Do you want to become a Helldiver and spread Managed Democracy and to make sure you treat your enemies with a nice cup of liber-tea but you don't have the right hardware (or money) to do that? Well this game is just for you, soldier.

The big difference in this game when you either play the game or look up game footages on the internet is obviously the change in visuals and perspective. This game plays just like Helldivers 2 if you played that first (which i'm sure a lot of people did) with you moving and running around freely in an open space and shoot enemies while also completing objectives but instead of third-person and a mix of first-person perspective (when you aim down sights), this game has more of a top-down perspective which in a way kind of reminds me of Alien Swarm but instead of exploring labs, abandoned ships, etc. and killing bugs on the way, you're in a very open space and when you aim down sights its still on a top-down view but you're guided with both your cursor and a laser sight instead.

Another big difference is the visuals of this game having an almost cartoonish look to it in both environments and other models whilst Helldivers 2 has a more realistic and gritty and slightly vibrant look to it which i very much prefer but unfortunately the game is not on PS4 if you only have that and you only have a low-end PC but you want to jump in that Helldivers hype then this is your only option.

What's interesting about the visual change that also correlates with the perspective change is that with the top-down view and cartoonish artstyle, the environments don't really look that appealing hence why Helldivers 2 opted for a more third person and realistic look which not only can make the planet you're on look beautiful but also can let you see everything from afar like objects or enemies or even moons or other planets hovering above you, at least i think thats why they shifted to that perspective.
This shift in perspective can also make combat situations feel way more intense as enemies usually come in hordes so they're very much in your face and sure you can say that this intense feeling of being overwhelmed by the enemy is present in this game.

Overall, if you want to pick up Helldivers but don't have a 9th generation console or a powerful PC to boot up the second game then this is a good alternative for you. Both games share similarities in terms of its gameplay, difficulty, weapons, stratagems, command inputs for your stratagems and of course the good ol friendly fire to not only fuck with your friends but also yourself.