Helldivers 2 player busts a move in-game thanks to dance mat mod

One Helldivers 2 player has a truly unique set-up that uses a dance mat as a controller to call in stratagems.

Helldivers 2 has become a surprise break-out hit of early 2024, quickly attracting a huge number of players and fans. Of course, when a PC game becomes popular, along come modders who devise all sorts of interesting new ways to play the game. One player has devised a truly unique control scheme that involves, of all things, a Dance Dance Revolution dance mat controller.

Usually, Helldivers 2 players will have access to a variety of ordnance that they can call down from their ship, ranging from the basic resupply right up to powerful air strikes. These are referred to as Stratagems and are activated by using a series of directional button inputs.

Keyboard players often use the directional keys or WASD for this. Each stratagem has a unique input code that resembles a special move sequence from a fighting game, or indeed the moves from dance titles like Dance Dance Revolution.

Dancing for the space revolution

Redditor Zerrul also noticed the similarity and decided to use it to create an interesting control method in Helldivers 2. A video posted on Reddit shows Zerrul standing in front of his PC gaming rig with a DDR dance mat controller under his feet. As he steps on the buttons in sequence, the stratagem activates.

Comments indicate that the unusual setup “Actually worked pretty well.”. Comments on the post on Reddit and TikTok were mostly impressed and amused, with some trying to find a name for the set-up, such as ‘Dance Dance Liberation’ or ‘Dance Dance for the Revolution’. One reply from TikTok even said “That’s much easier than controller, to be honest.”

As Helldivers 2 grows in popularity, this is likely just the beginning for mods and gimmicks that the community can come up with. If this is a portent for other ideas to come, we could be in for some very fun mods indeed.