Obsidian Leisure has massive ambitions for Grounded 2’s small world

Obsidian Leisure has been an extremely versatile recreation developer over time, even venturing outdoors its RPG consolation zone with the unique Grounded. As a survival journey recreation the place you are shrunken down and discover the hidden, huge world of a yard, it turned a well-loved hit, and it developed even additional all through its early entry interval. However now, the builders have massive plans for Grounded 2, which has new options and a bigger scope that was too massive for the unique to include.

Shortly after the reveal through the latest Xbox Video games Showcase alongside Summer time Sport Fest 2025, I obtained to play the opening of the sequel, which sees the acquainted crew of teenage scavengers, now a little bit older and wiser, shrunken down as soon as once more to outlive a brand new small world hidden within the city’s park. At the same time as a brand new iteration of a well-recognized premise, which is actually the survival gameplay of Rust by means of the whimsical Honey, I Shrunk the Children, Grounded 2 is already displaying some promise as the larger and higher sequel.

Grounded 2, which may also launch in early entry, already seems like a much bigger recreation, even from the confines of the tutorial zone. For starters, there is a bigger deal with increase the expertise of the 4 teenage scavengers and the way they match into the bigger story. It is not fairly Yellowjackets in relation to teen drama, however the crew exploring the small world of the park have colourful language and quips at their disposal. There is a typically stronger sense of character in Grounded 2, which is bolstered by some extra character-driven writing and alternatives to absorb the lore of the corporate chargeable for the experiments on the town.

The expertise of taking part in Grounded 2, very similar to the unique and different survival video games, is all about gathering assets from the land and buying data to remain alive. Together with gathering supplies to construct weapons, armor and buildings, you will additionally must preserve your characters fed and hydrated. You may additionally have to defend your self in opposition to the assorted critters roaming about, such because the ants and the spiders. Additionally returning is the arachnophobia accessibility choice to make them seem much less disturbing for gamers. Fortunately, now you can use a dodge to keep away from assaults – a primary for the sequence – and fight is usually extra responsive and truthful.

Grounded 2 seems like a extra well-rounded and refined tackle the unique, which is a strong recreation in its personal proper. One welcome boost that I obtained to play with was the brand new ant mount, or buggy, because the devs name it. You can journey on prime of a pleasant ant that may assault enemies, transfer quicker all through the world, and even accumulate materials way more shortly than the human scavengers.

Shortly after my hands-on expertise, I sat in on a roundtable dialogue with recreation director Chris Parker and producer Miles Winzeler from Obsidian Leisure, who defined how early entry suggestions from gamers helped convey the sport to its present state. As a way to absolutely implement their imaginative and prescient for Grounded, although, they would want a brand new recreation.

“Nearly all the things in Grounded 2 comes from suggestions from the neighborhood that we had gathered from the primary recreation,” Parker mentioned. “We had to have a look at what was essential to work on with the sequel. Individuals at all times need extra stuff to do. They wished to have the buggies, which was an enormous one and our primary most requested characteristic from out the gate on Grounded 1. We then needed to work on new creatures, armor and weapons, amongst different issues. How can we additional develop our development methods? So these had been all of the issues that we took on from the start for Grounded 2.”

Grounded 2 felt like a extra absolutely realized recreation, which leveraged years of labor on the unique. Together with a extra developed story marketing campaign specializing in serving to the youngsters survive the portion of Brookhollow Park they must discover – which is greater than thrice the scale of the unique’s map – The sport may also launch with inventive mode, which was a well-liked characteristic that permit gamers deal with exploring and increase buildings at their leisure.

“We’re at all times attempting to problem scale and the way we will create a way of awe and thriller by having one thing that is purported to be regular however is now this gigantic factor,” Parker mentioned. “That is at all times the enjoyable when making this recreation.”

I actually took to the added scope of Grounded 2. Not simply as a shrunken particular person trapped on the grounds of a park but additionally for the brand new options and concepts at work for the sequel. With the sport popping out in July for early entry, Grounded 2 has already obtained me invested in making a return go to to this small world with massive ambitions.

Grounded 2 will launch in early entry on July 29 for Xbox Sequence X|S and PC, and can be out there for Sport Move subscribers.