HELLDIVERS 2 Review: A Thrilling Co-op Shooter with Starship Trooper Vibes

There aren’t many co-op shooter games I truly enjoy, except for Left 4 Dead 2 or Back 4 Blood, so HELLDIVERS 2 was a pleasant surprise. I only read briefly about the game a few weeks before its release (I wasn’t even aware of the original Helldivers), and while the concept of working together to defeat aliens isn’t new, HELLDIVERS 2 is quite intriguing.

What captivated me initially was how visually appealing the game is, reminiscent of the Starship Trooper movie (in a good way). The environment looks stunning, the graphics are realistic, and I appreciate seeing limbs tear apart when shooting those aliens (called Terminids in-game). Apparently, the game is as good as it looks, and people worldwide are loving it.

HELLDIVERS 2 is an online, third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios. Up to four players can play together simultaneously in a squad. While you can play solo, the game doesn’t dynamically adjust in-game conditions unless you change the difficulty level, making solo play challenging. HELLDIVERS 2 is best experienced with real friends who communicate over the microphone, but even playing with three online strangers can still be enjoyable.

Playing HELLDIVERS 2 requires good communication and collaboration, especially on higher difficulties. This includes coordinating the types of weapons and armaments you bring into the game to ensure a complementary approach. Skills called Stratagems, such as calling an air or orbital strike, deploying turrets, and more, add depth to the gameplay. Effective communication is crucial to avoid using these skills simultaneously with cooldowns.

Playing on higher difficulties quickly becomes more engaging and challenging, offering a more fun experience. Additionally, you’ll collect experience and in-game currency more rapidly, allowing you to unlock additional Stratagems and become more powerful in battle.

There’s a variety of things to unlock and in-game resources to collect, such as medals to unlock new weapons, emotes, and armors. The other in-game currency, Samples, can be used to upgrade specific resources and your Stratagems. While these resources are limited and take time to gather, upgrading only the most essential items remains manageable.

Resource gathering doesn’t feel too grindy, and you can upgrade your character’s armor, equipment, and skills while enjoying HELLDIVERS 2. Although there’s a Battlepass, it never feels compulsory to spend real money to enjoy the game.

Combat in HELLDIVERS 2 is satisfying, thanks to great graphics, character modeling, animations & effects, and excellent weapon sound design. Firing a weapon feels impactful, and seeing enemy limbs torn apart by your weapon is even more satisfying.

Certain in-game mechanics add to the challenge and realism, such as friendly fire and the need to avoid reloading your weapon until it’s empty to avoid wasting your entire clip.

Playing HELLDIVERS 2 online leads to many fun and tense moments, especially when overrun by enemies, requiring coordinated ammo management and mutual support. During frantic battles, using Stratagems isn’t easy due to key combinations (using the WASD keys), adding an extra layer of challenge.

HELLDIVERS 2 Review Conclusion

HELLDIVERS 2 is a game that keeps you coming back for more. While it lacks a compelling campaign or noteworthy storyline, and to some, it might appear repetitive, HELLDIVERS 2 is about having fun shooting at aliens and robots cooperatively with friends or strangers, earning cool upgrades, improving your skills, and repeating the process. To truly understand and appreciate the game, you have to experience it yourself.

With stunning graphics, diverse unlocks without feeling grindy, and being one of the best cooperative shooter games in recent years, HELLDIVERS 2 is a hidden gem. It offers a truly enjoyable and challenging experience, especially at higher difficulty levels, where the game shines the most.

While HELLDIVERS 2 had a shaky launch with connection issues and occasional disconnections during gameplay, most of these issues have been addressed. Priced at US$40, there’s nothing holding you back from playing HELLDIVERS 2, and there will likely be more updates in the future.

HELLDIVERS 2 is available now on the PS5 and PC.

Disclosure: A review license for HELLDIVERS 2 was provided for reviewing purposes.