Real Time Strategy games have been having a difficult time for a while now, but Helldivers 2 has all the ingredients to reignite interest in the genre. Despite a dedicated player base sticking by, Blizzard seems reluctant to give any attention to Starcraft. Perhaps the neglect of this former strategy titan could open up space for Arrowhead to step in with a competitor set in the Helldivers 2 universe.
Arrowhead has already proven to be a very adaptable studio, as Helldivers 1 was a much humbler undertaking compared to the huge steps taken to make Helldivers 2 the hugely successful co-op shooter it is today. The formula is evidently very flexible, and as both games feature large battles for resources on expansive maps, it isn’t so hard to imagine that this franchise could be just what the RTS genre needs.
Helldivers 2's Armor Could Use More Depth, But It Should Tread Carefully
Helldivers 2's armor could undergo major changes that can help improve the game, but overhauling armor can also be detrimental.
Helldivers’ Core Mechanics Would Translate to the RTS Genre Very Well
Anyone familiar with the first game will remember its isometric perspective. Helldivers 1 melded typical strategy mechanics, like structures and call-in artillery, with twin-stick shooter gameplay to make for a uniquely tactical real-time loop. Combined with pre-selected loadout systems and the galaxy map, Arrowhead has clearly been taking inspiration from strategy games for some time. Helldivers 2 modified a lot of these pillars to work in a third/first-person perspective to massive success, proving it is an enduring format.
Beyond mechanics, Helldivers’ faction and map design would cross over very well. All three of the featured enemy races have their own identity and large rosters of units, backed up by buildings that provide functionality akin to RTS bases. Terminids would satisfy someone who enjoys wave attacks of endless chitinous bugs, reminiscent of Zerg, using ambushes to divide enemy lines before the big beasts attack. Automatons rely on traditional combined arms and strong defenses, bogging down their foes with lines of trenches and minefields, while the Illuminate strike and fade with small contingents of elite soldiers shielded by mindless drones, their mobile ships offering a new interpretation of traditional base structures.
Even the forces of Super Earth could form a faction. By expanding the roster of infantry and vehicles, Super Earth could play very atypically from most human factions in similar games. Instead of being numerically superior, Helldivers 2 has shown what can be achieved by a select few operatives playing tactically, and a Helldivers RTS could lean into this philosophy to present a human faction that operates more akin to a band of specialists, where the loss of even one soldier is a big economic blow.
Other RTS Games Have Proven the Formula Would Work
Starcraft provides a good blueprint for how a Helldivers RTS could work. Large armies, strategic resource gathering, and strong factional diversity are all there. However, other entries in the genre also support the concept.
The Dawn of War series shares some elements with Helldivers. The Dark Crusade expansion deviated from a linear story campaign, instead implementing a battle map populated by the game’s factions all fighting for control of the planet. Helldivers could leverage the always online galaxy map to do something similar, perhaps ambitiously crossing over with the Helldivers 2 map, letting players dictate the course of a faction’s galactic ambitions.
Dawn of War 2 and Company of Heroes have a commander system reminiscent of Helldivers' stratagems. Each faction has a selection of global abilities ready to be activated from the hotbar to spawn commander-specific units, deploy forward structures or nuke enemy positions from orbit with powerful artillery. By expanding on the way Helldivers 2 implemented a similar mechanic, each of the four factions could have a selection of global abilities that build upon their playstyles.
If Helldivers really wanted to break the mold, of course, it could take notes from a classic title like Age of Empires. Perhaps an unusual way to approach things, Age of Empires satisfies those players who want long, thoughtful games on very large maps. Helldivers could use this blueprint to represent the forces of its respective factions deploying to a planet for the first time, expanding from their beachheads to vie for control of local resources until they become advanced superstates, which would emulate how the different factions feel when conquering new planets.
Helldivers 2: Best Melee Weapons, Ranked
Find the best melee weapon to smash enemies in Helldivers 2. We're ranking them by damage, speed, and utility to help you dominate up close.
Despite Helldivers’ Suitability, the RTS Genre Is Difficult to Break Into
There is a reason that Starcraft is not what it used to be, and it doesn’t have anything to do with a more popular game replacing it. Ever since the rise of MOBAs, RTSes have been suffering a long death. Offering a more accessible interpretation of isometric tactics while retaining high skill ceilings, MOBAs have proven to be more attractive, and many players do not have the APM to compete at the highest levels of Starcraft. Even slower games like Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, which enjoyed success for a while, could never boast player numbers anywhere near even Starcraft.
One of the few big hits in recent memory is Total War: Warhammer, but even that game strips back a lot of traditional RTS features, such as live resource management, making onboarding new players easier. Total War was already a successful franchise before making Warhammer games, and the strong IP only made it more successful.
But IP alone cannot be relied upon. Plenty of strong franchises have attempted and failed to gain a foothold in the strategy market. Sticking with Warhammer, Realms of Ruin tried to apply the Dawn of War 2 tactical formula to an Age of Sigmar setting, but failed to find an audience. Relic have also seemingly abandoned Dawn of War for the foreseeable future after the third installment’s identity crisis caused players to return to older entries in the series.
Clearly, it is not just strong IP and copying successful models that make lasting games. If Helldivers were to launch an RTS, it needs to stand apart from the rest, leveraging the best parts of the series’ formula, and an understanding of what makes strategy games fun. The game worked because it shook up the co-op shooter market. There is popularity inherent in co-op games like Helldivers, something that has waned with RTSes. If a Helldivers RTS is going to be successful, it needs to do more than crutch on its brand name - it needs to make people love the RTS genre all over again.
Helldivers 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
