Nowadays, games aren’t as enjoyable as the previous generation of gaming due to the focus on graphical improvement. In and of itself is not a bad thing, but it becomes one if it’s the sole or primary focus of the game. However, among the plethora of games launched with beautiful visuals, there is always going to be that one game that stands out—and today, that’s Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment which serves as a direct sequel to 2015’s Helldivers, a top-down shooter game. I barely knew about the game as it was barely advertised but seeing it played and shared by my friends got me interested in the game and that made me find out why it has been so addicting to play.
Unlike other games, Helldivers 2 utilizes a community-directed story. Similar to the player-DM story narrative that Dungeons & Dragons uses. Actually, scratch that. It’s not similar, but it is the system that they’re using for the game. The game’s commander (DM) gives the Helldivers (the players) a Major Order, which is rolled out as a global objective for everyone, and it’s up to the Helldivers to fulfill this Major Order. Whether the Helldivers fulfill this or not directly affects the narrative of the game. Of course, to make it feel like the world is alive, just because a Major Order was given, it doesn’t mean that other parts of the game’s world don’t advance. At times, following a Major Order makes the players ignore the other end of the galaxy which leads to the enemies of that area advancing towards the colonization of Super Earth, our home. This system is an amazing way of including the players to be more immersed in the world of Helldivers. It makes it feel that you’re part of the game’s story, and not just a player whose job is to progress the story forward. It even starts with a propaganda video within the game’s world for itself to set the tone of the game! For Super Earth.
Another thing that I like about the game’s handle on the story is that whenever there’s a balance patch, bug fix, or anything that is done within the game is delivered in-game as part of the game’s story. For example, when the Stratagem Exosuit which could destroy itself when firing a missile while turning was fixed, it was delivered in a way that the engineering department of the Helldivers fixed the problem with the Strategem. Everything feels alive and they approach the game with the attitude of “features, not bugs” approach while integrating it very well into the game’s lore. The only downside to this is that it’s also a “you must be there” kind of story. If you miss a major event—or something that the community is celebrating or experiencing together—then, you’ll never be able to experience that specific moment anymore. For some, it may even leave them in a state of FOMO (fear of missing out).
Because of how they utilize this story system, we may very well say that the game’s story is never-ending… of course, that is until they finally shut down the game.
As mentioned, a lot of games nowadays have visuals as one of their primary focuses for additional appeal for their games. Luckily, Arrowhead Game Studios did not solely focus on this aspect and made it so that this is just a part of something that will make their game beautiful.
The game is as cinematic as cinematic can be. Every part of the game makes it feel like you’re in this beautiful landscape. The effects, the environment, everything makes it great. Depending on where you are doing your missions, the land of the Automatons (bots) feels like you’re in Star Wars but it’s Terminator and the land of the Terminids (alien bugs) feels like you’re in Invasion Planet Earth, or in some cases, A Quiet Place. It also made sure that each and every moment of the game is like a movie, that you’re in an action movie, from the start to extraction after completing your primary objectives. It’s amazing.
They also made sure that each planet you do your missions has its unique traits which makes it different from one another. Some planets are tropical, tundra, and scorching heat, all of which affect gameplay, like sliding on ice floors, having less falling damage on snow, or getting slowed down by grass and trees. In addition to this, there are varying weather conditions as well which change the overall look of each planet; sometimes it’s raining, stormy, hazy, and more. To top it off, they also implemented a day/night system, though it hasn’t come to a point that you can see it change mid-game.
And before I forget, the game is beautifully chaotic in visuals. There are too many things that are happening in the game all at the same time, the Terminids attacking you, the Automatons firing you without end, but most importantly explosions are everywhere. It looks so amazing that I have to say, Michael Bay will definitely have to look for a new job.
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