Helldivers 2 Review - Fighting for Managed Democracy

Having some experience with the first Helldivers, I thought I knew what I was getting into when I downloaded Helldivers 2.

It wasn't until I called in a Napalm strike on an enemy position and accidentally detonated a Hellbomb that I didn't even know was there, witnessing a massive fireball eclipse the horizon, did I realize just how unbelievably chaotic Helldivers 2 can be.

It's an experience that continuously keeps you on your toes, forcing you to constantly change up your approach, whether you're fending off a gigantic Bile Titan or running away from robotic Automatons with chainsaws for arms. 

Call in air strikes, blast enemies with your rifle, engulf the battlefield with a flamethrower, toss grenades into insect nests, and try to not get yourself or others killed while accomplishing a variety of different mission objectives.

Haven't had the chance to try out Helldivers 2 for yourself yet? We'll get into everything you need to know in our TechRaptor Helldivers 2 review. 
 

Helldivers Are Expendable, And That's Kind of the Point

At its core, Helldivers 2 is not a complicated concept: players battle in a satirical future where elite soldiers, known as Helldivers, must be deployed across the galaxy to spread managed democracy for Super Earth.

Fighters must battle against massive, deadly insects (known in-game as Terminids) on one war front, while the war front on the other side of the galaxy is overrun by robotic murderers called Automatons. 

Players will have the opportunity to name their own ship from a pre-programmed list of word combinations (I named mine the Queen of Audacity because I like to be dramatic), and select a mission from the Galactic War Map on the bridge.

Once a mission is selected, up to four Helldivers can strap into their respective drop pods and get fired down to the planet below, crashing into the surface in a cloud of dust and debris. 

Oftentimes, the fighting begins right away, which is good because the standard loadout is moderately effective at taking on most enemies, whether you opt for a precision rifle, automatic rifle, or a shotgun.

There's currently a lack of diversity in your standard weaponry, but thankfully calling in support weapons will make the mission a bit more manageable. If you die, it's up to your fellow Helldivers to call you back in as reinforcements. And you will die. A lot.

When you get killed by a Terminid Charger or get blown apart by a wayward landmine, you're character is officially deceased and does not respawn. Instead, you're taking control of the next Helldiver who's being sent in to replace the fallen fighter.

There is a cap to the number of reinforcements that are available before a lengthy cooldown timer activates. If an entire squad goes down before the mission objective, it's failure. 

However, Helldivers are so expendable, that they don't necessarily need to be alive for a mission to succeed. Once all the objectives are cleared, whether that's launching an ICBM at an enemy position or destroying nests of Terminid eggs, the mission is considered a success.

Calling in the extraction shuttle and making it out alive is simply a bonus, but even if everybody dies after the mission objectives have been cleared, Helldivers 2 still counts it as a success. 

In order to extract alive, squads will need to work together, especially in the higher difficulty tiers, of which there are currently nine total. Relying on other players, and in turn, them relying on you is a cornerstone of Helldivers 2. 

Keep in mind friendly fire is always on, and when your fellow Helldivers call in an air strike or use a Strategem to launch a barrage on an enemy position, just hope you're not standing too close. As for the Strategems themselves, these are what you can use to turn the tide of battle at a moment's notice. 

Helldivers 2 Strategems: Give 'Em Hell

Every Helldiver will drop down onto a planet with a primary weapon, sidearm, grenades, and some stims for healing. Strategems are support weapons and attacks that you can call down from your primary ship, which always hovers overhead to back you up as needed. 

A Helldiver can hold up to four Strategems at a time, as well as a Booster item that can have complementary effects like increasing vitality, stamina, and other status boosts.

Every completed mission earns the player experience and currency, which can be used to unlock additional Strategems. As expected, some of the most powerful Strategems are locked behind higher levels, but the leveling in Helldivers 2 goes fairly quickly. 

It didn't take me all that long to unlock my favorite Strategem: a 500 KG bomb that's available at Level 15. Not exactly a nuke, the 500 KG bomb still packs a bunch that can destroy nearly any target in one hit.

Other helpful Startegems like calling down a machine gun, a flamethrower, an anti-tank rocket launcher, or an extra supply pack for additional ammo and stims can quickly turn a hopeless operation into a winnable one. 

Running away from a horde of insects or fighting to get away from Automatons who won't stop blasting you? Call in a Napalm strike, or send down a turret to start mowing down waves of enemies while you get a moment to escape.

Helldivers 2 Strategems are the most powerful abilities, and given their cooldown rate and the limit of four on any given mission, players need to decide when and where to best use them. I prefer to call in my Strategem weapons at the very beginning of a mission, starting that cooldown timer immediately for maximum benefit. 

In addition to Strategems, there are also two Battle Passes currently available, called Warbonds.

The standard pass, Helldivers Mobilize, is available to everyone and offers an assortment of weapons and cosmetic items available to purchase with medals, another form of currency received at the end of each accomplished mission. 

The premium warbond, Steeled Veterans, can be purchased. Anyone who bought the Helldivers 2: Super Citizens edition automatically has access to the Steeled Veterans warbond.

However, even with these warbonds, the vast majority of strategic weaponry can be unlocked just by playing without paying into any kind of battle pass.

Yes, there are some microtransactions, but those primarily focus on cosmetic additions that don't make or break gameplay. Think of Strategems as your main artillery and Warbonds as a glorified costume shop that also offers the occasional weapon, grenade, or other item. 

A huge plus for the Battle Passes though: they never expire, and can be worked toward indefinitely. There have been some early achievement glitches that affect the rate at which medals and Super Credits can be earned, but these were largely patched within the first couple of weeks. 
 

Helldivers 2 Never Sleeps: The War Effort Needs You 

A unique aspect of Helldivers 2 is that all players are fighting the same war. Every planet with available missions has a liberation percentage, and your direct wins and losses on that planet will change that percentage. The end goal for every campaign is to fully liberate each planet, with the community working together toward a common goal.

Helldivers 2 can be played solo, with a group of random players online, or with friends. It's pretty clear that the missions and difficulty levels were designed to be taken on by a squad of players: the few times I've tried to solo a mission I've gotten killed almost immediately.

It's nearly impossible to battle back an encroaching horde of ornery Terminids without anyone taking out the bugs approaching from behind. 

Thankfully, despite some Helldivers 2 early connection issues, it's easy to throw down an SOS  beacon to call in reinforcements from online, or have a friend launch from their own ship and join the fight within moments. 

When I'm in desperate need of help, there's nothing quite like the sight and sound of a Hellpod dropping down and slamming into the terrain while I'm overrun, a fresh Helldiver emerging and immediately taking up a defensive position to blast any nearby enemies.

This sense of camaraderie is a huge plus for players who dive more deeply into the lore of Hellidvers 2 and sacrifice to make the galaxy a safer place. 

Even without the multiplayer components, Helldivers 2 is a tightly designed shooter that gives players countless options to achieve their objectives, from standard armaments to Strategems to clunky melee strikes when all else fails. Helldivers 2 provides the tools, it's up to the player on how to use them. 
 

Helldivers 2 Review: Final Thoughts

Helldivers 2 not only provides countless hours of fun with its addicting gameplay loop, but it's also incredibly accessible for players who might be new to online shooters.

It's simple enough to pick up and learn the basics without being too overwhelming once you start to construct builds for your character and level up. Getting to know how the different Strategems work is fairly intuitive, with the most complex part potentially being the D-Pad mini-game dance that needs to be done every time one is called in. 

Arrowed Game Studios has created a beautifully satirized future of the military-industrial complex that feels so grounded despite its sci-fi setting. Helldivers 2 has the potential to run with continuous updates for many years to come, with already confirmed plans to add vehicles and mechs in the near future.

Overall, Helldivers 2 masterfully succeeds at creating a co-op experience with diverse gameplay mechanics, like Strategems and reinforcement capabilities, that set it apart from other shooters in recent memory. It's a joy to return to again and again, and I look forward to seeing what new updates are on the horizon to keep this game feeling fresh.

Helldivers 2 was reviewed on PlayStation 5 with a copy purchased by the reviewer over the course of 30 hours of gameplay. All screenshots were taken during the review process.