Pixel Sundays: Helldivers – Get A Taste of Freedom!

24 March 2024 at 11:00 in Deals, Gaming News with no comments
Pixel Sundays: Helldivers - Get A Taste of Freedom!

Helldivers: The Arrowhead Studios Series

Helldivers 2 is definitely the game of the moment for this early 2024, a game developed by Arrowhead Studios and published by PlayStation, released on 8th February 2024, on PC and PS5. Dethroning Palworld as well, Helldivers 2 remains at the top of the weekly charts for the most played games, and is essentially in the first place when considered among non-free-to-play games, which speaks volumes of its success.

Speaking of the first chapter, released in 2015 as a top-down shooter for PlayStation, we play as a member of the special unit called Helldivers in a dystopian future, defending the values of the planet Super Earth from the threat of alien creatures, with a campaign where we fight the 3 factions of Bugs, Cyborgs, and Illuminate. With fun co-op gameplay and an appreciable humorous/parodic style, the title was definitely well received, especially with its arrival on PC. Worth noting is that Helldivers: Dive Harder Edition also marks the very first game that Sony has published directly on PC.



As already mentioned, Helldivers 2 is the game of the moment and also represents a big change compared to the first. In fact, we now have a third-person shooter where the inhabitants of Super Earth are encouraged to join the Helldivers to fight the factions of Terminids and Automatons inspired by two of the factions from the first game. With a co-op multiplayer featuring more NPCs and objectives, as well as common missions, players can complete missions on every planet and unlock new content through a community effort.

Helldivers: Influences from George Orwell to Dungeons and Dragons

Arrowhead Studios started as a small Swedish studio in 2008 with their debut title, Magicka, the very first point of inspiration for the series. In fact, Magicka not only shares a fun co-op multiplayer aspect like a magic-based top-down shooter but also in how the title doesn’t take itself too seriously, entertaining many players with its humor and fun gameplay.

Helldivers: The caricatural utopia of the series

In an interview for the Autodesk Customer Success Story, CEO Johan Pilestedt and CTO Anton Stenmark speak about the origins of the title and the difficulties the team had to face. It seems that the very first inspiration was “ I Made a Game with Zombies in It “ where the team discussed how they could create a similar title but with a parodic style and the influence of many sci-fi cult classics like Star Wars, Starship Troopers, and Alien that the team was fond of. While in a more recent post on Twitter, Pilestedt mentions Dungeons & Dragons and classic pen and paper games among the inspirations for Helldivers 2. Although it may not seem to have much in common with Arrowhead’s shooter, you can find typical elements of a Dungeons & Dragons session in the humorous and absurd side of certain missions, which ends up amusing everyone with unpredictable events that Helldivers 2 is full of.

Among other inspirations, George Orwell also appears, as Helldivers is set in 2084, the universe is decidedly inspired by that of 1984. The political and utopian system strongly resembles that of the writer’s novel. If we have Big Brother in the novel, in Helldivers we have a false democracy based on an oligarchy and control of humanity which, under the pretext of a common enemy in aliens, to a similar degree of “communists” threat during the Cold War, serve as a deterrent but also as a way to elevate humanity itself. Obviously, the team at Arrowhead Studios leans more towards the humorous side, which turns out to be pleasant and a utopia that actually works with the game’s exuberant themes.

The absurd comedy of D&D games inspired Helldivers 2

Helldivers Gameplay: One of its key points of success

Already from the first Helldivers, we have gameplay based on the co-op component where our character will be thrown into one of the various planets with the aim of eliminating enemy forces and controlling, depending on the mission, certain points of interest. Based on the Autodesk Stingray graphics engine, the first Helldivers closely resembles Magicka albeit with a different graphics engine. Friendly fire presence will give a tactical sense to formations, trying to hit enemies and avoid hurting allies while exploring and cleaning the game area. Enemies will have different tactics, abilities, and resistances to hits, so it will also be necessary to organize, where possible, with different roles during matches.

With the switch to a third person perspective in Helldivers 2, not much has actually changed in terms of gameplay; instead, there is an improvement on all fronts. Still based on Autodesk’s Stingray, Helldivers 2 is decidedly much heavier in terms of hardware, limited only to PS5 and PC, whereas the first ran smoothly even on PSVita hardware. With a third-person game world, the shooting feel changes, and the enemy forces on the screen also increase. We have complexity of game maps with cover elements even on a vertical level. Friendly fire remains, and the tactical component aimed at establishing the optimal roles for the team’s operation will be much stronger. This is because the adverse conditions of the planets will play a more important role and will often hinder the mission, requiring careful planning before embarking on a raid.

A meteor shower on Helldivers 2

What makes it all the more fun is that Arrowhead Studios has decided to focus entirely on community cooperation. In fact, with the idea of Super Earth and a sense of patriotism, the common goal both in the game and for the players is to try to eliminate the common threat of alien forces. Thanks also to global missions that will benefit all players, there is no sense of disharmony that often arises with PvP games, exacerbated by the difference in player skill and random teams.

What does the future hold for Helldivers and Arrowhead Studios?

Helldivers 2 is one of the most played games of this early 2024, remaining high on the list of games with the most active players since its launch. One of the biggest and most critical problems of Helldivers 2 has been related to the Servers, which, although capable of containing the high demand from players, due to networking issues, many were unable to join. Among the future updates list is the expansion of the capacity, which has recently been expanded.

Thanks to global missions, we will see new gadgets, weapons, and super weapons entering the game and influencing the outcome of matches. On the variety side, new biomes will arrive, but above all, thanks to some leaks, we know that Vehicles are coming to move faster, to be able to call NPC squads for help, and also the return of the Illuminate, the third faction of the first game still missing on Helldivers 2.

In conclusion, we can say that Arrowhead Studios is certainly under everyone’s eyes with a well-made game that manages to entertain. Here too, there are microtransactions, but they are implemented in a way that does not negatively affect players, and indeed it is possible to obtain premium currency by completing objectives and continue to redeem rewards from the Battlepass, which unlike other games does not expire. Helldivers 2 is still in its early stages, but if it continues like this, it will definitely be possible to see the series expand with a third installment and perhaps even spin-offs.

Helldivers 2 liberated Tien Kwan with the global mission

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By whizzerlow whizzerlow

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