Drop it like it’s Hoth.

This time it’s a scientific base, and we’re here to destroy it entirely.

As I pull back my arm to throw the beacon, several things happen at once.

Helldivers 2 banner art showing a squad of four Helldivers standing triumphantly atop a hill, with yellow smoke behind them, ships in the sky above, and alien bugs below.

The hellbomb behind us explodes, triggering a massive shockwave that rocks my screen.

Perhaps cool guysshouldlook back at explosions.

This ridiculous scenario is typical of a mission in co-op shooterHelldivers 2, where team-killing is a regular occurrence.

Cover image for YouTube video

It’s this extreme silliness which makes the game so entertaining, and its battles so memorable.

(Certainly this one - my squadmates won’t be letting me forgetthatparticular mistake for a while.)

With the help of bombs and bullets, of course.

Helldivers 2 screenshot showing The player-character stands facing a large fireball from an Eagle Rocket Pod drop.

Bullets will work on hordes of bugs, but for armoured robots, you’ll need something more explosive.

Then it’s down to the ground, dropped in a hellpod that lands with a hefty thunk.

Things really can escalate from zero to 100 with no warning.

Helldivers 2 screenshot - The player-character looks up at a rocket as it launches. The game’s UI states: mission completed - launch ICBM.

There are frozen wastelands where your walking speed is reduced by heavy snow.

My personal favourite is Malevelon Creek, where crawling through the bushes at twilight is an alarmingly spooky experience.

In the middle of all this chaos, you will have to somehow make level-headed tactical decisions.

Helldivers 2 screenshot - A lone helldiver stands on the top of an extraction ship, surrounded by bugs, with their teammate dead.

It’s like entering the Konami cheat code with people firing rockets at your head.

The wide range of difficulty options also makes things more manageable when playing solo.

And boy do these levels get tough: you won’t be short of a challenge here.

Helldivers 2 screenshot showing Three helldivers look down on an abandoned facility filled with bugs, on a murky green planet with fires raging in the background.

Text to speech option for text chat messages.

Subtitles and subtitle size options.

HUD size, opacity and visibility options.

Helldivers 2 gif - The player-character pings a bullet at a hellbomb on the floor, starting a detonation sequence. The player-character runs away just as the bomb explodes, killing a large insect in the process.

Independent sliders for music, sound effects, dialogue and voice chat volume.

Current objectives and destinations viewable on map and compass.

Mouse sensitivity options, with separate sliders for mouse aim, scope and map sensitivity.

Invert mouse options, vertical and horizontal, and when scoped.

Trigger effect and vibration strength options on controller.

Invert controller options, vertical and horizontal, and when scoped.

The only time I actually had a problem with the progression system was due to technical issues.

In total, I probably lost about half a day’s worth of progress, which was somewhat disheartening.

Despite the issues surrounding matchmaking, when Helldivers 2 works, it’s a wonderfully slapstick co-op experience.

There was the time I got flattened by the extraction ship.

Anyone know the blast range of a mini nuke?

Guess there’s only one way to find out.

A copy of Helldivers 2 was provided for review by Sony Interactive Entertainment.