Sony Playstation
A person plays a video game at a Sony PlayStation in the Sony's flagship store in Berlin, April 27, 2011. Reuters/Thomas Peter

Four-player co-op action comes to PS4, PS3 and PS Vita early next month with the launch of Arrowhead Game Studios' top-down shooter, "Helldivers." Set in a satirical and dystopian future universe, the new trailer for "Helldivers" marries familiar twin-stick actioner mayhem with rock-hard gameplay when it launches on March 3.

Posted on the official PlayStation YouTube page, the video kicks off with triumphant fanfare, as an exuberant narrator urges players to join the "Helldivers," soldiers of freedom. The narrator promises players will travel the galaxy, visit foreign worlds and encounter exotic life forms. As a Helldiver, it's the player's duty to spread democracy and bring safety, prosperity and justice throughout the stars. If that sounds a tad jingoistic and familiar, it should. The trailer is clearly patterned off similar ads seen in Paul Verhoeven's dystopian sci-fi classic, "Starship Troopers."

The rest of the trailer shows the four "Helldivers" engaging in aggressive negotiations with robots, giant bugs, rock-like aliens and many more. As the trailer draws to a close, the narrator asks players to work together and trust their teammates. No sooner are these words uttered than footage is shown of co-op players respawning in pods directly on top of teammates, killing them instantly and humorously undercutting the narrator's advice.

At the very least, the video paints a clear picture of what "Helldivers" is. The PlayStation blog describes a brutally difficult, raucously fun twin-stick shooter with tight design.

"Despite how difficult Helldivers is in its early state, this brutal shooter will get players laughing. And that's a real accomplishment when those players are being eviscerated by giant insects," reads the hands-on preview.

Originally revealed at Sony's press conference at Gamescom 2013, "Helldivers" has been shown to the press numerous times over the past year and half, but the publisher was never able to nail down a release date. IGN notes the game was initially scheduled for release some time in 2014, but it was clearly held back to allow it more development time. Thankfully, the wait appears to be over. A developer comment on Reddit led to some early speculation that the title might be part of Sony's March PlayStation Plus offering of free games, but this appears to have been a mix-up.

Swedish developer Arrrowhead Game Studios is notable for its work on 2011's "Magicka," as well as "The Showdown Effect" and last year's "Gauntlet." "Helldivers" is set for a digital-only release on March 3, exclusively on PS4, PS3 and PSVita. As noted by Gamespot, "Helldivers" is a cross-buy title, which means purchasing it on one Sony platform grants gamers free access to the title on any of the others.

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(Credit: YouTube/PlayStation)