Helldivers 2 Review – The Best Multiplayer Game Of 2024

In recent times, most of the online shooters I’ve seen have either failed to hit the mark or been overshadowed by countless other games of the online shooter genre. Arrowhead Games does the impossible with Helldivers 2, making it stand out so successfully in an otherwise saturated genre thanks to its hilarious setting and unique gameplay mechanics, which I aim to discuss thoroughly in this review.

Story And Setting

Helldivers 2 is not a story-focused game; rather, it’s an online shooter made to be enjoyed with friends; therefore, I won’t be too critical in this category.

You’re shown a propaganda video on how robots and huge bugs attack the Super Earth and how they threaten your way of life. But the gist of things here is to propagate you into believing that you should become a Helldiver to “fight for democracy and freedom” and to spread this democracy throughout the galaxy. 

After the first cutscene, you are dropped onto an equally hilarious tutorial/ training on becoming a Helldiver. This is where you learn all the gameplay mechanics of Helldivers and familiarize yourself with the weapons; more on gameplay later in this review.

For Democracy!

After the tutorial, you are given your own Super Destroyer Ship and a bunch of options to name your spaceship. I personally named mine the “Senator of War” because this entire theme of war and propaganda reminded me too much of Senator Armstrong from Metal Gear Rising Revengerance.

Helldivers 2 is not a story-focused game; rather, it’s an online shooter made to be enjoyed with friends; therefore, I won’t be too critical in this category.

After getting your ship, you can start going to different planets in different parts of the galaxy to spread freedom and democracy, either alone or with your friends. What I love about Helldivers 2 is that every mission feels unique, and you never really know if you’ll return in one piece, no matter the difficulty. One slip-up is the thin line between life and death.

With Helldivers 2’s endless “stories” and countless missions, you are bound to have an insane amount of fun by slaying enormous bugs in the name of democracy, especially if you are playing with your friends.

Gameplay

Helldivers 2 offers a satisfying gameplay loop; you “dive” into a mission and drop into the battlefield in your hell pod. Once you have landed, you have your weapons and special abilities at your disposal to kill any enemy in your way and complete your mission at any cost in the name of democracy.

With all these new additions, Helldivers 2 encourages you to either coordinate with your friends or play smart if you are alone; therefore, none of the missions ever feel the same.

Each mission consists of main objectives and a few side objectives that can net you a few extra in-game currency if you were to complete them. Each map feels unique, even on the same planet.

With bugs crawling out of the ground and robots falling from the sky, Helldivers 2 can get intense quickly. I can never get over the pure rush I felt when surrounded by bugs, and my Orbital Strike, one that I consider the best Stratagem, activated just in time to clear a path between me and the pelican that was there to extract me—giving me just enough time to dive and extract successfully.

For Liberation!

Speaking of Stratagems, they are special abilities you can use to call Air Strikes or special weapons like the Rail Gun. Helldivers 2 tries to set itself apart from every other online shooter by giving the player a ton of variety, as all the Stratagems can be unlocked with in-game currency, giving players a ton of options on how they want to complete their objective.

 Normally, I wouldn’t say I like battle passes, but Helldivers 2 is an exception, as both passes consist of a ton of unique rewards.

Another mechanic it has implemented is that you will lose all the ammo left in your previous mag when you decide to reload, therefore forcing me to keep my constant reload habit in check.

If your leg or arm is injured, then you won’t be able to sprint or aim properly. A key element also worth mentioning is that friendly fire is enabled, and I lost count of the number of times I died thanks to my buddy’s Air Strike absolutely annihilating me.

With all these new additions, Helldivers 2 encourages you to either coordinate with your friends or play smart if you are alone; therefore, none of the missions ever feel the same.

Even if you do not have a special weapon at your disposal during a mission, Helldivers 2 is kind enough to have numerous special weapons hiding across the map that you can use temporarily in the mission if you can find them.  And finally, let me shift my attention to the battle pass now.

There are two different battle passes, a free one and a paid one. Normally, I wouldn’t say I like battle passes, but Helldivers 2 is an exception, as both passes consist of a ton of unique rewards. And because the free pass also gives you enough premium currency to unlock the paid one, players can get the paid battle pass by either paying for it or earning it with their own hard work.

Visuals And Performance

Regarding visuals, I have nothing bad to say about Helldivers 2. The graphics are compelling, the art direction is enchanting, and the world feels unique. Even though it is such a massive game with nearly countless missions. The map of each mission feels unique and equally fun to fully explore.

The atmosphere is further elevated when you are playing with your friends. Walking through a deserted piece of land with my friends in the rain, with bugs wandering around us, made it feel like it was out of a movie, and I couldn’t help but take some screenshots.

For Freedom!

Regarding performance, I tested Helldivers 2 on my RTX 3060 TI at 1080p resolution. While it runs at a fixed frame rate of 60 most of the time, I have seen it dip to 50 during the more intense moments when dozens of bugs surround me.

Seeing my character suddenly ragdoll through the screen with a few missing limbs after I accidentally got into the range of my buddy’s missile strike will always be the pinnacle of my sense of humor.

Aside from that, I have heard that Helldivers 2 has server issues, and some players have been getting disconnected at the end of the mission.

Luckily, I haven’t experienced anything like that while reviewing this game, as I primarily used the Best Settings that most players have been using online. As Arrowhead Games delivers more patches, these issues have become increasingly rarer.

Verdict

Whether you are walking through the deserted lands as a lone wolf or blowing up your friends with missile strikes, each aspect of Helldivers 2, from its combat to the progression, feels so unique that I can’t help but continuously gush over it.

Seeing my character suddenly ragdoll through the screen with a few missing limbs after I accidentally got into the range of my buddy’s missile strike will always be the pinnacle of my sense of humor. Though the game is much more fun when you play with your friends than alone, I still believe that would also vary on the player.

Helldivers 2 delivers an experience you rarely find in today’s market. In an era where every publisher is trying to implement battle pass in their games, Arrowhead Games does it so subtly and organically that it never feels like Helldivers 2 is tricking you into spending money for stuff you don’t need. And for this alone, Helldivers 2 will be remembered as one of the best coop shooters ever made.

This has been my review of Helldivers 2. Do consider reading other reviews here at eXputer as well:

• Nightingale Review
• Deathbound Early Access Review
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Review
• Slave Zero X Review
• Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Review

Perspective From Other Staff Members

Below are a few summaries about the game from my fellow co-workers who played Helldivers 2 with me during a few sessions:

• Sameer Tahir: Despite minor issues with matchmaking and performance, the game’s clever progression system and varied missions make it a must-play for me. With its addictive gameplay and constant excitement, I’d give it a rating of 4/5.
• Usama Mehmood: Since Destiny 2 fell in engagement to me in these past few months, Helldivers 2 quickly became my next favorite co-op shooter with friends and other players. Whether we’re barely completing the hardest mission objectives or just goofing around by teamkilling, I give this game an easy 5/5 rating.