When I first got into Helldivers 2, I did so more or less on impulse after my friends
hyped it up for a bit. I didn’t think it would be as good as they were saying, and, in
truth, it’s not. It’s not a perfect experience and has a lot of issues to iron out yet. However, the game is an absolute blast and has been for over a month now!

Part of it is its solid gameplay loop and the sheer satisfaction of using the weapons/completing missions. Part of it is the very memeable, over-the-top satire that makes it very quotable both in-game and out. The main reason though, I think, is the community and “with friends” experience. The potential for cool and funny moments is through the roof, making it so that you never want to miss a session!

Those who’ve been playing Helldivers 2 already get the appeal and likely need no explanation from me. For those who don’t know what’s up though, I suppose I’d describe it as a more grounded, yet also more chaotic, version of the Destiny co-op PvE experience. Your character is a lot more fragile. Friendly-fire can be deadly, and you can’t really lone-wolf it and expect to do well.

You don’t have to constantly be communicating (at lower difficulties), but it helps a lot, and you do need to be doing your best to cooperate with your squad. Successes and failures are shared, so it’s in everyone’s interest to work together as much as possible. Certainly the same was true in Destiny, especially in the raids, but it was much easier to just do your own thing most of the time. Here, if you go off on your own or are careless with your attacks, it’s going to cost both you and the rest of your squad dearly.

That said though, it’s not like you have to take what you’re doing super seriously either. If you’re not on the three highest difficulties, then things like misfires, accidents, close-calls and surprises can all be downright hilarious! In Helldivers 2, all of these things are inevitabilities, and it always just looks funny, so you and your squad can have a really fun time if you remember to bring your sense of humor.

I suppose that’s the biggest difference from Destiny besides game mechanics. Failure in Destiny was usually met with indifference at best and outright anger at worst. It always meant lost progress and a more drawn out loot process, so perhaps it was to be expected. Still, such atmospheres tend to wear quickly, making you not really want to play anymore. At least, that’s what happened to me (alongside a lot of other issue with Destiny’s structure.

Perhaps the same might happen with Helldivers 2 someday, but I really hope not. The game has so much potential, and I really don’t want to see it get ruined by changes or additions that foster hostility rather than the general fun and goodwill that it promotes now.

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What do you think of Helldivers 2? What’s another game you’ve played that felt tailor made for fun/goofy times with friends?

Image from the Helldivers 2 Steam page