Innovative gameplay systems and spectacular presentation make “Helldivers 2” one of the best games of 2024

For Super Earth!

The ever-expanding storyline helps players know why they’re fighting for freedom.

In order to begin understanding why “Helldivers 2” is the way it is, we have to go through the basics of its story and inspirations. In “Helldivers 2”, you play as a Helldiver, an elite military operative from the Federation of Super Earth and a proud symbol of Managed Democracy. In the game, you and your fellow Helldivers can fight against three different factions of enemies from across the galaxy on many unique planets. The Terminids are massive bug creatures that travel in packs and can use their numbers in battle. The Automatons are “Socialist”, robotic machines bent on fighting against Super Earth by creating superior technology. The newest faction is the Illuminate, squid-like aliens who have enslaved many Super Earth citizens, turning them into mindless zombies known as the “Voteless”. As a Helldiver, you are tasked with certain missions that will help “liberate” planets from across the galaxy of enemy control to help win the Galactic War for “the Right Side of History”.

The game takes a very satirical approach to its story. In any other game, the Helldivers and Super Earth would be the bad guys, the ones you’d be fighting against. A fascist government determined to destroy all who rebel or fight against them. But not in “Helldivers 2”. Through its very upfront messaging of “Managed Democracy”, “Liberty”, and “Freedom”, the game makes it very clear that it’s all a front for the things that you do in the game, which are things that some would consider to be evil.

The very satirical take on fascism the game has with Super Earth is clearly inspired by the 1997 film, “Starship Troopers”, which has a very similar plot, fascistic governmental body, giant bug aliens and lack of consideration for the lives of their troops.

However, “Helldivers 2” doesn’t just have a simple narrative structure like any other video game. In “Helldivers”, the story unfolds around you. Since the game’s launch in February of 2024, it has been consistently growing, showing off new events, structures and battles in a way that truly makes you feel like you’re a part of galactic history.

Some of the most well known events that have taken place in the nearly one-year since the game’s launch are: the Battles of Malevelon Creek, affectionately known as “Space Vietnam”, the push against the Illuminate at Calypso, and the destruction of the Meridian Terminid-Supercolony, which turned the planet into a black hole.

All of these events have unfolded around the players and community, and it provides an incredibly unique opportunity to players to live through history and come together as a community.

So, while “Helldivers 2” doesn’t have a very linear or traditional story, it is still fantastic. There are so many layers that you can dive into with every aspect of the game’s lore and plot.

I give the story nine-out-of-ten stars.

Hellpods Primed

“Helldivers 2”’s innovative gameplay systems makes diving in fun and rewarding.

The true core of “Helldivers 2” is in its gameplay. The original “Helldivers”, launched in 2015, is a top-down squad-based “shoot ‘em up”, with constantly beginning and ending wars against its factions. So, when Arrowhead was developing its sequel, they used the basics from this game as a base.

“Helldivers 2” is a third-person extraction shooter where you and up-to three others can join together and take on missions against each of the three enemy factions. Each of the factions has controlled planets and planets that they are trying to invade from Super Earth. Your job, as a Helldiver, is to go to each planet on your personal Super Destroyer, take a mission and complete it to liberate a percentage of the planet from enemy control. When you’ve selected your mission, you get into your Hellpod and “dive” into the battlefield. You can drop in with up to three other Helldivers, and during missions, they can sometimes join your squadron and help you with your objectives.

Each planet has its own unique biomes, hazards, and events that can happen. From the boggy swamps of Bore Rock to the harsh deserts of Mastia, there are an incredible abundance of different and incredibly beautiful planets to explore. While on a mission, there are main objectives, side objectives, and enemy outposts that you can take on. Main Objectives are the big things that you have to accomplish in order to extract from a mission. You may be tasked with planting the flag of Super Earth on enemy territory, rescuing valuable citizens and equipment, uploading intelligence from crashed ships’ Black Boxes, and so much more.

One of my favorite mission types is Eradication, where you are sent down into a small area and have to clear a certain amount of one of the enemy factions’ troops to help progress your operations. It’s always fun to clear out hordes of enemies with some friends, and they are pretty quick to complete.

The biggest thing that “Helldivers 2” does to set itself apart from other games is in one of its core mechanics, known as the “Stratagem” system. Before every mission, when you’re selecting the equipment you’ll bring with you, you can also choose from a load of different helpful things that can be called down from your Super Destroyer, which hovers in orbit above your mission area to help you during missions. These Stratagems can do anything, from calling down a support weapon like a laser cannon, firing a precision strike that can destroy enemy outposts or large groups, to some of the more powerful ones. One of the most popular stratagems is the “Eagle 500 Kilogram”, which is dropped down by a supporting fighter jet and just nukes any given area. Some of the toughest enemies in the game can’t even escape it. And, because of the game’s live service model and constant support, new Stratagems are added all of the time.

Another thing that I have to praise about the gameplay is the sheer variety of enemies you can face off against. Even though each of the enemy factions fits into a pretty stereotypical niche on the outside, the game is able to make them incredibly interesting to fight. Take the Terminids for example. There are tiny, cannon fodder bugs that can run up to you and deal chunks of damage, but have basically no health. Then there are the Warriors, which are larger and can have thicker armor, while also doing more damage. There’s the Hunters, predatory bugs with incredibly punishing attacks and wings that let them fly around you. Then, we get to the heavily armored bugs, like the Hive Guards, Commanders, and the infamous Bile Titan, which is one of the largest and tankiest enemies in the game. There are variations of each of these, with some being able to spew “Bile”, or emit Spores and tons of other things. Then, introduced later as the community engaged with the Terminids back in July of 2024, are the Shriekers. They are airborne and can be incredibly challenging to fight against. Due to their locking to higher difficulty levels, they can make already hard missions even more difficult. All of this is just for one of the three factions, which is absolutely insane.

But, one of the best parts of the game is something that absolutely no other mainstream game has: a gamemaster named Joel. Joel, an employee at Arrowhead, is in control of enemy movements, invasions, and a lot of other things. His whole job is to see what would be the most fun thing for the community and to keep the narrative of the game moving in a realistic way. This is mostly achieved through the “Major Order” system, which encourages all Helldivers to work together to accomplish a certain objective. A good example of this is, when the game was averaging hundreds of thousands of players a day around its release, there was a goal to kill two billion, that’s right, 2,000,000,000, Terminids. The community did it in less than two days. Sometimes, Joel will pop into players’ games and see how it’s going, if it’s too hard or too easy. Then, he’ll change some things to make it more fun for the players. Occasionally, he is known to even drop unreleased vehicles, weapons, and enemies into random players’ games. The whole system of having a Gamemaster is incredibly fun, and it helps keep the game running smoothly while also keeping it fun.

Players in the game are also given an incredible amount of control over their ship, their cosmetics, weapons and more. This is done in a few different ways throughout every part of the game. There are collectibles called “Samples” that can be found in different points of interest on missions, which can be used to upgrade your Super Destroyer and help with Stratagem deployment. The higher in difficulty you go, the better the samples get. There are also Requisition Points, granted at the end of every mission, that can be used to unlock new Stratagems for use on the next missions. There are Warbond Medals, unlocked after completing Personal Orders and Major Orders, which can unlock new items, cosmetics, and weapons in another great feature of “Helldivers 2”, known as Warbonds.

It seems as if every live service game on the market has a “Battle Pass” system, where you pay money and get a catalog of items that you are only able to unlock at a certain level or time. Most are time-sensitive and filled with junk that most players will never use. Yet, while “Helldivers 2” does have a battle pass system, it is far better than the rest. “Warbonds” as the game calls them, are catalogs of different unlockables that have to be earned by playing the game, not by just paying more like in some other games. Every Helldiver gets the free “Helldivers Mobilize” warbond as soon as they boot up the game for the first time. There are other “Premium Warbonds” that can then be purchased for extra at any time afterward. They don’t have any filler, just good cosmetics and great weapons that can be used for honestly anything in the game.

So, through its unique, diverse and incredibly fun missions, its progression-based cosmetics and upgrades, and, of course, the incredibly unique and entertaining Stratagem system, “Helldivers 2” stakes itself firmly into the running for being one of the best gameplay systems I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

I have to give “Helldivers 2” ten-out-of-ten stars with its gameplay.

A Cup of Liber-tea

The graphics and audio of the game make every aspect pleasing to players.

“Helldivers 2” has one of the best presentations for a game that I’ve ever seen. Particularly, it stands out as one of the prettiest and best sounding games out there.

Despite being developed on Autodesk Stingray, a discontinued game engine with its support ending almost seven years ago, “Helldivers 2” still looks and plays fantastic. Every inch of the game is covered in a noticeable level of polish and detail. Every model, texture and basically everything else is handcrafted by the developers to be very pleasing to experience.

One thing in particular that really stands out is the sound design. Each firearm has punchy and satisfying auditory feedback. The Laser Cannon charges up and releases its energy with a crispy whoosh. Assault Rifles punch through the air. Each and every weapon, stratagem and ability sounds so good.

The sound of “Helldivers 2” can’t be talked about without bringing up the biggest part: the music.

The game’s soundtrack, composed by industry veteran Wilbert Roget, II, with extra music composed by Ross Tregenza, is one of the best game soundtracks of all time. The music, with soaring strings and booming brass, just screams democracy. In Roget’s previous work, specifically “Call of Duty: World War II”, this same feeling can be found. The game’s main theme, “A Cup of Liber-tea”, perfectly encapsulates the sarcasm and seriousness of the game. The three enemy faction themes also completely match each other. The Terminids have high and wild brass with frantic strings that give the sense of wild veracity that players will feel when fighting them. The Automatons, referred to as “Socialists” in the game, have slow, almost march-like rhythms that fit the “communist” feel. Most recently, the Illuminate theme consists mostly of low, unnerving cellos and synths that give the “alien” vibe.

One of the best parts of the music is that it adapts to the current game play. When an enemy patrol is near, the music gets a bit more intense than the persistent background music of each level. When in combat, the music gets more and more powerful and intense with every new enemy that spawns in. A really cool thing about it is that each faction’s elite enemy has their own unique version of the overall theme, which helps create even more tension.

Overall, the visuals, audio design, and music of “Helldivers 2” are incredible. Each and every bit is a masterpiece in its own right.

So, I give the visuals and audio ten-out-of-ten stars.

Helldivers Unite!

The game’s global cooperative multiplayer systems make fighting tyranny consistently interesting.

By far the best part of the game is its community. “Helldivers 2”, being a live-service online multiplayer game, has a lot of people constantly playing it. But, where other games’ communities are full of toxicity, anger and hate, “Helldivers 2” makes everyone feel welcome.

The game’s cooperative, four-player multiplayer is a strong component in why it feels so good to be a part of the community. When you dive into missions, you may start out alone. But, other Helldivers can jump in midway through the game to help you out.

This drop-in and play system is great for connecting the community. Throughout missions, you grow a bond with your fellow Helldivers that have taken on the fight alongside you, and this close-knit interaction helps keep the community grounded in a more compassionate way.

The community, on a much larger scale, is also in charge of completing the “Major Orders” that are given to the whole game for a limited amount of time. In order for these to succeed, every Helldiver has to chip-in and help collect samples, kill enemies, hold and liberate planets and more.

The way the game ties its progression to the community is ingenious. By forcing players to both do missions together and contribute to a larger cause, it strengthens the community even more.

There are, of course, negative people that play “Helldivers 2”. It’s an unavoidable fact of multiplayer existence that “trolls” and “griefers” will come about to ruin someone’s day. But, for every one bad player I’ve had in my games, dozens of positive players have raised my spirits.

So, for the uniquely interconnected and compassionate playerbase, I give “Helldivers 2” ten-out-of-ten stars for its community.

Verdict

“Helldivers 2” marks the beginning of a new, incredibly fun future for video games.

“Helldivers 2” is one of the best games ever made. The way it combines its excellent gameplay, global multiplayer efforts, presentation and live service model all make it the pinnacle of the gaming industry in our modern day. The constant support, reception of feedback and clarity of Arrowhead is also on another level than most studios behind big games. 

Critics agree, as the game has a critical score of 82 on Metacritic, and the game holds 76% positive reviews on Steam, holding a score of “Mostly Positive”. At the peak of the game’s popularity, a few months after its release, the game held the coveted “Overwhelmingly Positive” tag on Steam. Despite this, the game still proves that it is a masterpiece on every level. At the 2024 Game Awards, “Helldivers 2” won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game, and it recently won Action Game of the Year, Online Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design and Outstanding Achievement in Original Score Composition at the D.I.C.E. Awards Feb. 13. If you’re interested in a multiplayer game with intricate and difficult gameplay, expansive customization and fantastic presentation, I guarantee that you will like “Helldivers 2”.

I give “Helldivers 2” ten-out-of-ten stars, and it is my personal Game of the Year for 2024.