As one of the best arcade-style shooters available on the PS3 and PS4, it was an unexpected but welcome surprise to see a sequel to Arrowhead Games' Helldivers announced as part of the May 24 PlayStation Showcase. Clearly seeking to replicate the Starship Troopers-esque humor and satire of the original game, Helldivers 2 is set to launch on PS5 later in 2023 though no specific release date was given. The sequel is already differentiating itself from its predecessor thanks to a shift in perspective from the original's top-down action to a third-person shooter complete with a "behind-the-shoulder" camera view reminiscent of Mass Effect.

While several games in the shooting and action genres allow for switches between first and third-person perspective during particular sections of the game, it's a much more rare occurrence for a title to change its camera perspective between sequels. Both Metroid and Resident Evil found great success by shifting to first-person perspective after originally being third-person. While Helldivers was already technically a third-person game due to its overhead perspective, the sequel's switch to a camera view more often associated with co-op shooters might help it reach a greater audience than the original and help endear it to shooting fans.

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Other Changes to the Helldivers Formula to Expect in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 soldiers rising a flag

The original Helldivers counts itself as one of the best co-op twin-stick shooters and was able to generate a strong fanbase on PlayStation 4 thanks to the expanded edition releasing as one of the first free games for the PS Plus service. The frantic bug-hunting action of Helldivers had a distinctly arcade-type feel and the game itself was chock full of humor. The reveal trailer for Helldivers 2 promises a similar spirit albeit from a shifted perspective. When considering how the perspective change to a behind-the-shoulder camera might change gameplay, there are several possibilities.

In a statement on the PlayStation blog, a representative from Arrowhead Games confirmed that friendly fire will play a major part in terms of co-op strategy and careful positioning of squads. Friendly fire was a critical component of Helldivers' gameplay and also led to some humorous moments in co-op, but the top-down perspective of that game made it easier to determine a player's line of fire and positioning relative to squad mates. The shift to a behind-the-shoulder camera adds an interesting wrinkle to the "always on" friendly fire and may require players be more present regarding how they coordinate and communicate with their squad.

The team at Arrowhead Games has already announced that the shift in perspective was done in order to make Helldivers 2 feel more robust than the original PS3 and PS4 game, and the footage shown of the title so far promises some hectic co-op shooting action. Co-op play is still the intended play mode for the game and the critical response to the original is hopefully an indication of the sequel having an active community at launch.

Still, the Mass Effect-style perspective will require squads to coordinate in a way that might make matchmaking with strangers less effective than playing with friends. Fans of the original won't have much longer to wait before suiting up to bring peace through superior firepower, and Helldivers 2's shift in perspective signals an intent to make the sequel bigger, better, and buggier. Hopefully this means that Helldivers 2 blossoms into one of the current PlayStation's most memorable shooter games.

Helldivers 2 is set to launch in 2023 on PC and PS5.

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