IIf you’ve ever dreamed of starring in your own version of Paul Verhoeven’s biting sci-fi satire Starship Troopers, fear not now. Your wish has already been answered. A sequel to the 2015 top-down co-op shooter, Helldivers 2 sees a squad of burly space marines swoop down onto an alien planet, inspired by patriotic slogans, and crush anything that moves with ultra-high-tech weaponry. It’s an online game. Some of them involve giant insect monsters, and some involve robots. However, the result is the same, so it doesn’t really matter. Industrial slaughter with guts flying out. And like the movie it’s based on, Helldivers 2 is a surprisingly fun and entertaining game.

There’s not much to explain in advance. It’s the future, and Earth, now known as Super-Earth, finds itself under threat from alien monsters from a distant planet, a planet that happens to be rich in mineral deposits. You start with a basic spaceship and a rudimentary warrior, then choose a world to visit and a mission to undertake, then land on land and begin educating the local population in the joys of militarized democracy . You can take on the mission alone, but it’s even better when you play with three other her players. This is truly cooperative play. Everyone gets a set of primary and secondary weapons (meaning a shotgun, SMG, assault rifle, and pistol), and a grenade. However, during battle you can also summon strategic gems, special weapons and items, ranging from orbital missile attacks to defensive shields and automatic machine gun turrets.

Missions range from raising patriotic flags to recalibrating communications equipment to rescuing civilian settlers, but there are always side tasks like destroying bases or exploring abandoned research stations. You can also find samples that you can collect to buy upgrades for your spaceship, as well as medals that allow you to get new armor and custom his items. The main currency is demand vouchers, which pay for new strategies from a huge and exotic list. There is one currency, “Super Credits,” which can be purchased with real money, but the developer, Arrowhead Game Studios, notes that the things you buy with them (mostly body armor and helmets) are not required for progression, and that you can purchase them with real money. I claim it can be done. Earn Super Credits in the game anyway. I’ve never felt the need to buy anything while playing and leveling up for hours.

The gameplay loop is so tight that it can become laughably slim if done poorly. Team up, attack planets, kill stuff, collect stuff, then extract it and count your earnings to buy better weapons. Repeat until exhausted. Leveling up unlocks new collections of more powerful hardware, but it’s basically the same thing until a planet is “liberated” and you and all other players around the world move to another location. (yes, it’s there). ™ is a global real-time battle map where all participants contribute to intergalactic peace efforts).

Why doesn’t this tire quickly? Because Arrowhead focuses its design attention on making every aspect of the experience highly enjoyable. The guns are chunky, varied, and impactful. Each direct hit is accompanied by the gurgle of insects and a tangle of metal, while the sounds of missile strikes and napalm explosions are a fiery symphony of destruction. This is a game that truly understands the value of intense, disproportionate feedback.

Visually, Helldivers 2 benefits greatly from the move from top-down to fully third-person 3D visuals. And the air smells like cordite?

The best shooters encourage players to participate in a way that fits the tone and world of the game, and Helldivers 2 is definitely one of them.