I solely performed the unique Grounded for a brief spell in 2020, however I keep in mind it nicely. It was mere months into the COVID-19 pandemic and my pals had been determined for brand new video games to strive as an excuse to socialize. Due to its launch on Xbox Sport Cross, we determined to get a bunch collectively to provide Grounded a shot. We ignored the survival sport’s story completely and set our sights on establishing an enormous base of operations as an alternative. We had been caught indoors, but it surely felt like we had been youngsters within the yard. We labored till we received bored and moved on to one thing else days later; we wished to play pirates or financial institution robbers subsequent time.
That have now involves thoughts as I play Grounded 2’s early entry launch 5 years later. The sequel follows the identical components, tasking me with turning a defenseless, shrunken child right into a yard warrior by a well-known crafting hook. All of it as soon as once more digitizes the nostalgic feeling of exploring the woods behind your own home with pals. However although it positive aspects some playful new options that supersize the Honey, I Shrunk the Children fantasy of all of it, its lack of surprises in its early kind makes for a double dip that might want to work to rebuild the collection’ multiplayer magic if it’s going to turn into an enduring playdate.
Constructing off of Grounded’s worldbuilding, the sequel finds the not-so-virtuous Ominent Sensible Applied sciences transferring its people-shrinking analysis out of a contained yard and right into a a lot bigger native park. A bunch of children as soon as once more get caught up in that venture and are compelled to outlive whereas unraveling a company thriller that instantly tells you that it is a venture from Obsidian Leisure. The anticapitalist satire is extra central from the bounce, following the identical pattern that The Outer Worlds 2 seems to be on forward of its launch later this yr.
Picture: Xbox Sport Studios
As soon as I escape an underground lab and am set unfastened right into a park, I’m reintroduced to the identical primary survival tenets that made the primary Grounded so successful. After I’m not managing my thirst and starvation consumption by slurping dew drops and consuming mushrooms, I’m accumulating pebbles, sap, plant fiber, and extra. Every pure ingredient is reimagined as a crafting materials that I can use to construct a workbench, some primary gear, and a spot to sleep. The joys of Grounded 2 lies in simply how rapidly that escalates. Quickly, I’m constructing a fort out of grass planks and turning an acorn right into a water bucket.
It’s no shock to me that base constructing stays the sequel’s sturdy go well with. Rising up, my pals and I launched into a multiyear venture to construct elaborate forts within the woods behind a pal’s home. It was a foolish excuse to mess around throughout the summer time days, however everybody concerned took immense satisfaction within the endeavor. Why wouldn’t we? We had been creating one thing out of nothing. Seeing lifeless timber rework into towering partitions due to our personal ingenuity made us really feel like engineers. Grounded 2 nonetheless delivers that very same expertise by the use of a simple to understand crafting circulation and Lego-like base development.
Whereas that basis is powerful, the adjustments to the outside really feel minimal up to now. I nonetheless spend the early sport marveling at big ladybugs, accumulating Uncooked Science to unlock new options, searching down Milk Molars, and extra. The beginning map is far larger already in early entry, and the lighting does the pure world extra justice due to an Unreal Engine 5 improve, however I’m nonetheless largely navigating grass fields that look equivalent to those I traversed in 2020. Some bigger factors of curiosity do a minimum of assist break that up — a downed ice cream cart cleverly stands in in your typical snow biome, as an example.
Picture: Xbox Sport Studios
The playful marvel created by these sights is counterbalanced by a resource-collecting hook that may get tedious quick, although. My early hours have me pulling my hair out as I hunt for particular supplies in a sea of grass. How do I get some weed stems? It takes a superb hour of wandering till I notice I must find and chop down some dandelions. As soon as I do this and unlock a brand new quest, I’m despatched again out into the sector in the hunt for acorns, clovers, and no matter different vegetation I want. Each small victory solely opens one other grocery checklist for me to chase. That’s simply the character of a survival sport like this, however Grounded 2’s gradual begin can really feel particularly tiresome contemplating that I’ve already finished all of it as soon as earlier than.
To this point, there’s just one addition that looks like a brand new journey in an outdated playground: buggies. I can now mount bugs after going by the lengthy technique of constructing a hatchery and incubating an egg. The prize is that I acquire the power to journey an ant, letting me traverse a a lot bigger map sooner than earlier than. After I demoed the sport earlier this summer time, a developer informed me that it was a extremely requested function from followers. I get why. It extra totally makes me really feel like George of the Jungle, a grasp of the pure world who turns hazard into alternative.
Till extra updates trickle in, Grounded 2 should journey on that function for some time longer. Anybody coming again to the collection on day one will discover the identical “begin from zero” survival loop with the identical arachno-jump scares — much less of a recess and extra of a job. I’m undecided that it’ll be thrilling sufficient to get my COVID gang again collectively, however any friends which might be new to the collection will get a superb fort out of their playdate, regardless of how lengthy it lasts earlier than their creativeness takes them elsewhere.
Grounded 2 is offered in early entry beginning July 29 on Home windows PC and Xbox Collection X.