There’s no denying the brilliance ofHelldivers 2’ssatire, sharing a similar flippant tone withBethesda’sFalloutseries. This direction makes interesting gameplay in the shooter, as comrades don’t know whether to laugh or cry during campaigns against theTerminidsandAutomatons. Therefore, it’s good to hear that the inspiration behind the sequel’s attitude draws from various sources.
What was once the projected game of the year, Helldivers 2 has been battling controversy lately regardingterritory bans, and the fanbase wasted no time in turning up the heat. WhileArrowheadnavigates a path through this rocky terrain, a former lead writer for the shooter weighed in on the pop culture stimulus responsible for inspiring the successor’s tongue-in-cheek writing.
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Helldivers 2 Calls Upon Science-Fiction And Real-Life Satire
Providing insight during aninterviewwith Inverse, Russ Nickel recalled popular literature, revolving around “dystopian stuff”, that intrigued him as a kid the same way the energy of Helldivers 2 invited gamers. “I loved a lot of dystopian stuff since I was a kid. Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and V for Vendetta, were all formative for me. Even the trashier stuff, like the film Equilibrium, all of those sci-fi dystopias that try to dissect how this dystopia came to be are very much a part of my DNA.”
It’s no secret that Helldivers 2 has been compared to the visuals and genre belonging to science-fiction movies Starship Troopers and Robocop, but Nickel also “pulled from real life” and collaborated with fellow writer, Stephen Flowers, to repurpose some of the satire found in everyday topics.
“I pulled from real life because we had this awesome satire available to us. Being able to try and change the world in a way where people can start to realize the problems that happen and stand up to them like they didthis past week.
I kept trying to look at what’s happening now. What are the actual problems in society? How can we start to fold those into the game and little tiny ways and pull them out? That’s something that the writer, Stephen Flowers and I still talk about for the Major Orders. It’s easy to tell a cool sci-fi story, but it’s hard to make sure that story is constantly reflecting real-world problems in a satirical and important way.”
A more specific pocket of real-world conflict used to fuel the original Helldivers game stemmed from George W. Bush’s service. Nickel explained: “The original game was very much inspired by the weapons of mass destruction, George W. Bush-era stuff. So I was looking to update that. As a writer I do believe that you should just put the work out there and then let the audience find the inspiration and the parallels and stuff.”
Dungeons & Dragons And Improv Go Hand-In-Hand
When it comes to world-building, Nickel was quick to highlight American high fantasy and science-fiction writer, Brandon Sanderson, as his “go-to person”. Nickel continued: “I think he’s a world-building master and that’s why he’s so successful. I’ve watched so many of his lectures on how to world-build.”
The interviewer referenced Westworld, comparing the HBO show’s “convolutedness”, fuelled by writers reading Reddit threads, to Arrowhead’s balance between “author agency” and player feedback regarding the Malevolen Creek carnage.
Touching on Helldivers 2’s distinct comedy, Nickel mentioned that he and Flowers share a similar sense of humor and even revealed that the writers were once roommates and performed improv together.
Finally, popular tabletop RPG, Dungeons and Dragons, was also listed as a driving force behind the game design for Helldivers 2 with Nickel being a dungeon master. “…I think being a DM has been so helpful for game writing. You build the sandbox with plans, but you have to be able to let go of those plans. I love how collaborative it is. It’s so crazy to me that right now there’s a dungeon master who is playing a game with 10 million people, and they’re all collaborating on a story.”
Helldivers 2
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