Here’s the thing: we’ve been here before. Helldivers 2 is a game that’s extremely interesting to look at from the prism of its predecessor, the original Helldivers. That’s because, in more ways than one, it’s a higher-grade, higher-quality repeat of the same concept at its very core.
Indeed, we did discuss this already from a more practical point of view, when thinking about the gear, goodies, and Stratagems that may drop into Helldivers 2 at some point in time, and which were present in the original game. This time around, I’m more interested in the higher concepts of loss and victory as they are depicted in Helldivers, and how the game’s narrative flexes in real-time to accommodate them.
Because, as we’ve seen time and again, Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 is a sandbox on a (virtual) galactic scale: if the player base does not rise to the challenge presented by game master Joel, then there are consequences on the docket, and boy howdy, if you thought Super Earth itself was not subject to them, you may be surprised by what I’ve got for you.
Helldivers 2 might get a narrative reset, as the precedent already exists
As per the official (wiki-held) Galactic Campaign Records of the Helldivers franchise, Super Earth is now its 135th galactic war. Most of these wars wrapped up in victory, yes, but not all of them. More often than Super Earth government would ever admit, Helldiver forces got outmatched and outwitted by any of the three competing historical factions: the Cyborgs, the Bugs, and the Illuminate. The end result? The total destruction of Super Earth itself. No amount of bodies thrown at this problem could’ve resolved it by that point in time.
The curious bit, though, is that the original Helldivers‘ campaign both moved on and did not: the lore posits that a wholly different planet in what may or may not be a different galaxy was then named Super Earth, and the whole thing repeated anew in a slightly different configuration. It’s unclear whether this explanation is to be taken at face value, of course, but given the developer Arrowhead’s track record, it’s a safe bet that something similar might happen in Helldivers 2 as well.
Even though there are way more Helldivers today than ever before, the enemy forces are not pushovers at all. Heck, even when it seemed all but certain (ahem) that the Automatons were out of the fight, they came back stronger than ever before, taking over whole sectors of the galaxy within hours. We did get a cool little Cyberstan takeover animation though, so that was neat.
The point I’d like to make is that Helldivers 2 is a more technologically advanced, engaging, and dynamic version of the first Helldivers. It’s Arrowhead flexing its proverbial muscles to show just how far its dynamic galactic combat sandbox can be simulated. To that end, if Joel decides that the time is right to put Helldivers on the backpedal, it’s bound to happen no matter what, and the destruction of the latest version of Super Earth may well be on the docket already.
Remember, too, that Helldivers 2 has got plenty of more aces up its sleeves. Mysterious blue-laser assassins are still prowling about, and Arrowhead is keen on straight-up not telling players what’s going on in the latest updates to the game. Such is the nature of this system: it’s way more closed off than most other live-service games, and that’s for the better.
Taking all of this into account, then, it feels obvious that sooner or later, something catastrophic will happen to Super Earth, and if that’s the case, it goes without saying that the game simply needs to push on no matter what. It’s obviously unacceptable that there would be no Helldivers 2 for players to actually log into and play, right? In that case, Arrowhead is bound to do what it’s done before: reset the galactic sandbox, reintroduce the factions and key gameplay elements (flying bugs, super-bots, etc.) at a different pace, and see how the story pans out this time.
Whether Super Earth wins or loses, a narrative reset is all but certain on a long enough timeline, and the community should be prepared to keep doing what it’s been doing over and over (and over) again, for years down the line. That’s just how managed democracy rolls, I suppose!
Of course, there’s no telling how a given galactic war might get wrapped up. Arrowhead could get really creative with its storytelling if necessary, and it seems obvious that we’ll keep getting Helldivers 2 content for years down the line. This implies all-new threats and all-new ways for Super Earth to get blown up to smithereens. It’s still a tad early for that to happen, though, and who knows what other curve balls might Arrowhead throw our way before pulling the plug on a given Super Earth. I’m just happy to be along for the ride.
