use a bit more development. The ship you return to feels pretty empty, the game’s backstory is rather sparse, and while I don’t demand you fill it to the brim with activities and other things, the feeling of being fought would have been greatly increased can become war. Some additional rooms on your ship, some NPCs with dialogues that change depending on your progress. Very little would have been enough to make Helldivers II seem more complete. I also don’t like the simple fact that you have to be connected all the time, even if you plan to go alone. Before I finish this text, I wanted to look at a few small details, but the servers were down all afternoon, which made it simply impossible, since in this case you can’t even get past the title screen.
What really works for Helldivers II is the fact that it will continue to evolve and add new things. The developers have already promised a lot, but even if it gets better and has less content, I appreciate what we have now. But what will be added in the future suggests that this is something that will grow and hopefully become even better. For example, I imagine that the server issues that have occasionally prevented me from playing are among the things that will significantly improve. As it stands now, it’s an entertaining action spectacle that’s undoubtedly best played in company.
Despite the repetition, I had a lot of fun with it and look forward to diving into new planets to save humanity and to quote the late Toby Keith: “I’m out here on the front lines. Sleep in.” Peace tonight. So you can sleep peacefully or, even better, take part in the war. In fact, it’s pretty fun.
