The first time Grounded killed me, I was beaten to death by lawn mites.You know; those little red little bugs that can line dance on pins and hurry along the paving stones and don’t look hurt anything? Yes. one of them. Emphasize “one” too, because the lad has always been lonely. Yet he took a look at my funky ponytail and (correctly) thought I was an easy target. Was it unexpected? you bet. Fear? Surprisingly. Awkward? Yes. Very.
Given that I’m still on the first day of my survival journey, I’ve been hoping for a mild coaching period, but this bad boy lunges at me, focused and determined, like a toddler locked in a ball pit . A thought crossed my mind: If these were the early enemies, what exactly did the strong look like? !
The second time I got in the car, I was dying of thirst. Not that I ignored the instructions to have something to drink, but because I was distracted by the magnificent wilderness – well, if you can call a suburban backyard a wilderness – I didn’t realize I was until the sun went down Lack of juice needed to polish the torch. So, instead of creating a Lean To and squatting at night, I huddled beneath the Kid Case respawn point – consciously aware of every slide and run around me – and slowly died from acute dehydration. It turned out to be more embarrassing than getting hit by mites.
The truth is, if you didn’t kill yourself on Grounded, it would be something else. While it dresses itself up with a cute cartoon aesthetic, beneath a sun-dappled biome is the icy heart of a skilled and complex survival sim that I totally underestimate: And it’s awesome.
You’ve seen it, right? Honey, I scaled down the kid-style backyard survival game that stole the XO19 show in 2019? It launched as an early access game the summer after its announcement – and it’s free, at least for Xbox Game Pass subscribers – and has built an enthusiastic fan base that makes me feel really, really bad about my lack of imagination and Creative talent.
The reason I’ve avoided it so far is because of bugs, and I mean actual critter bugs, not gameplay bugs. My arachnophobia is pretty bad, which means even though I push the wonderful spider safety mode slider to full distance, the legless blobs flying around Oak Hill still make me break out in a cold sweat.
To be clear: just because it doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean I’m not Grateful That arachnophobia safe mode exists! In fact, more games should have an in-game critter that triggers common phobias, such as mice, snakes, etc. My problem, I think, is that the way the spots move is too reminiscent of a spider. That, and the fact that they hiss if you get too close; it’s a scary sound, almost as bad as Animal Crossing: Big Boy in New Horizons…here’s what it’s saying .
So it doesn’t matter how beautifully cartoony it’s presented. Grounding won’t feel like a gentle frolic in the backyard, and for anyone with a bug problem (especially spiders), it feels like a fear factor audition tape. Sadly, it’s not just a matter of avoiding their nests. Many of the resources you’ll need early on are scattered around the base of a gnarled oak tree, which also happens to be the spider’s go-to place. While you can run faster than them – well, if you’re not into numerous environmental hazards, that is – they’re incredibly tough and hard to kill. At times like this, Grounded often feels like a survival horror game, and a pure survival game.
Oh, but still beautiful! Huge, bold, and colorful biomes span your miniature kingdom, filled with vibrant, oversized flora that are eager to explore. The grass towers above your head, rippling in the wind, the sunlight streaming between the leaves, mottled the ground in light and shadow. Browning leaves litter the ground, creating small makeshift tunnels that double as convenient landmarks. There’s a peaceful, sun-drenched koi pond covered with a lush green carpet of water lilies. Maybe it’s just a quirk of my limited time playing the game, but it’s a shame I didn’t see the weather change because I can imagine the world — and the things you can do in it — change dramatically in colder climates.
That’s not all. In addition to the natural splendor, there’s a slew of oversized vistas to see, including a special juice box and discarded cans, as well as mysterious miniature field stations where you can analyze your findings while critters Stay in their respective homes like upset strangers at dinner parties, so you’ll get a quick idea of where to find (and where to avoid) the locals.
Almost anything you find can be repurposed for something else; grass stems can be used to build walls around a cozy little base. Pebbles can be thrown into the air and dew removed for a refreshing drink. You can survive by eating the world’s wild mushrooms, but if you want a more satisfying meal, you’re going to have to cook yourself a toast. Use a stone and some plant fiber to make a small hammer that can be used to mash the acorns and provide a hard shell. You’ll need to unlock crafting recipes at any time, and build a crafting bench to craft something fancier.
It’s great to see your skills, abilities and confidence grow with each new crafting unlock, whether it’s an essential – like a water bottle or a sturdy armor set – or changing your home base, it’s a wonderful But totally unnecessary cosmetic improvements. There is a way to unlock all recipes for free at the start of the game (although at the time of writing, the menus in it don’t seem to be working), but honestly finding these things for yourself by absolutely analyzing every single item you come across is absolutely amazing. People are happy.
However, sometimes it can be bad. Like any survival game, some of your time will be spent finding ingredients, and some are easier to obtain than others (thank god sap catchers, as I have a hard time seeing these things in the wild), but there’s no competition here. no time limit. The main attraction of version 1.0 will be the inclusion of the (engaging) story element that players have been calling for, and while this new feature has been subtly woven around its sandbox element, Grounded is one of those great playgrounds that thrive. One even without a story mode; we know because thousands of people have put thousands of hours into it.
The desire to explore trumps any instinct to follow simple instructions, and while you’ll soon learn that you can drop your slimming suit almost anywhere for the night, remembering things like feeding and hydrating yourself can become a minor thing trouble. Lowering the difficulty can help with this; in fact, Grounded offers a range of accessibility and preference settings that allow you to disarm friendly fire, eliminate hostile bugs, or make yourself invulnerable while cooperating, although they haven’t changed at the time of writing . But once you’ve found your sweet spot and built yourself a little home…well, the world is your little oyster.
There are a few minor issues. Maps are a bit useless – I have a crumpled napkin’s sense of direction so a handy little radar or minimap is available on the HUD as I can’t always make out the waypoint icons on the go Environment – and it’s easy to get caught up in the terrain around you. It’s frustrating enough when you’re exploring, but again horribly unfair when you’re trying to outrun an angry predator.
Beyond that, though, it’s hard to complain about what Obsidian is delivering here. As someone who instinctively shy away from survival games, Grounded’s ant-eyed rendering of the stunning natural world and plethora of personalization strikes me as unexpectedly popular…even if that welcome involves the occasional hissing The sound of the spider.
