Summary
The meta-narrative storytelling ofHelldivers 2is something that is best experienced first-hand. As you and your squad fight for control over the galaxy against Termanids and Automaton threats, the story of the game slowly evolves and shifts.
If you’re keeping up with the war effort and current Major Orders from on high, you may have noticed one name that keeps coming back up: Joel. Who is this mysterious Joel character, and what role does he play in the Galactic War? Below, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know.
Who Is Joel?
Joel is theGame Master of Arrowhead Studios. Essentially, Joel is in charge of themeta-narrative flow of the game. He decides which planets need conquering and which need defending. This is all done through the Major Orders that represent every player’s main goal when completing missions in the game.
Helldivers 2’s narrative is constantly developing, with the Galactic Army retaking planets from hostiles or losing others to Termanids. Joel makes sure that the flow of battle is progressing at a carefully measured pace. This means he can send in bug reinforcements to certain planets where Helldiver occupation is strong, and so on.
Joel himself is not a character in the game, but that hasn’t stopped the Helldivers community from turning him into one. If you follow the game online, chances are you’ve seen people referring to Joel like he’s a master strategist who holds the very fate of Super Earth in his hands. From a narrative standpoint, this isn’t far from the truth.
It’s not often that a game’s real-time narrative is controlled by just one, mysterious guy, which is probably why the memes about Joel have grown as big as they have. Some call him a god,some call him the enemy, but ultimately, everyone who plays Helldivers 2 answers to Joel.
