It is no secret that Sony has been searching for a live-service game to bolster their big-budget single-player releases for a number of years.
The idea is to have a game that creates a consistent revenue stream rather than a one-off €70 purchase.
While we are still waiting for the likes of Concord and Fairgame$, Helldivers II offers a tantalising look at what this new strategy could result in.
Building upon the original Helldivers which was released back in 2015, the sequel takes the series into a new stratosphere with chaotic and dynamic gameplay on procedurally generated planets.
While the first game was a top-down shooter (isometric), the move to third-person was a brilliant decision, as you are much more immersed in the action.
The game's premise is clearly influenced by 90s classic Starship Troopers, as you are part of an elite group of soldiers called Helldivers tasked with "spreading democracy" across the galaxy.
This involves exterminating alien bugs or killer robots that are taking over planets in your solar system.
Developers Arrowhead really lean into the satire, whether it is your character screaming "For democracy!" or how items around the map have the words "freedom" on them.
Developers Arrowhead really lean into the satire, whether it is your character screaming "For democracy!" or how items around the map have the words "freedom" on them.
That same sense of humour translates into the gameplay as well. Whether you are playing with four of your friends or random players, someone will inevitably be killed by their teammate's explosion or turret.
Before playing the game, I thought the fact it had friendly-fire would get frustrating, but in reality it adds to the overall chaos.
While you can play the game solo, it is not recommended as things can get overwhelming incredibly quickly. While there are various difficulties to chose from, the game truly shines while playing with others.
You can customise your character's build to best suit your playstyle. If you want to be more of a tank character, you can priotise heavy armour and more powerful weapons at the expense of mobility.
The same goes for having a lighter build. You will be able to move more freely around the map, but you are likely to die more frequently because your armour isn't as robust.
No matter what approach you take, there is a gameplay system that helps level the playing field known as Stratagems.
Reinforcements
These can vary from calling in missile strikes, support weapons, sentry turrets or, most importantly, being able to bring fallen comrades back into the fold.
What makes the system so brilliant is that you don't simply press a button to call it in, you have to hold L1 and press a combination on the d-pad such as (↑↓←→↓↑).
This means you have to focus on the combo when you are being surrounded by enemies. If you are the last one standing and being swarmed by bugs, the tension reaches a fever pitch.
What adds to the level of immersion is how well the Dualsense controller features are implemented in the game. The developers do an incredible job of making each gun feel powerful and unique through haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
The same goes for the massive cluster bombs that you can call down to obliterate enemy hideouts. You feel every explosion through the vibrations in your controller.
Instead of having a co-op story mode, the game is smartly set up as a series of missions which take part on a Galactic map you can see on your ship.
It shows you how many others are playing at that moment, as well as what percentage of each planet is "liberated". It feeds into the wider story that you are playing your part in a larger war across the galaxy.
Enemy factions
In terms of your adversaries, there are two factions (with more planned in the future). There are Terminids, which are alien bugs of various sizes, and the terminator-style Automatons with their glowing-red eyes.
Terminids spew acidic fluid on you, and you can even become completely covered from head to toe in their goo. Eventually, you will learn to pick them off from a distance.
The Automatons on the other hand, offer a much stiffer challenge as they have weapons like rocket launchers and are much tougher to bring down.
There are various mission types you can tackle together, such as destroying Automaton factories, activating a drill rig or defending a certain area.
There are smaller objectives you can tackle as well, such as killing bug nests or shutting down rogue research stations. You can't spend all day on the planet though, as each mission has a time limit.
What the game excels at is forcing you to co-operate and work together to complete objectives.
What the game excels at is forcing you to co-operate and work together to complete objectives. One mission objective sees you having to get a satellite back online.
This means one of you has to move it to the right position, while the other player is the one who can see where it needs to be moved to.
This is all happens when you are surrounded by multiple enemies, and it is during moments like this where the real magic of the game comes together.
Instead of trying to fight against the madness, you really have to embrace the chaos, and that is when the game is at its peak.
On top of this, each planet feels distinct and whether it is volumetric fog or stunning lighting, each environment has an incredible sense of atmosphere.
Sadly, there have been a lot of server issues, because they underestimated the number of people that would be playing on PS5 and PC. Thankfully, the developers have been updating the game with patches to fix the issues.
It is clearly a massive hit for a reason. Nothing beats blasting bugs into oblivion with your buddies in the name of democracy.
