r/killzone • u/FjongFleron • 3d ago
Discussion Why i love the Helghast so much
Merry Christmas! as a way to celebrate 20 years of Killzone, i wanted to share my personal story of why i love the Helghast, and what they and this franchise has done for me! id love to hear your stories aswell
Disclaimer: this post touches on some heavy stuff, and i also know that the Helghast are the bad guys, but i just found something else i can relate to and appreciate
So at the time i got introduced to Killzone i was around 13 or 14 years old. I was growing up with Autism and Asma and diagnosed dyslexia at the time. So in short i kinda felt dumb, and i felt like a sickling. and i knew i had to work twice as hard to get anywhere. and i hated it, alot. but when i get introduced to Killzone and the Helghast, i didnt own any of the games, and i did not have a PS 3. but i just consumed any and all Youtube content i could find. and i loved what i saw. but it was not just won over by the gas masks, red eyes and amazing characters like Radec and Vasari. but i kinda connected to them on a deeper level, even to this day when i hear the Helghast speeches i almost feel spoken to, and i did so aswell back then. it was as if they reached out to me and told me to be proud of myself and that what makes me me is a good thing. I remember during the opening on Killzone 1, where you see the sick Helghan getting his mask on. thats kinda how i saw myself, due to allergies and asma, i would at times go in and out of the hospital, however i could use the Helghast as a crutch. for example, their gas mask was something i often compared to my inhaler, and instead of seeing it as a symbol of weakness, i saw it as part of me and who i am. and the way they were so clearly different to the humans was something i could relate to aswell. i also felt like a alien, an outsider who just landed here. perhaps one of the most powerful things about this, and one of the reasons i always keep coming back, is the speeches, and the anger and passion within them. it kinda became a outlet for me to vent my own anger onto, listening to the speeches became a way for me to cope because i felt spoken to while hearing them. it was a way for me to come to vent my frustrations with how the world just did not seem fair for me or others like me. in a way it gave me hope, and something to support myself with in my darkest of days
now i know what some of you might be thinking. these are the bad guys, everything i just described i made so that they can be an effective mirror to real world dictatorships. and while that is true, and part of the reason why i like them since i love history. i just could not help but see these other connections, whether intentional or not. and if nothing else, thats what i would call good art. even tho the future of this franchise is unsure right now. i see many wonderful fans make their own works, and i love to see that. i guess this post is just my way of showing appreciation and paying my respects to something thats had a major impact on me. the Helghast has taught me to be proud of who i am, and not to be ashamed, they taught me to be rightfully angry and about the reasons why my life in many ways are for no good reason harder then for others, but though them i have also learned what unchecked hatred can lead to, and i also see them as a cautionary tale. for closing thoughts, in case anyone from Guerrilla, or someone who worked on the games is reading. all i have to say is thank you for making some of the best villains of all time but in some ways, also heros<3
Glory to Helghan
And thanks for reading<3
3
u/Seelenmonarch 3d ago
That is a understandable and heart-warming to read story. It is always nice to hear about someone who saw something of himself in a story and thus walked a path of personal growth. Even so for myself but with a different origin obviously.
3
u/LarsJagerx 3d ago
You know that is a great perspective I've never seen them explicitly as the bad guys especially after all the deeper lore came out after the first game. I mean obviously the regime was rough but the people were just people.
Also in case you didn't know if you can play hell divers 2 via pc or ps they have killzone armors in.
3
u/FjongFleron 3d ago
To me it’s clear they are supposed to be the bad guys. Tho obviously they have their reasons which is why I love them so much. And yeah I know that. It’s why I got back into Killzone!
3
u/DarkAngll 3d ago
Thank you for this <3
1
u/FjongFleron 3d ago
Ofc! I am glad to see the reception this has gotten<3 you know it’s a good community when you can just share stuff like this. It means alot to me<3
3
u/Psychological_One_81 1d ago edited 1d ago
I myself feel a type of heartwarming connection when listening to the kz1 and 2 opening speeches to this day. I too feel like I'm being reached out to. I am an adult now but when I was younger I was the weakest and least preforming and my grades were never great (other than things like art class and electives) compared my other 3 brothers. I have come a long way and tested my self through many means.
1
4
u/MountainMiami 3d ago
Aren't the Helghast more or less the good guys (besides the warcrimes) since they were more or less forsaken to Helgha, and then got fucked over by the ISA at every opportunity
6
u/DarkAngll 3d ago
Ive been wondering this myself honestly for awhile. I'm certain neither faction is truely good personally. Always love a good story that makes me debate who is actually doing their best to be morally good.
3
5
u/WhiskeyMarlow 3d ago
It's kinda worse than that.
Helgan Corporation was first to settle Alpha Centauri system (in fact, Vekta is named after their CEO at the time).
In short, Helgan Corporation got rich and bought off ownership of the system from UNC government, which was selling exploration and settlement rights to private enterprise... but then UNC kept struggling, cracked down (ISA was formed to bring all colonial militias under UNC command) on colonies, and pushed Helghan Corporation to declare independence.
UNC retaliated and crushed Helghan Corporation in the First Extrasolar War. UNC/ISA actually used orbital bombardment on Vekta (where the majority of Helghan Corporation employees/civilians lived at the time), to hammer down the lesson of disobedience to other colonies.
UNC/ISA proceeded to install draconian rule over Vekta, and when Helgan civilians failed to overthrow ISA military governor with guerilla warfare, they stage an exodus to Helgan. ISA was all too happy to let ex-Helgan Corporation employees/civilians to fuck off, so they allowed them to leave and then slammed embargo on Helghan.
Cue in a hundred years later, Visari uses this ocean of fucking resentment to kickstart the Second Extrasolar War, events of Killzone 1.
4
u/FjongFleron 3d ago
I mean yeah, but I think it’s to draw parallel between the treaty of Versailles after ww1
3
u/RustyDiamonds__ 2d ago
besides the war crimes is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. In the grand scheme of things the helghast were kinda victims, but their conduct during the war (opening it by slaughtering any Vektan they could reach) really sealed their reputation in universe. The Helghast ideology pretty much dooms them rigjt out of the gate
1
u/Goldammer Soldier 16h ago
I love this! Ever since i first played Killzone 1 the Helghast have been my favorite fictional military. It sparked my interest (and obsession) with other fictional militaries similar to it, from games, movies and series. But the Helghast remain my favorite! It's just their gear, lore and entire atmosphere that is awesome. Always wanted to play as one in the games, but we only could via the multiplayer vs bots on K1 haha That's why i'm happy Helldivers 2 released the collab, finally i get to be a helghast soldier (only need the correct voice and dialogue still but we can't have everything right haha)
11
u/Reasonable-Sherbet24 3d ago
You sir, just made my day. Thank you for sharing this.