Last year, Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 took the multiplayer gaming community by storm, offering players a thrilling experience of spreading democracy across the stars through intense combat against aliens and robots. Following the success of their Elden Ring board game adaptation, Steamforged Games is now bringing the fast-paced and frenetic gameplay of Helldivers 2 to the tabletop. The new board game is currently available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the opportunity to play a prototype and discuss the game's development with designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu.
Helldivers 2: The Board Game
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Development on Helldivers 2: The Board Game began shortly after the video game's launch early last year. The board game successfully captures the essence of what made the video game popular: tense firefights, chaotic surprises, and a focus on teamwork, while also introducing unique tweaks to enhance the tabletop experience.
Helldivers 2 remains a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game, accommodating one to four players. The designers suggest solo players use two characters to fully experience the game. Each player selects a unique Helldiver class, such as the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, or Captain, each with a distinct perk, a set of action cards, and a powerful "Act of Valor" ability usable once per game. Players customize their kits with primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems, with recommended loadouts available but customizable once players are familiar with the game.
Gameplay unfolds on grid-based boards that expand as players explore, revealing sub-objectives and primary objectives, such as destroying Terminid hatcheries in the prototype. As exploration progresses, increasingly difficult enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency to the gameplay, keeping the experience intense and engaging.
The prototype focused on a single objective of destroying Terminid hatcheries, but the final release will offer various mission options. The base game will include two of the three main factions: Terminids and Automatons, each with 10 unit types. While not confirmed, an expansion featuring the Illuminate faction might be introduced through stretch goals, a common practice for Steamforged Games.
A key aspect of the board game adaptation is how it handles the feeling of being overwhelmed and outnumbered. Unlike games like Zombicide, which overwhelm with sheer numbers, Helldivers opts for fewer but more challenging enemies, emphasizing tactical close-up combat as players progress deeper into missions.
Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a pool, which are shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker similar to Steamforged's Elden Ring game. Combat is dice-based, with every four action cards played triggering a random event that can disrupt plans, such as spawning additional enemies, adding to the game's unpredictability and excitement.
Combat for Helldivers involves rolling dice based on weapon types, with damage determined by the total roll value. For every five points, an enemy receives a wound, simplifying the combat mechanics and focusing on the impact of each attack. Friendly fire is a risk, particularly with area attacks, but reinforcements can mitigate this challenge.
A notable addition to the board game is the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, designed to replicate the cooperative shooting experience from the video game. Nic explained, "In the video game, you're encouraged to work together as a team. You have a heavily armored enemy, you need to flank and shoot at weak points. But in a board game, without complex facing and armor mechanics, we implemented 'massed fire,' allowing other Helldivers to focus fire on a target within range, incentivizing teamwork."
While players can explore solo, the 'Massed Fire' mechanic reduces downtime and encourages group play. However, enemy attacks are somewhat static, with set damage or effects, and players draw wound cards upon being hit. Accumulating three wounds results in character death, but players can respawn based on the chosen difficulty level, regaining their full loadout.
The galactic war aspect from the video game did not make it into the board game, as Arrowhead wanted the tabletop version to feel unique. Jamie shared that the board game is positioned as a training simulation for Helldivers, adding a fun lore element to the experience.
Despite the new medium, the designers aimed to maintain the essence of Helldivers. Nic emphasized, "We wanted to ensure that even with different mechanics, it felt like Helldivers – unexpected events, strategems that could go awry, and a dwindling pool of reinforcements as you progress through the game." Derek added, "We kept the core loop of mission objectives and the thrill of chasing shiny sub-objectives while dealing with enemies trying to eat you."
The game's core mechanics are approximately 75-80% finalized, allowing room for adjustments based on community feedback and potential new ideas. Despite concerns about tariffs affecting the board gaming industry, Jamie assured that their plans remain unchanged, with the team ready to adapt if necessary.
After playing the prototype, the systems in place, such as random events and the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, create epic moments. However, a desire for more smaller enemies to shoot at and a bit more depth in enemy attacks persists. Adding varied outcomes to enemy attacks through dice rolls could align their combat with the game's overall chaotic feel.
Anticipation grows for what other surprises Steamforged Games has in store for Helldivers 2. The prototype has left players eager to explore new classes, mission types, and combinations with different enemies and biomes. The community is already buzzing with excitement, asking, "Where are we dropping next?"
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