This “space trucker from hell” sequel ended up being my favorite game to play over the Spring Festival break.
Does Helldivers 2 have problems? Plenty. Weak servers, co-op bugs, even a launch-day meltdown. And yet this otherwise unassuming co-op shooter has me queuing up for “just one more” run, because the core fun is timeless: hitting your teammates and getting hit by them.
Since this is a live-service game and I am still early in, these notes are based on the early experience only.
Game title: Helldivers 2
Genre: Third-person shooter
Modes: Online 1-4 player co-op / solo
Platforms: PS5, PC
The Camera Change Works
Arrowhead released the original Helldivers in 2015. Nearly nine years later, the series shifts from top-down to third-person. I was worried at first, but third-person actually adds a lot. Now all those reinforcements, stratagems, and crossfire happen in a 3D space. You think you can dodge? Think again.
The new perspective also shows off big changes in weather and terrain. The planets feel dramatically different: blazing red deserts, dark swamps where you can barely see. When the bugs close in, the pressure spikes, and the environment makes it even worse in the best way.
After your second session, you can quick match into random lobbies. The game supports 2-4 player squads, but you can go solo if you want. Even on normal difficulty, solo runs are not easy. There is voice and text chat too, and on PS5 you can even talk through the DualSense mic while you play.
Mission types are varied but revolve around clearing, boss kills, defense, and escort objectives. You can choose different primary/secondary weapons, grenades, and three armor classes. Warbonds earned from missions unlock more gear, and yes, there is premium currency for flashy cosmetics. If you are patient, you can still earn a small amount of it through gameplay. On PS5, DualSense adaptive triggers and haptics are well used and vary by weapon.
Mutual Destruction
Enemy AI is not brain-dead, and the fully 3D battlefield means a massive bug can rush you at any angle. Even veterans panic sometimes. That is when chaos happens.
Spend earned credits and you unlock more air-dropped gear and air-to-ground strikes. But every call-in has cooldowns and limited uses. Since the whole team shares them, the questions get messy fast: who calls it, when, and can they actually throw the beacon where it needs to be?
In the past few days, aside from a couple of high-level carries, most of my matches have been rookies marching together. We have had pods crush teammates, evac ships flatten people, sentry turrets mowing down the squad, and someone panicking and tossing a critical resupply beacon onto a cliff nobody can reach.
Some veterans even use rookies as bait. The classic “sacrifice a teammate for the greater good” move saves time and makes call-ins more efficient, which means higher rewards on extraction.
Despite all the friendly fire, the vibe in public lobbies has been surprisingly warm. Actual malicious griefing is rare, people salute on the ship, and they greet new arrivals.
I still need to call out the issues. Beyond server drops, co-op collision bugs, and missing rewards (the devs say they are fixing that), missions can start to blur together and the planet environment assets get reused a lot. There are no vehicles yet, and the current modes still feel too limited. Any one of these problems can ruin a session.
And yet, when a swarm is closing in and you are scrambling, accidentally blasting your friends, the joy is undeniable. It is the kind of co-op fun I have not felt in years. Helldivers 2 proves a simple truth: a great game does not have to be perfect or huge. It can be rough, even annoying, but it must make you excited before you even pick up the controller.