Ever since the initial release of Helldivers 2 back in February, veterans of Liberty's most elite fighting force have been warning new recruits like me of a grave threat hidden amongst the stars: the Illuminate. This bizarre race of technologically advanced squid-like beings featured prominently in the original Helldivers, but didn't make it to the sequel alongside the Terminids and the Automatons...until now. In case you didn't tune into last night's emergency Super Earth broadcast — a crime punishable by death, mind you! — let me fill you in: the Illuminate are back, and it's come to the urban colony world of Calypso with a vengeance.
The free Omens of Tyranny update that kicked off its invasion shadow dropped during The Game Awards 2024, and even though I'd spent all day at my PC covering the show in our live blog, I couldn't resist jumping into the fray with my friends the second I got off work. And after battling the alien bastards for seven hours straight until the unholy hour of 5:30 in the morning, I'm happy to say that the Illuminate are brutal, terrifying, and an absolute blast to fight. In other words: everything I was hoping for.
