The success of Helldivers 2 can be linked to many things. There’s the cinematic gameplay that catches your attention, along with a co-op gameplay loop that keeps you busy (yet, distracted sometimes). Then, there’s there several gameplay elements that you may not notice right in front of you, but passively have a larger impact on your experience.
It’s a rather funny time to bring out a title in the industry that’s a live-service game, given how the sub-genre is almost saturated to a point where it may turn people away simply by existing. It can be your favorite sub-genre or a franchise that you’ve loved for years… but nothing feels more terrifying than knowing it’s in the hands of a studio that’s trying out the live-service model.
Between the mishaps of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and the blasphemous arrival of Sea of Thieves, it feels like the industry needs to give the live-service model a closer look and understand what works and what doesn’t. That’s where Helldivers 2 shines as a great example of all the right lessons in game design.
Helldivers 2 celebrates the golden age of AA and indie games
If you look back to the last few years of gaming, the culture around indie games and their popularity has been tremendously increasing. These games are no longer thought experiments conjured in the garages and rooms of a bunch of developers with an ambition or two. These are full-fledged experiences that give you a bang for your buck (they cost $40 or less) and market themselves purely as game experiences, rather than products of a multi-national company.
Surprisingly, on that note, it’s difficult to find a triple-A game that does the same. When was the last time you were genuinely excited about a triple-A title that would shake up the gaming scene and find itself as a contender for the ‘game of the generation‘? It’s rather easier to count them on your fingertips rather than make a list.
With the arrival of Helldivers 2, the game’s reception has been causing conversations around the same, and players are suddenly starting to wonder how can a game be so much fun yet not ask you to spend $60 to be a part of the experience. Arrowhead Game Studio’s meticulous attention to addictive gameplay loops and a sense of shared goals in a Managed Democracy-loving player base deserve all the credit.
The boon and bane of live-service games
On the surface, live service games show the promise of a long-term relationship that’s going to keep the player’s interest over time. How long are we even talking about? Months upon years upon decades, even. Without the game turning into a large MMO hub. These games have a studio working hard to bring content updates and seasonal changes that keep things fresh.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work. Sometimes, the seasons feel stale. Other times, the game receives too many changes to its meta that shift the entire gameplay experience. As a result, long-time fans don’t find it fun anymore, and new players find the skill ceiling to be extremely confusing.
A good example of a game that has managed to evolve in a healthy way is Fortnite Battle Royale. The game first arrived in 2017, and even years after its release, brings in millions of players every month to experience something that they haven’t before. In fact, the game has marketed itself as an ever-evolving battle royale. A sub-genre that other games are still trying to live up to.
What Helldivers 2 understands what other live-service games don’t
From the example of Fortnite, consider how important a game’s identity is. When you think of the title, the instant, ‘aha!‘ moment gives you clarity within seconds. You know what this game is, players are aware of what they’re getting into.
While Fortnite may have built its identity on the foundations of everything and anything it could be, games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League still struggle with this. Hopefully not making the same mistake, Helldivers 2 knew from the very beginning what it wanted to be.
It’s the sci-fi shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously and builds on the promise of goofy moments with a shared sense of seriousness. As if, it was the co-op sci-fi game that players have been waiting for decades now.
What are your thoughts on Helldivers 2 as the ideal live-service game? Let us know in the comments below.
