After two years of early access, the definitive version of Grounded has finally arrived which, as we will discover in our review, introduces several interesting mechanics to what could trivially be confused as a simple survival. The game, developed by Obsidian Entertainmentis currently available for Xbox consoles (also on Game Pass) and PC (Steam).
Strengthened by a captivating initial concept – that of the boy mysteriously reduced to the size of an ant – The game shamelessly picks up cult films among Disney fans, such as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and A Bug’s Life. After all, the developers themselves have clearly admitted their sources of inspiration.
Grounded then takes us to what appears to be a peaceful home garden, which however takes on a completely different form given our new and restricted dimensions. So it happens that blades of grass appear to us as dense forests, puddles lakes, garden gnomes huge monuments and the sand of an innocent children’s play area will take the form of an arid desert. In addition to all this, as in all gardens, there is a real ecosystem of insects, animals and fearsome and horrifying spiders.
It will therefore be necessary survive, forage for food, escape predators and build shelters. And then, let’s not forget, we will have to find a way to return to normal size, unraveling the mystery behind our shrinking.
Between survival and adventure
Playable in both single and co-op, Grounded mixes well typical survival mechanics with a captivating and sci-fi story. On the one hand we will have to find the clues that allow us to “return to normal”, and to do so we will be forced to explore the huge garden, discovering new areas and the miniature laboratories of a mysterious scientist. Exploring, however, also means encountering horrifying creatures, which we would have amiably ignored in real life, but which now represent threats. Between red soldier ants and bloodthirsty mosquitoes (literally), our explorations will be continually jeopardized by the local fauna, for which we are mere prey. To complicate everything there is then the day-night cyclewith the darkness that will make the raids more difficult.
We will therefore have to act strategically, calculating every move according to our survival in a hostile context. Grounded will allow us to collect materials with which to build weapons (spears, bows) and tools such as axes, shovels and hammers. By cutting down the blades of grass we can build a shelter, choosing how and where to place our camp. Each resource found can be analyzed in the various “field stations” scattered around, which will allow us to unlock recipes and new projects to upgrade weapons, clothes and accessories. Essential equipment to survive in the most dangerous areas of the garden.
In case of death, our character will restart from the chosen regeneration point, but leaving the backpack with the accumulated resources in the place of death. Do not worry though, if the backpack were to be in a particularly difficult point it will be possible to retrieve it through the game menu. This feature is only available once for each upload. To complete the gameplay aspect there are the “mutations” hey “Science points“. The first are passive skills that are unlocked after killing tot enemies. The science points are instead resources that can be spent in the field stations and allow you to obtain new skills and projects.
The Grounded Review: A Mode for Arachnophobics
The presence of huge spiders could greatly upset those who can’t stand these animals. For this reason Obsidian has introduced numerous accessibility options, such as a mode specially designed for arachnophobics. In this case you can choose between different mitigation levels of spider images. On the higher level these will appear as huge floating balls, so no hair, paws and fangs.
On the left a wolf spider present in the game, on the right a spider with the mode for arachnophobics active
Players can also select the difficulty level. This will affect the aggression of the animals and the speed with which the vital parameters drop (represented by energy, hunger and thirst).
A game far from perfect
Despite the interesting game mechanics, and the decidedly fascinating concept, Grounded non lacks criticality. Several times during the game we found ourselves in the presence of huge animals literally wedged in the leaves and in conditions of precarious orientation. The game map is absolutely sketchy, and for a long time we will think more about surviving than progressing with the story. In fact, for much of our gameplay experience, we found ourselves going around in circles not understanding exactly what to do.
Even the construction mechanics are to be reviewed, lacking a dedicated editor mode (such as, for example, The Sims). Designing and building basic “buildings” will be simple, but already with roofs and stairs you will have many difficulties. Plus, button mapping at the design stage is absolutely frustrating – just hit the wrong button to eliminate entire construction projects.
The fighting seemed to us absolutely trivial, although each enemy has their own unique characteristics and attacks. In fact, our protagonist will only be asked to parry and attack repeatedly, exhausting his stamina bar in no time at all. The real heart of fighting in this game therefore lies in the strategic and evolutionary approachperfecting weapons and armor, rather than the battle mechanics itself.
Another criticality is theabsence of a meteorological system. Despite the excellent day / night cycle, with the corresponding game dynamics, the title does not present rain, fog or wind. The sky is always clear, making each day the same as the previous one.
More generally, you will need to have a lot of patience with this title, especially in the first hours of the game. In short, it will be necessary get used to the idea of a very slow progressiongiven that even to explore the first laboratory it will be necessary to craft and collect precious materials to build adequate weapons to face spiders.
Summing up the review: how is Grounded?
Beyond the numerous imperfections listed above, Grounded seemed to us a pleasant and captivating survivor with small dimensions (both of the game and of the protagonists). With a weight of 8GBObsidian presents us with an unprecedented perspective on life, reflecting the complexity of survival in an apparently serene context such as a common garden.
The story is well written, full of citations and cultural references, with a progression however too slow to be appreciated until the end. However, remember that this is only version 1.0. It would therefore not surprise us if in the near future Obsidian decides to refine the many shortcomings of the title. However, after two years of early access, we were expecting something more from day one.
PRO
- Interesting perspective and history
- Excellent survival mechanics
- Huge and well characterized play areas
- Accessibility
- Large amount of materials
- Well maintained ecosystem (flora and fauna)
- Free will of the character
- Even your Game Pass
- Only 8 GB required
- Co-op multiplayer
VERSUS
- Construction mechanics
- Slow progression
- Mapping of some keys
- Animals that fit into the map
- Trivial fights
- Weather-free day / night cycle: it’s always good weather