Small group Hell Divers 2 fans created a very different kind of fan film, which was released on July 4, 2024. While the game focuses on the spread of managed democracy and freedom, values that anyone around the world could embrace on that day, the film instead focuses on the powerful but subdued theme of remembrance.
The fan film is titled “Memorial” and is just under 4 minutes long, but it will take anyone Hell Divers 2 the player went back in time to the first moment we received that fateful order from the Major to go to Malelevelon Creek and take it from the Automatons. We were inexperienced, unprepared for the absolute hell of those jungles, and we lost so many Helldivers fighting for them. That’s where the saying “remember the creek” comes from, and that’s what this movie is about.
Remember the creek?
Memorial features just one lone Helldiver visiting Malelevelon Creek 5 years after our ordeal there. Now a desert world, devoid of the lush jungles that made fighting so challenging. They stack a few rocks and carefully place dog tags on them, then give them the Helldiver salute and return to their Superdestroyer.
We’ve become much more accustomed to seeing players leaning towards Hell Divers 2 promotes extreme patriotism in every part of its galaxy. It’s infrequent to see such a sensitive moment cherry-picked from this universe and presented. The only other we’ve had is Spill it All, which instead looks at the 60 seconds that Helldiver is in his Hellpod before he’s sent into the heart of battle.
In a way, Memorial is the spiritual successor to Spill it All. We saw the moments that many Helldivers went through before they took up arms and ran through the bulky underbrush on Malelevelon Creek, before being mowed down by laser swords or explosive fire. Now we saw the Helldivers remember those who gave their lives on the creek so that we could repel the Automtaons and maintain freedom on Super Earth.
The monument was created by a streamer faint.links and it is a moment of placid in the storm for Hell Divers 2. At launch, there was a lot of talk about failing player count, bugs, and lack of fresh content due to the upcoming summer break. The video reminds me of the best moments I had with the game and the reasons I’ll keep coming back to play it, and for that I’m grateful it was released.
