This “Hell Driver” sequel became the most enjoyable game I played during the Spring Festival.

If we talk about the shortcomings of “Helldivers 2,” there are actually many... Problems like server crashes, various online bugs, etc., are still present, and there have been instances of server explosions. However, this cooperative game, which seems to have no major features, keeps making me want to start the next round due to its ancestral fun of “hitting teammates” and “being hit by teammates.”

Since it’s a service-type game and the experience time is still short, I’ll share my evaluation based on the early experience.

• Game Name: Helldivers 2

• Game Type: Third-Person Shooter

• Game Mode: Online 1-4 Player Cooperative/Single Player Combat

• Platforms: PS5, PC

Successful Perspective Change Arrowhead launched the first “Helldivers” in 2015. After nearly 9 years, the game has changed from a top-down view to a current mainstream third-person perspective. I was quite worried about this change at first, but I found that the third-person view actually added more interesting elements. Imagine various calls for reinforcements and crossfire with teammates being placed in a three-dimensional space—you want to hide? That’s wishful thinking.

The third-person view also brought rich planetary weather changes and terrain visual effects. These differences are significant in “Helldivers 2,” such as the fiery hot zones and the completely unclear dark wetlands. New players may feel helpless when pressed by insectoid enemies, and environmental interference further enhances this immersive feeling.

After entering the game for the second time, players can quickly match rooms and join games randomly. It also supports 2-4 player friend team-ups or single-player missions. However, even in normal mode, completing missions alone is still quite challenging. Additionally, the game supports teammate voice and text chat, and the PS5 controller’s microphone allows players to communicate while playing.

There are many types of missions, mostly revolving around extermination, boss killing, defense, and escorting. Main and secondary weapons, grenades, and three types of armor can be chosen with different attributes and styles. War bonds accumulated from missions can unlock more content in the store, and there are also super currencies that can be purchased for cooler outfits. If you have enough patience, you can also obtain them from missions. The PS5 version of “Helldivers 2” also adapts to the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, with specific performance for different weapons.

Friendly Fire The enemy AI in “Helldivers 2” is not too dumb, and since it’s a fully 3D environment, even veterans might panic when giant insects suddenly charge. This leads to many unexpected situations.

By spending earned R-coins, players can gradually unlock more varied airdrop supplies and air-to-ground strike types. However, calling commands have cooldowns and usage limits, and with the whole team sharing them, questions like when to use, who should use, and whether coordinates are thrown accurately become very complex.

In my recent experience, besides a few high-level players leading the team, it’s mostly been inexperienced players teaming up. There were many cases of airdrops hitting teammates, rescue planes crushing teammates, and sentry guns causing chaos. There were also instances where, in panic, the most critical airdrop was thrown onto an inaccessible cliff...

Some high-level players also use inexperienced players as bait, practicing the so-called “sacrifice for the greater good” to save mission time and increase airdrop efficiency, leading to higher rewards on the return journey.

Although “team-killing” situations are frequent, I still felt the harmonious and friendly team spirit among wild teams during these few days of gameplay. Genuine malicious behavior is very rare, and players will salute each other and greet newcomers while waiting on the ship.

The shortcomings should still be mentioned: besides server crashes, various online bugs, and disappearing rewards (which the official is working on), the repetitive nature of missions and planetary environment modeling materials is quite evident. There is also no sign of vehicles in the unlock list, and the current game modes are still too singular. Any one of these issues can easily frustrate players.

However, when we’re darting around under the siege of a large swarm of insects and hitting teammates, the joy is self-evident. It’s a kind of multiplayer fun that hasn’t been experienced in many years. “Helldivers 2” proves a fact: a fun game doesn’t have to be perfect or a top-tier AAA title. It can have many problems, even annoying ones, but it’s still a game that makes you look forward to picking up the controller.