Democracy Arrives on Xbox in Helldivers 2 Review

What a time to be alive!, as the Anglo-Saxons would say. O tempora o mores!, our ancestor Cicero would have said. In short, who would have ever expected to start a game on Xbox Series X and find themselves facing the PlayStation Studios logo? True, there's the precedent of MLB The Show, but what's happening these days is something different, something that marks an era: Sony publishes one of its first-party titles and an undoubted success on Xbox, while on PS5, the remake of the first chapter of Gears of War is released. Strike the banners and go home: the console war is over. 

If Microsoft has now officially donned the mantle of a multiplatform publisher, Sony is beginning to show decisive signs of openness towards its rival's ecosystem, having effectively extended the market for its software to PC users. It's no longer so far-fetched to imagine the arrival of Spider-Man or even Nathan Drake on the Xbox store in the more or less distant future; for now, however, the role of trailblazer falls to Helldivers II, and the unexpected event represents an excellent reason to talk about Arrowhead's acclaimed shooter again. By the way, as often happens in these cases, the developers haven't been idle and have prepared a substantial update for all versions, which arrived simultaneously with the Xbox launch. 

New Enemies of Democracy 

The arrival of Xbox users in battle has become necessary to face a new front that has recently opened in the brutal war where Super Earth defends democracy against the offensives of the Terminids, Automatons, and the newcomers, the Illuminates, a faction returning from the previous chapter. This technologically advanced civilization brings gigantic units to the battlefield, such as the Manta with its carpet bombings raining down from the sky, decimating our Helldivers. However, one must not underestimate the Voteless, zombified versions of Super Earth citizens who individually pose no threat but tend to move in numerous and ravenous groups. Often, these groups move around a Flesh Mass, a revolting agglomeration of mismatched Voteless parts, an abomination that blurs vision, a hallucinated version of Frankenstein that nevertheless hits very, very hard. Fortunately for us and for democracy, Super Earth engineers have worked day and night, and now the Helldivers' equipment has effective countermeasures to face the renewed enemy offensive. 

On the Xbox Front of Helldivers 2

After introducing the new nemesis threatening democracy, let's pick up the thread of the introduction and try to answer the question: what's it like to play Helldivers 2 on Xbox Series X? The first adjective that comes to mind is: disorienting. Upon first launch, the game is preceded by a brief tutorial (the same one available at launch) that introduces us to both the game's satirical tone and its basic mechanics. However, the impact of the first mission quickly demonstrates that the distance between what is described in the tutorial and what happens on the battlefield is abysmal; and while on the one hand it works perfectly as an additional layer of criticism (albeit perhaps unintentional), on the other hand, for Xbox players completely new to the Helldivers 2 experience, it can be a barrier to entry to consider. 

Ultimately, Helldivers 2 is not too complex a game to decipher, and the constant presence of other players in matches makes it quite easy to find someone willing to explain what we haven't yet grasped, also thanks to the cross-platform option. However, an update to the rules of engagement, which have evolved considerably in a year and a half compared to what is represented in the tutorial, would not have hurt. In favor of Helldivers 2, however, all those factors that made the game a surprise success from the very first days after publication still play a role. It's clear where Arrowhead's shooter draws its inspiration from, to the point that Starship Troopers is explicitly cited and the reference to Warhammer is barely veiled. Yet the citationism does not prevent Arrowhead's shooter from capturing the player's attention with a deliberately over-the-top narrative. It's a bit like wrestling; there's a kind of pact between spectator and spectacle about the veracity of the staging that sometimes finds an almost perfect balance. Here, Helldivers 2 moves on that line with the skill of a seasoned tightrope walker. 

How is Helldivers 2 on Xbox Series? 

In short, on Series X it is substantially identical to its PS5 counterpart; on Series S, the sacrifice is the resolution, and it's quite noticeable. When we say substantially identical, we mean that the Microsoft console versions also carry over roughly all the original bugs and problems, including anti-AA blur or various graphical glitches. The only slowdown detected concerns only the loading screen where the hellpod plunges towards the planet, so its impact is truly irrelevant. But it must also be said that, ultimately, graphics are certainly not the secret to Helldivers 2's success. Yet it's easy, even a year and a half later, to understand why it was and still is a success: it's damn fun. It's well-written, for starters, with the right amount of brilliance, then it's well-designed both in its mechanics and structure, with the progression of the different fronts on the galactic map that encourages you to jump into the fray and seek a new type of battle. And a year and a half later, probably, these elements hold up better than jaw-dropping graphics. Judging by the new peaks of players flocking to the Helldivers 2 servers, many have already abandoned the console war to change fronts and enlist in defense of Democracy.