An attentive player has identified a significant Mass Effect Easter egg in Helldivers 2, likely to bring joy to those who have fond memories of shopping in the Citadel. Earlier this month, Arrowhead Game Studios launched the follow-up to its 2015 top-down shooter Helldivers on PlayStation 5 and PC. Helldivers 2 shifts the perspective to an over-the-shoulder third-person view, while preserving the same premise: as one of the titular Helldivers, the player must journey to alien worlds to protect the Super Earth government from various extraterrestrial dangers.
The Helldivers series draws inspiration for its sci-fi aesthetics from classic works like Star Wars, Alien, and Starship Troopers, but it also invites comparisons to BioWare’s acclaimed RPG series, Mass Effect. Similar to Helldivers 2, the Mass Effect games cast players as futuristic space soldiers tasked with combating an ancient alien threat, with the gameplay even presented from the same third-person view as Helldivers 2.
The developers of Helldivers 2 appear to be cognizant of the parallels between their game and Mass Effect, as a Reddit user named QueenSparks recently shared a screenshot from the former on r/Helldivers that references Mass Effect 2. Within the game’s Super Store, players can peruse item reviews while purchasing weapons and cosmetic items using Helldivers 2’s in-game currency, and one of the messages reads, “I’m [redacted] and this is my favorite product in the acquisition center.” This closely mirrors a phrase Shepard uses in Mass Effect 2: “I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel.”
Helldivers 2 Acknowledges One of Mass Effect 2’s Most Popular Memes
In Mass Effect 2, Commander Shepard and their new crew return to the Citadel, the capital of the Milky Way Galaxy, to prepare for the impending battle against the Collectors. In the Citadel’s Zakera Ward lies various shops where Shepard can purchase weapons and other various items, and players who choose to follow Mass Effect's more altruistic Paragon character path can gain discounts by recording an endorsement message. This message is identical in every store, and the player will periodically hear the message play on the loudspeakers as they return to the Citadel shops, leading to its popularity as a meme among Mass Effect fans.
It appears that Commander Shepard’s famous Citadel endorsement message has transcended the Mass Effect universe, now being adopted by random shoppers in Helldivers 2’s Super Store. Furthermore, the user who left this in-game review is named Specctrei, a clear homage to the Spectre program that Shepard joined at the beginning of Mass Effect. This revelation has sparked speculation among fans about the hypothetical outcome of a clash between the Reapers and the formidable armies of Helldivers 2’s militaristic Super Earth government, as well as curiosity about uncovering more intriguing Easter eggs.