Spreading managed democracy is not for the faint of heart. Arrowhead Studios has released a first look at gameplay for their upcoming sequel, Helldivers 2. The game has a brand new perspective, being a third-person shooter, but the familiar stratagems and weapons are only a taste of what is to come.
Strategems, Strategems everywhere
The trailer is introduced by Johan Petersen, CEO of Arrowhead Studios and Creative Director of Helldivers 2. John reintroduces Helldivers 2 and teases what gameplay is to be expected when the game launches later in 2023. Helldivers 2 is a third-person shooter built on co-op. As a special soldier from Super Soldier, the goal is to exterminate the enemies of humanity and spread managed democracy throughout the galaxy. Like before, players face a variety of enemies across various planets and solar systems in an ongoing war. The trailer shows dangerous, armored insectoid characters but more enemies will undoubtedly be revealed.
The gameplay has the familiarity of a sci-fi third-person shooter but with added twists. The essential component of the gameplay is stratagems. These special items are dropped from orbit and can make a huge difference in battle. Like its predecessor, Helldivers 2 will have plenty of stratagems to choose from with their various abilities. Johan shows his favorite stratagem, the Gatling turret, which is impressively shown to cut deep into crowds of enemies. Johan also mentions that different armor sets will have different abilities. The rest of the trailer shows a variety of weapons and enemy types. One attribute that is teased is armor affects mobility and detection. Wearing a lighter armor may increase vulnerability but it does make a player faster and harder to detect. Reinforcement works the same way, and other weapons include orbital strikes among others.
A New Frontier
The original Helldivers was a triumphant online experience. War was constantly waged against bug-like aliens, cyborgs, and a sentient alien race. It was tough as nails, requiring teamwork, skill, and luck to bring down the mightiest of foes. It was the closest to a true Aliens and Starship Troopers experience that one could ever hope for, and then some, with its focus on orbital tactics. This was easily one of the biggest highlights of the Summer PlayStation Direct. Knowing Arrowheads’ penchant for rewarding gameplay, there is no doubt Helldivers is going to usher in an amazing era of online gameplay and combat.
Helldivers 2 launches on PS5 and PC in the Fall of 2023.
