In the realm of interactive storytelling, the art of subtle world-building stands as a pivotal technique for crafting immersive and meaningful narratives. Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Studios, emerges as a prime example of this artistry. At first glance, Helldivers 2 presents a straightforward narrative: elite soldiers, known as Helldivers, fighting to protect democracy in the face of alien threats. Yet, as we look deeper into the game itself, we see the subtle layers to the story. This uncovers a world developed with subtleties and nuances, offering an invaluable lesson in world-building that any game master or storyteller should note.

Why does this subtlety matter, and how does it enhance the game and the story it tells? Helldivers 2 enriches every mission, combat encounter, and exploration with the nuanced world-building, layering in themes that tell a different story than what we get at face value. Under the surface, we get to see the prices paid for freedom, democracy, and the supremacy of Super Earth.

As storytellers and gamemasters, how can we replicate this in our own narratives? In this article, we will delve into the techniques used by Arrowhead Studios to world-build subtlety and how these strategies can apply to your own storytelling, whether that be a tabletop roleplaying game you are writing, and take simple narratives and elevate them into rich, immersive worlds.

Early Gameplay: A Glimpse Beneath the Surface

When you start up Helldivers 2, the intro presents a picture of a middle class utopia. The world of Super Earth seems to be the American Dream. However, something lurks in the shadows. Immediately the player is witness to a Terminid, the bug enemy of the game, attacking and (off camera) killing a family while the husband watches in horror. It then quickly turns into a military recruitment ad for the Helldivers, offering the citizens of Super Earth a way to fight against the foes that would destroy everything they hold dear. But as players start the game, some things quickly become clear.

Before a player can deploy and start dishing out liberty, they have to go through the tutorial of the game. Like any other tutorial, this walks you through the basics of how to use the controls. This is the first place, however, that we get a taste of what the world is really like. During the tutorial, players will run into situations that involve real enemies and live rounds. When the player learns to crouch and crawl, it’s underneath sentry guns that are firing real bullets. If the player messes up, like I did, they will see their helldiver die before their eyes. Looking at the tutorial itself it is clear that you are not the first, nor will you be the last to lose their life before the fighting even starts. One would think that a place like Super Earth wouldn’t use such dangerous training methods, especially if it could mean the untimely demise of their soldiers. But apparently that would not maximize the effectiveness of each soldier (while possibly weeding out the weak ones).

This tutorial’s ruthless training regime and the cold, almost mechanical process of replacing fallen soldiers encapsulates the game’s critique of a society willing to sacrifice its citizens in the name of democracy and freedom. This sets the stage for the player to question not just their role within the game but the very ideals of the society they are trying to protect. As players progress, they’re encouraged to look beyond the surface-level propaganda and consider the cost of Super Earth’s version of “liberty”.

Respawn and Reinforcements: A Cog in the Machine

This brings us to our next part. What happens upon death? As I learned early in the tutorial, I found out that when a Helldiver dies; they replace them with another Helldiver via an orbital drop pod. At first, this seems like a logical video game mechanic, one that is built to fit into the world of Helldivers. Since the characters deploy from spaceships, it makes sense to have them drop in when they respawn. If a player spends some time on their ship, however, they will learn the narrative implications of this. When logging in, sometimes Helldivers will come out of what appears to be a cryogenic pod. Their armor will appear to have frost in it, and the Helldiver themselves will seem groggy, stumbling forwards before the player gets control. Looking closely, however, you see that the Helldiver we control is one of dozens, maybe hundreds, other soldiers that are kept in storage on the ship. Couple this with the fact that the default option for your player’s voice is set to “Random”, and it becomes clear: you are not playing the same character who is resurrected due to highly advanced technology, but are just one of hundreds that are being thrown at enemies for the sake of Democracy.

In this we see that the same message sent during the tutorial, that Helldivers are not elites but in fact an expendable asset in the fight for Super Earth, is being pushed further. Arrowhead Studios took their respawn mechanic and, with some clever story telling, turned it into a message. Soldiers are just another resource Super Earth has to throw against the Terminid and Automaton Threats. But it's okay, right? Fighting the bugs and bots off is all in the name of liberty and freedom? It may not be so.

Propaganda, or the Truth: Side Missions

When deployed on a mission, Helldivers will have the chance to complete optional side missions for extra rewards. These missions can vary, but one sheds some light on the mindset in the world. When players get the mission to “Terminate Illegal Broadcast”, the location will often have a radio or radar dish that is supposedly broadcasting propaganda meant to divide and deceive the citizens of Super Earth. But if you look closely at the transmission towers, you will see what is being said. Headlines with phrases like “Automatons are being controlled by Super Earth” and “The Terminids are being planted to keep us in war” can be seen before the helldiver does their Democratic duty and ends the lying propaganda. It seems some individuals think Super Earth is doing some shadowy work in order to keep its citizens loyal. But do you really believe all that?

We finally see the doubt hidden just below the surface of the game’s story. Starting with a shining world of liberty, democracy, and freedom for all, we see Super Earth for what it actually is: a government using enemies to unify its citizens and make control easier. Those that see through it and dare speak out will often become another aim for the Helldivers, an unfortunate casualty in the war.

Between the Lines

Stepping back from the game, we can see that Arrowhead has done a fantastic job at subtly building out the narrative of the world of Helldivers 2. On the surface we have a game with a simple concept: fight the enemy for the sake of humanity. The introductory cinematic of the game paints this beautiful utopia, which further fuels the players’ desire to fight, so they can serve and protect.

But just below the surface, we have a rich story that shows us the true colors of those in charge of Super Earth. That beautiful utopian image is almost immediately stripped away by the harsh reality delivered in the tutorial, where we find out that Helldivers are as expendable as any other military asset on the quest for liberty and freedom.

We have a world that uses its military to keep its citizens loyal, and possibly deploys fake threats in order to keep everyone focused elsewhere. Glimpses are seen through the side objectives, but the player quiets those to earn extra resources, making the potential truth a casualty of war. But none of that is ever blatantly stated, and is left up to the individual to find out for themselves.

This is excellent storytelling because it creates a world that the player can exist in at any level they want. The game itself is a fun tactical shooter, and has some brilliant mechanics. The most obvious story line is also fun, that you are playing as a soldier for Space America and are keeping the resources that your nation needs safe and sound. But under the surface, you can see the subtle elements at play. I think a world like the one portrayed in Helldivers 2 would be fascinating to explore in a tabletop setting, allowing for players to interact with all the facets of the world and see them poke holes in the facade presented to everyone.

What We Can Learn

So what can we learn from this? There are some simple takeaways that any Game Master or other storyteller can use in their own games in order to bring nuance to the table.

Emphasizing Subtlety in World-building:

Subtlety in world-building, as shown in Helldivers 2, teaches us the power of a gradual reveal of in game lore, and how allowing the players to uncover it at their own pace encourages exploration and engagement. The game world becomes a puzzle, one that many will be eager to solve, and avoids becoming a place where NPCs will monologue about lore. By resisting the urge to info-dump world lore, game masters can create a more immersive and interactive experience that rewards curiosity and exploration.

Consider introducing a mysterious artifact or location in one of your campaigns with an unclear purpose or origin. As your players interact with it, either through their adventuring or through investigation, gradually reveal its backstory and significance to the world’s lore, rewarding the discovery process.

Point of View and Unreliable Narrators

By employing the point of view of Helldivers' high command, Helldivers 2 skillfully introduces bias and ambiguity, reminding us that narrative richness can be achieved through an unreliable narrator. Once you realize Super Earth has an obvious bias and wants to keep their forces fighting, you see the depth of the story. Storytellers can employ similar tactics in order to achieve narrative richness.

The next time a player searches for information, try to think about the source they are receiving this information from, and how this source may provide bias and ambiguity. An archwizard, for example, may view the acquisition of magical flora and fauna differently than an archdruid.

Balancing Lore Engagement:

Finally, it’s important to recognize that not all players will be equally interested in deep lore exploration, and that is okay. Helldivers 2 allows players to engage with the game’s world as much or as little as they wish, a practice that can be equally valuable in a tabletop roleplaying game setting. Game masters should create layers of lore, making important elements accessible to all but providing rewards for those that wish to delve deeper.

The next adventure you plan, think about adding hints of deep political intrigue that affect the entire realm. While some players may dive into this intrigue, looking for the hidden truths, others might focus on the immediate adventures. Reward those who delve, but do not punish those that do not.

Avoid Information Overload:

Just as we said that avoiding information dumps and over sharing can be helpful in world building, it is also important to know that sometimes we as Game Masters and storytellers will come up with lore that most (possibly all) of our players will have no interest in.

I ran a campaign where the party ended up in a mountain town known for its hot springs. The town was once a booming mining community, but had turned into more of a vacation spot. What most people did not know, however, was that the hot springs came from ancient magic-tech devices deep under the mines. These devices were managing a temporal disturbance, using a lot of energy. One of the side effects of this device was that it put off a lot of heat. The civilization that built them built a natural cooling system by tapping into underground rivers that ran through the mountain. This eventually resulted in unnaturally hot waters. Now gone and forgotten, no one knows that the hot springs are a byproduct of some powerful magic, they just see a resort town.

When I built this, I thought it was going to be an incredibly interesting piece of lore. But when the party got to the town, it never really came up, and I did not push it. I could have tried to push the party toward learning all of that lore, but it would have taken away from what they were doing, and the quest they were on. I love that lore, and hope to use it someday, but for now am happy to be one of a few people that know about its existence.

Final Thoughts

Subtle storytelling is a powerful tool, one that can add nuance and depth to the hands of a skilled storyteller or game master. It rewards players for engaging more in the world and, therefore, the game. Players can choose to chase the mysteries they find at their own pace, uncovering hidden gems of information as they go. But approach this with caution to make sure you don't use too much subtlety.

Since you are the ultimate creator of your world, you have a level of knowledge the players do not. Sometimes this GM Perception [LINK] can cloud our perception of the game itself. Information that seems obvious to us might be hidden to the party, and vice versa. This disparity can mean that while you understand key points of your world and the story you are telling, your players might not. This might lead to confusion or missed narrative opportunities. While you shouldn’t abandon the ideas of subtlety altogether, try to strike a balance. Subtlety should enrich the world and add layers, but not express the core details.

When trying to convey important information, try to provide it in multiple ways through multiple methods. Direct narrative exposition, characters that hint and nudge the players, or clues from the world itself, can make sure you get important points across. Of thumb, anything my players need to know, I try to present to them three times.

(If you want to learn more about GM Perception and how it can affect your games, you can read my thoughts here!)

Conclusion

Subtle storytelling is the cornerstone of immersive world-building, and can help game masters create rich, nuanced worlds that captivate parties without overwhelming. Helldivers 2 does a fantastic job of this in how they build their world, weaving deeper information about the setting into the game in ways that encourage players to dig deeper. This approach not only enriches the gameplay experience but also empowers players, allowing them to engage as much or as little as they want.

The game’s use of the unreliable narrator trope serves as a masterclass in how to improve narrative construction. Seeing the world through the propaganda of Helldiver’s high command, with their biased opinions meant to keep society unified, enhances the depth and intrigue of the story. By understanding the potential inaccuracies in what they see, the players get depth through the perspective that shapes the world.

For game masters, the lessons found here are invaluable. Helldivers 2 highlights the power of restraint in storytelling. It encourages player agency and offers the potential for narrative ambiguity to enrich the gaming experience. Applying these principles, GMs can craft worlds that offer endless possibilities for discovery and interpretation.

I’m eager to hear from you. How do you incorporate subtle storytelling into your narratives? Have you found it enhances your player engagement? I would love to hear about it below!

Subtle World Building in Helldivers 2: A Lesson for Game Masters