Grounded: Fully Yoked Review

If I had to explain what kind of game Grounded by Obsidian Entertainment is, I would say it’s a sweet combination of Minecraft and The Forest with the artistic flair of It Takes Two. The game launched on Xbox and PC a couple of years ago, and now the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles are officially Grounded.

The year is 1990, and four teenagers, Pete, Max, Willow, and Hoops, are the latest group of children to go missing in a series of disappearances. The teen you choose to play as wakes up to find themselves shrunk down to the size of an ant in a backyard with no recollection of how they were shrunk. Through the use of recordings left by mysterious scientist Dr Wendell Tully, the teens must find a way to unshrink themselves while surviving the insect-filled terrain of his backyard.

The narrative is far from the highlight of the game, but it kept me captivated throughout. The story is drip-fed through pieces of recordings and other items found in the backyard, promoting exploration deeply. It made me want to scour every inch of the backyard to learn more.

The game can be played solo or with up to three friends. As with most games of this nature, it is far more thrilling with other players. I played with a friend and teamed up to destroy ladybugs, stink beetles, and the most awful enemy – spiders. It also made exploration a lot easier. I can’t begin to think how daunting this game would be alone. Grounded truly feels like it was developed with multiplayer in mind and not just tacked on to a solo experience. 

Hunger and thirst are vital components of gameplay, which requires you to hunt down a source of food and water. The primary source of food in Grounded is the insects inhabiting the backyard, and while there is water found all over the backyard, only a small percentage of it is safe for consumption. I did feel at times that the food and water meters would drop way too fast, which became exasperating at times. Thankfully, there are a ton of options to have you more equipped for the gaming experience you seek.

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Grounded’s combat is very simplistic. Jump, dodge, and attack with various melee weapons such as axes and spears, and ranged weapons in the form of a bow. The apex predators of the backyard are the arachnoids. They come in varying sizes, with many of them virtually unbeatable until you upgrade your weapons and armour. You will find yourself avoiding spiders until much later in the story once more upgrade systems are introduced.

Just about everything in the backyard drops resources that can be utilised to craft new weapons, armour, and components to build a base. I didn’t dive too deep into the base-building aspect of the game as that requires a large amount of time for resource gathering, but there is a hefty amount of base-building options available. Weapons and armour are crafted using various bug parts and can be upgraded using a Smithing Station. 

After completing one of the main quests, an Advanced System Library (ASL) can be used to grant perks using a currency called Raw Science. The ASL can offer side quests and provide permanent upgrades that increase health, how much you can carry, and other stats using Milk Molars. Upgrades are integral to progressing further in the game, as you are considerably underpowered at the start of the game.

Field Stations are spread out across the backyard, offering a Resource Analyzer, a Resource Surveyor, and an ASL Terminal. A resource analyzer allows you to level up and learn additional crafting recipes. Every unique resource analysed gives you experience points, which had me picking literally everything up. It’s nearly impossible to go on an exploration adventure without finding something new.

Grounded’s soundtrack feels abundantly sci-fi inspired, with the Stranger Things aesthetic blooming in the forefront. The music slaps really hard for a survival game, often dipping between synthy 80s music and ominous music that makes you feel like there’s always at least one insect staring at you (there actually is).

Obsidian Entertainment knew what kind of experience they wanted to create with Grounded. With that, they’ve achieved a captivating and unique survival experience that shares the same bones as other survival games but fundamentally forges its own path.