Helldivers 2 is gritty, challenging, and the most exciting shooter of the year so far, especially on co-op

January had been busy with huge releases like Tekken 8 and overrun by unexpected hits like Palworld, which has taken over Steam since release.

And yet, February continues to deliver more, with Helldivers 2 emerging as a surprising contender, quickly dethroning Palworld on Steam upon its release, and becoming Playstation’s biggest Steam release.

Despite facing some initial hurdles, Helldivers 2 has managed to attract millions of players in the following days, and it's clear why – the game has a lot to offer.

In a nutshell, Helldivers 2 is a live-service extraction shooter that is gritty, challenging, and full of bugs (literally) and Automatons — a combination I usually dislike but, surprisingly, have now come to love.

The game is set 100 years after the first game, in a galaxy under attack by alien invaders. Players become frontline defenders against these threats, known as the titular Helldivers.

Despite relative peace on Super Earth, the re-emergence of enemies like the Terminids and the invasion of Automatons prompted the return of the Helldivers. Exploring the plot isn’t its forte at this point, but like any other live service game, how Helldivers 2 fares in the future will depend on the consistency of game updates that may open up opportunities to delve into the storyline.

Helldivers 2's main draw is the multi-sector galactic war campaign. Completing missions is the only way to free planets in each sector from the control of the enemies.

Gameplay, Gunplay, and Mechanics

The basic gameplay is pretty simple: drop onto a planet, complete the designated main objectives, and get out whether it's solo or with friends.

Missions can range from destroying Automaton factories to killing a commander and obliterating bug nests and even slaying waves of enemies; others are more involved like transporting a solid-state drive to a data relay, which requires significantly legging it across the map or conducting geological surveys.

Pursuing additional objectives earns you XP and requisition points; the former unlocks new stratagems, while the latter unlocks them.

What I like about this is that while some missions may look similar, each one is unique and this sort of randomness makes everything feel new every time you’re deployed—the terrain, the locations where enemies spawn, points of interest and more, so nothing feels like a repeat loop of the same missions, as many live service games sometimes tend to do.

As the difficulty level increases, enemies become progressively challenging, with higher difficulties introducing more formidable foes like bigger, more nightmarish bugs.

In terms of weaponry, the arsenal is pretty diverse with options like shotguns, machine guns, rail guns, even flamethrowers, and more. Gunplay also feels good, especially when using a controller with haptic feedback.

While the gameplay is generally smooth, there are some occasional awkward moments in movement, such as struggling to climb or manoeuvre around obstacles like stalagmites.

Deploying Strategems can also feel a bit clunky with a controller, especially when you’re running away from a hoard of arthropods. Despite this, these issues don't detract from the overall experience.

There’s no “winging it” in this game. Shooting randomly and deploying Strategems may get you somewhere, but you’d have to manage your limited resources.

Picking up weapons without paying attention also has consequences like dropping the ammo that came along with it, so even looting needs to be intentional.

Solo vs Co-op

Playing Helldivers 2 solo is doable but sometimes difficult, so the real excitement lies in teaming up with others. While there's nothing wrong with challenging yourself alone, the game doesn't adjust difficulty well for solo players.

You'll face similar challenges as in co-op but without the benefit of extra firepower and support from teammates. I’ll go even further by saying playing solo could be absolutely miserable, especially if you find yourself cornered with no resources or escape.

On top of this, many aspects of the game feel more satisfying when playing with others, even if it's just a duo. Teamwork enhances actions like coordinating weapon shots or providing cover while extracting. The rewards for playing with others are also better, allowing you to unlock new gear more quickly.

Multiplayer is even more exceptional with friends. Close coordination is needed for everyone to succeed in a mission because things like staying in front of a teammate’s line of fire or throwing a grenade in the wrong direction can get you and your buddies killed.

This sometimes makes for some hilarious bloopers along the way, especially in your first few levels and missions, and the experience is even more fun when you communicate with voice.

Matchmaking

Unfortunately, co-op in Helldivers 2 isn't seamless at launch. Since I didn’t know if any of my friends played it when I began, I had to queue up for matchmaking, which wasn’t a breeze at all. On PS5, I had connection issues, even if my internet was running fine, and matchmaking took a while despite having quite a healthy player count.

Some players reported other issues like disconnecting from a level during solo play, which can also be frustrating, forcing you to restart the mission.

Even if the matchmaking system functioned correctly, Helldivers 2 lacks a comprehensive lobby browser.

You're left with the task of manually selecting a planet and scanning for open games, toggling between various difficulties, which quickly becomes tiresome.

The necessity of repeating this process for each planet, and then traversing the entire galaxy to confront the automatons, adds to the frustration.

Monetization

Kudos are for Helldivers 2’s monetization system so far. While most live service games may seem to pressure you to spend on the usual Battle Passes, cosmetics, and boosters that cost an arm and a leg, at this point the game’s battle passes are worth it.

War bonds serve as a pathway to unlocking various items using war medals earned from completing missions, personal orders, or simply exploring. There's some leeway in expediting certain unlocks, but eventually, you'll need to invest more medals to access higher tiers.

The premium War Bond doesn't seem unfairly advantageous, as most unlocks are accessible through the free War Bond. Moreover, success largely depends on tactical prowess, coordination, and Strategems.

While Super Credits can be acquired through real money purchases, they're also attainable through the free War Bond and missions. Additional Super Credits are up for grabs through the premium War Bond, and cosmetic items like suits and helmets are priced reasonably.

Overall, as a live service game, Helldivers 2 shows a lot of promise. The game may be intense, but with all the factors mentioned above, it could be loads of fun, especially when played with others.

While some things need to be fixed like matchmaking, and quality-of-life interface improvements, the developers seem to know what makes cooperative play and extraction shooters addictive and a good experience.

Helldivers 2 is available on Steam and PlayStation 5.

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Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.