A highly dynamic multiplayer shooter is hard to come by. Most of the main suspects today revolve around the same formulas popular today, such as Counter Strike and Fortnite. Every so often, though, a gem emerges and sparkles through the usual fare. Enter the gem: Helldivers 2.

A lesson in simplicity

Without a doubt, Helldivers 2 is one of those rare games that captures the needs and wants of millions of gamers worldwide. Its success is reminiscent of last year’s Baldur’s Gate 3, a title from a smaller developer that still outshines most of its big-budgeted competitors.

Despite its effect on the market, Helldivers 2’s premise is surprisingly simple: fight against hordes of bug-like aliens or rouge robots. Think of Starship Troopers and Star Wars. Players can team up with up to three more fighters or go at it solo. There are guns, grenades, abilities, and a battle pass. If you’ve seen other shooters these days, the title should look familiar to you.

Players choose their mission from a map, recruit up to three teammates, and drop into a set map filled with enemies. Once there, they can simply accomplish their objective or optionally explore to obtain more goodies.

A lesson in dynamism

Even if it looks similar to other games out there, Helldivers 2 just manages to breathe fresh air into a tired formula. For one, the game does not pull any punches. It’s insanely difficult. Playing as a solo, I could only get to the third highest difficulty (Medium) with some reliability. The rest were practically impossible without teammates. Even then, a co-op session is still difficult and needs strategy.

Additionally, the game has a less traditional way to use abilities. While other games use simple hotkeys to unleash useful abilities, Helldivers 2’s Stratagems need more precise inputs (with directional buttons) to execute. Imagine putting in something like the Konami code before calling in an airstrike. Though annoying at first, the method adds to how frenetic the heat of battle is.

Oh, and these Stratagems aren’t just your typical off-the-shelf abilities either. Sure, you have the usual air strikes and carpet bombings, but the game also locks more essential abilities behind the system, such as ammunition refills and teammate respawn. There’s pure unadulterated adrenaline in trying to revive a fallen teammate while being chased by an army of gigantic bugs.

There’s also an amazing layer of creativity associated with the system. I’ve seen players automate the command sequences on their Elgato Stream Decks (which I absolutely want to try for myself). I’ve also seen one add direction buttons to their Deck and tape it to their wrists for an authentic experience. I don’t normally try hardware mods for games, but the experiments with this one make me want to get into it.

An evolving story

Most shooters today try to introduce the semblance of a story. Call of Duty, for example, has its oft-lackluster story mode. Fortnite has its evolving world. These storytelling methods are often just ways to pad out gameplay, so players can quickly get back into the more active (and more lucrative) multiplayer modes.

Helldivers 2 does away with a story. Players can still grasp at what happened through environmental cues and small lore pickups, but it’s mostly straight to the action. Additionally, there are hilarious recruiting videos done in the style of Starship Troopers.

One of the voice options also has Yuri Lowenthal (a.k.a. Spider-Man in the PlayStation series) screaming frantically every time he takes damage. It’s glorious.

Though the game lacks a conventional story, it has so much flavor to set it apart from other shooters. It feels fun to play, even if it’s just to hear Spider-Man going Spider-Ham on the mic.

An evolving world

It’s impossible to tell what the endgame of Helldivers 2 is. The game has a lot of planets available for conquering. However, the system only allows players to conquer a few at a time. Once enough players win enough missions (which is a staggering number), more sectors will unlock. It’s a collaborative effort between millions of players to unlock the next area.

Currently, there are two “branches.” One involves Bugs, a race of sentient insects that look like a cross between mantises and lobsters. The other involves Cyborgs, cybernetic enemies capable of shooting back. A third “branch” featuring an undetermined faction is still forthcoming.

Additionally, the studio also plans to introduce more ways to traverse the landscape and kill aliens. One such example is a future update to bring in mechs and vehicles.

It’s a grind

Though I’ve sung the game’s praises for a while, it’s time to focus on what might bring the game down a notch. For one, it’s a terrible grind.

There are four different currencies for players in Helldivers 2. The first are Requisition Slips. The easiest to gain, these Slips are meant for obtaining new Stratagems. Players get a substantial amount per mission. Simple enough.

The second are Medals. Players get a scant few per mission. These are used to unlock new items in the season’s Warbonds, the game’s version of battle passes. Unfortunately, this system includes more than just cosmetics. Sometimes, powerful weapons and armor are unlockable.

The third are Super Credits, the currency you can buy with real money. There’s a shop that refreshes often. Thankfully, you can occasionally grab a few Super Credits during missions.

The fourth are Samples. Arguably the most tedious of the bunch, Samples are only obtainable by exploring and looting (and extracting successfully with the Samples) during missions. Higher tiers of Samples are also locked behind higher difficulties. These are all used to unlock significant upgrades including adding more ammo to weapons and reducing cooldowns.

Because of this complex system, it will take a while before you can unlock new toys to play with. Dozens of hours in, and I’m still relying heavily on the default weapons. Of course, you can play enough hours, at high enough difficulties, with enough teammates to grind money consistently. However, it’s still a grind. Thankfully, the base kit is still a load of fun. It’s not a huge loss to miss out on weapons and new Stratagems.

Should you play Helldivers 2?

Helldivers 2 is currently capturing the gaming world, just as Baldur’s Gate 3 did last year. Being in the position it’s in, the game is insanely fun to play solo, with randoms, or with friends. Don’t let the grind scare you; it’s a thrilling experience just on its own.