Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, and other devs praise Helldivers 2's stellar animations: "Give them awards"

Game developers are full of praise for Helldivers 2's character animations.

Helldivers 2 looks like a super tough third-person shooter on the surface, but it's got a wicked sense of humor, and I'm not just talking about its very on-the-nose satire. Players accidentally killing each other, getting crushed by dropships, and being sent flying across the ground by charging enemies combine for a game that's surprisingly funny in its actual combat.

In fact, that final point is what's got some developers talking about Helldivers 2 with glowing praise. Just below, you can see KindaFunny founder Greg Miller get sent flying backwards by a big bug, and this prompted Naughty Dog lead designer Michael Barclay to take note of its character animations, in particular the way Miller's character is sent flying backwards and then recovers.

I need more people to talk about Helldivers 2's animation. Look at that ragdoll, the lack of clipping, the cloth, the recovery FROM ragdoll. Give them awards. https://t.co/8m1usM32suFebruary 12, 2024

Miller's Helldiver effortlessly passes over the top of the terrain, accounting for any outstretched surfaces as they go. There's no clipping, which means the entire character model collides passes over obstacles in its path instead of getting stuck on them and impeding progress.

The character's recovery from their "ragdoll" state is another point of praise from Barclay. The character finally comes to a stop almost in a sitting position, and from there they're able to stand themselves up on both feet, almost in one seamless transition like they'd planned the whole thing.

Other developers have also chimed in with praise for Helldivers 2's animation. "Yeah, they have a really nice transition from dive > ragdoll, based on the height in which you leap from," writes People Can Fly principal game designer Jamie Smith. "That is pretty cool," chimed in Infinity Ward game designer Steve Holmes. 

In other news, Helldivers 2 received a new patch on PC yesterday,