Right off the bat, I’ve enjoyed HELLDIVERS 2 ever since I saw my favorite YouTubers play it, and even more when friends showed me how to play. I like that it’s fully co-op; I like that the story is constantly moving and that, for better or for worse, we affect it. I like that, as someone who’s notoriously Bad At Games, I can still have a great time and support my squad. I know there are quality of life complaints as with any game, but I’m certainly not bored with it.

That said, Omens of Tyranny was absolutely necessary, and I’m not even talking about the new weapons or overall adjustments. Wiser, more tactically-minded players have already quantified the improvements with numbers and percentages, and that’s also great. What I mean is that, with the Illuminate on the board, it’s becoming a different game.

As much as I love HELLDIVERS 2, as ready as I am at any time of day to spread democracy with my buddies, a lot of things gets samey…to the point that I have two, maybe three go-to loadouts. Terminid maps and Automaton maps are largely similar, with the main exceptions being what sort of damage they’re weak to and whether their reinforcements come from above or below. After that, it’s just a matter of whether I’m bringing fire or armor-piercing ammo and whether I’m shooting grenades into bug holes or factory vents.

I was in no way prepared for the Illuminate.

Bugs and bots move in squads and gather on bases. When one calls for help, you will be faced with a mob of them arriving in the same spot. But you don’t just fight the Illuminate in an open wasteland. You primarily deal with them (and your objectives) in cities—full of dead ends where shambling hordes can corner you. Outside the city, the Tripod-like Harvesters pose a double challenge. You’ll need a couple of people to kill their shields and bring them down. But while you’re dealing with heavy artillery, squid zombies are shambling around the Harvesters’ feet. It’s tense. It’s The Walking Dead meets War of the Worlds. It’s legitimately scary. And it’s so, so necessary.

In my first couple of weeks playing HELLDIVERS 2, the chitter of a bug or the buzz of a bot got my head on a swivel. While it’s still fun, I lost some of that sense of legitimate peril; if a map ever felt daunting, it was generally an issue with spawn rates rather than a feeling of being truly challenged. But now we’re facing down a new enemy that has an advantage over us in every conceivable way: size, number, and landscape. Hell, some of the squids don’t even stay down when you kill them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to re-kill a legless torso dragging itself toward me. And I love it.

In all likelihood, the day will come when I’m used to the Illuminate. But for now, at least, the challenge they offer is worlds different from the Terminids and Automatons. It’s sci-fi horror in the midst of satire, and it shows just how solid this game can be at its peak.

Image Source: Steam

Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast about Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship show of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, LeRon Dawkins, Stephanie Klimov, and Pat Klein, as well as their friends, fellow creators, developers, and industry veterans, share their gaming experiences. They discuss what they’ve been playing, explore rotating segments, debate the Boss Rush Banter topic of the week, answer community write-ins, and more. Patreon subscribers at any tier enjoy exclusive access to the Boss Rush Podcast Patreon Show twice a month along with other perks and extras.

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