Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Last year's breakout hit in the multiplayer gaming world was Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, a game that championed spreading democracy across the stars through intense combat with aliens and robots. Now, following their successful adaptation of Elden Ring into a board game, Steamforged Games is bringing the fast-paced and chaotic essence of Helldivers 2 to the tabletop. The board game adaptation is currently available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the opportunity to play a prototype and discuss the project with designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesDevelopment on Helldivers 2: The Board Game began shortly after the video game's launch, aiming to capture the excitement and popularity of the original. The board game maintains the cooperative, objective-based skirmish format, where one to four players work together to complete missions while fending off waves of enemies and unexpected events. Each player selects a Helldiver class with unique perks, action cards, and a powerful "Act of Valor" ability. The demo featured the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain classes, each equipped with customizable kits including primary and secondary weapons, grenades, and strategems.

Gameplay unfolds on grid-based boards that expand as players explore, revealing sub-objectives and primary mission targets like Terminid hatcheries. The game maintains a sense of urgency with a mission timer, keeping the experience tense and frenetic. The prototype focused on destroying Terminid hatcheries, but the full release will offer multiple objectives. Enemies include the Terminids and robotic Automatons, with potential expansions introducing the Illuminate faction.

One key aspect of the adaptation is how it handles the overwhelming nature of the original game. Unlike games like Zombicide, which rely on sheer numbers, Helldivers 2: The Board Game focuses on fewer, but more challenging enemies, promoting tactical gameplay.

Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a pool, which are then shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker. Combat is dice-based, with every four action cards triggering a random event that can disrupt plans. Helldivers' combat uses dice rolls to determine damage, with each weapon having its own dice type and quantity. The game simplifies damage calculation, ensuring players always hit but varying the damage dealt.

A new mechanic introduced in the board game is 'Massed Fire,' which encourages teamwork by allowing players to focus fire on a single enemy if they are within range of another Helldiver's weapon. This mechanic reduces player downtime and fosters group play.

While enemies have straightforward damage effects, causing players to draw wound cards, death is not permanent. Players can respawn after a set time, depending on the chosen difficulty, fully restocked with ammo and resources.

One notable omission from the board game is the galactic war feature from the video game, dropped to keep the board game distinct and unique. However, the designers have creatively positioned the board game as a training simulation for Helldivers, adding a fun layer of lore.

The designers have focused on maintaining the essence of Helldivers despite the change in medium, incorporating unexpected events, stratagems with potential mishaps, and a dwindling pool of reinforcements. The core gameplay is around 75-80% finalized, with room for community feedback and balance adjustments. Despite recent concerns about tariffs in the board gaming industry, Steamforged Games is moving forward with their plans without delay.

Playing the prototype was enjoyable, with the random events and Massed Fire mechanic leading to memorable moments. However, the desire for more numerous smaller enemies and more dynamic enemy combat was evident. The anticipation for new classes, game types, and varied enemies and biomes keeps the excitement high.

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