New Fallout Meets Helldivers 2 Co-Op Game on Steam Uses Procedural Generation Like a Secret Weapon

Part of the popularity of a game like Helldivers 2 comes from its near-infinite replayability in a co-op multiplayer setting. Many co-op games on Steam try to hook players in with emergent gameplay elements to make it so every run or match feels different from the last. Helldivers 2 uses some degree of procedural generation to achieve this feat, but another upcoming Steam co-op shooter may do it even better.

Canyons is an upcoming co-op shooter on Steam that blends the gameplay of Helldivers 2 with a Fallout-like world. In Canyons, players take on the role of a Crusader in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic world where zombie-like creatures called Awakened threaten the world. The Order of the Double Cross and its Crusaders have forged Sacred Blood Pacts with powerful Awakened in order to use their abilities in the fight to scavenge whatever resources they can find.

Canyons’s Procedurally Generated World Goes Beyond the Likes of Helldivers 2

A core component of Canyons is its procedurally generated world, giving the game a new feel each time players board their Crawler and embark on an expedition into the titular canyons. While the game does boast some handcrafted segments, its unique events and procedurally generated levels make each run different from the last. While other games like Helldivers 2 feature a degree of procedural generation in crafting their levels, Canyons gives players a theoretically infinite world to explore if their survival skills are hardened enough.

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In Helldivers 2, when a Helldiver deploys to one of the game’s 261 planets within its 55 sectors, the map that they are playing on does get randomized to some extent. Object placements and points of interest are pulled from pre-made seeds, and enemy variety will depend on the mission players are undertaking. However, mission objectives will be pre-determined based on the mission type players select when deploying to a map in Helldivers 2, giving the game a level of certainty from the start of a run.

Comparatively, Canyons is a lot more free-form in its level design, leaning on a procedurally generated world to open up new emergent gameplay opportunities. Where Helldivers 2 missions have a time limit before Stratagems are disabled and the run becomes significantly more difficult, Canyons allows players to delve deeper into its procedurally generated world as long as they can stay alive when facing the enemy Hordes. The longer players can hold off these Awakened enemies, the more loot they can collect, and the more chances for unique instances of world generation will emerge.

Dynamic Horde Density Could Be the Difference Maker in Canyon’s Co-Op Gameplay

To support Canyons players’ exploration of its procedurally generated world, the game includes a dynamic Horde density mechanic that adjusts the size of these swarm events based on the number of players in a party. While some Awakened are large, refined, and more intelligent enemies that wander the canyons, the Horde acts as a mindless swarm of aggressive, zombie-like creatures that can overwhelm unprepared players. According to developer RedRuins Softworks:

“Horde density adjusts dynamically based on how many players are in the team. That comes down to the game design and balance we’re trying to build.”

Helldivers 2 players on Steam often face the problem of far too many enemy spawns at once, largely based on which player in the party is the host of the lobby and how powerful their PC is. With Canyons‘s dynamic Horde density, not only should players have a more consistent experience with Awakened Hordes, but the overall difficulty of the game should be more finely tuned.