Weapon and Armor Design Is Not the Only Thing Helldivers 2 Has in Common With Starship Troopers

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Weapon and Armor Design Is Not the Only Thing Helldivers 2 Has in Common With Starship Troopers

When Arrowhead’s co-op shooter exploded onto the scene last year, gamers immediately recognized its spiritual connection to Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 cult classic. The gray-and-****** armor, the rounded helmets, the endless waves of insectoid enemies—the visual parallels between Helldivers 2 and Starship Troopers are undeniable.

But Super Earth’s war against the Terminids runs deeper than mere aesthetic homage. The connections between these two franchises extend far beyond power armor and bug guts, reaching into the realm of biting social commentary that both properties execute with gleeful abandon.

More than just bugs and guns: the shared DNA of managed democracy

The most fascinating parallel between Helldivers 2 and Starship Troopers isn’t the combat—it’s the mockery of ultra-nationalism that permeates both worlds.

While Verhoeven’s film was initially misunderstood as endorsing fascism, time revealed its brilliant satire of militaristic propaganda. Helldivers 2 cranks this satire to eleven, with its “Managed Democracy” and comically over-the-top patriotism.

Every mission briefing drips with jingoistic rhetoric about spreading freedom to planets that never asked for it. Players gleefully delete sensitive data from hard drives not to keep it from the bugs (who couldn’t read it anyway) but to hide information from Super Earth’s own citizens.

The game doesn’t just borrow Verhoeven’s aesthetic—it embraces his scathing critique of war propaganda and imperial expansion.

Even the ranking system contains a brilliant Starship Troopers easter egg. After reaching the prestigious “10-Star General” rank at level 130, players bizarrely get demoted to “Private” at level 140 and finally “Super Private” at level 150.

This seemingly odd choice directly references the film’s Drill Sergeant who demotes himself to Private just to get back to the frontlines and kill more bugs—relatable much, fellow Helldivers?

From Johnny Rico’s approval to Extermination competition

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only good bug…” | Image Credit: Offworld

When Casper Van Dien, who played protagonist Johnny Rico in the original film, watched Helldivers 2 footage, his reaction was pure delight. The actor immediately recognized the game’s loving tribute to the movie that defined his career.

Speaking with

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during a reaction video, Van Dien couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for the similarities he spotted:

I see it all. I see the way the characters talk, and what they say. I see the bugs and everything. It’s such a tribute to Starship Troopers. It’s really quite wonderful.

Van Dien even gave the game a perfect 10/10 score, though he did express some reservations about those “tactical” capes: “It’s cool, but… Helldivers look just like being out there in the thing. They’re throwing capes in, which probably would’ve gotten on my nerves.”

Interestingly, Helldivers 2 isn’t the only game drawing from this well. Starship Troopers: Extermination, the officially licensed FPS game, released its full version in October 2024 after a year in early access. While it offers 16-player co-op (compared to Helldivers 2′s 4-player squads), it hasn’t captured the same cultural zeitgeist as Arrowhead‘s satirical masterpiece.

Perhaps that’s because Helldivers 2 doesn’t just copy Starship Troopers’ homework—it understands what made Verhoeven’s film special. The game’s success comes from recognizing that beneath the bug-squashing action lies a darkly comic critique of militarism that’s as relevant today as it was in 1997.

Have you spotted other connections between these two franchises? Drop your observations in the comments below! For Liberty.

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#Weapon #Armor #Design #Helldivers #Common #StarshipTroopers

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