Pretty much the most hellish top-down shooter on the market will soon receive a sequel. Helldivers 2 continues the punishing difficulty trend, but offers many changes to the franchise’s formula.

The most obvious one: goodbye top-down, hello over-the-shoulder perspective! The rest will be instantly familiar to the fans of the previous game, though. As a member of the titular Helldivers, you’re the one doing all the dirty work of eradicating alien threats to humanity.

That’s right: your task is to rain hell on your enemies and work together with your friends as a single, cohesive unit. Returning are Strategems – air drops of all sorts. Some are destructive, some helpful, but they’re all come in handy and can turn the tide of battle if used properly.

Up to four players can complete the missions together. Naturally, there’s also a progression system which lets you upgrade your gear and weapons. And when it comes to wielding them firearms, things have gotten more hardcore. The new armor system, inspired by real-life guns, means that sometimes your bullets can get deflected. And yeah, there are so many new ways to kill your pals with friendly fire.

Are you ready to squash some alien bugs? Helldivers 2 is dropping on February 8, 2024. If you’re looking for a great video game adaptation of Starship Troopers, you’re about to get one!