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

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

Shortly after the reveal through the latest Xbox Video games Showcase alongside Summer time Sport Fest 2025, I received to play the opening of the sequel, which sees the acquainted crew of teenage scavengers, now a bit of 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 the use of the whimsical Honey, I Shrunk the Children, Grounded 2 is already displaying some promise as the larger and higher sequel.

Grounded 2, which will even launch in early entry, already appears like an even bigger sport, even from the confines of the tutorial zone. For starters, there is a bigger concentrate on increase the expertise of the 4 teenage scavengers and the way they match into the bigger story. It is not fairly Yellowjackets with regards to teen drama, however the crew exploring the small world of the park have colourful language and quips at their disposal. There is a usually stronger sense of persona in Grounded 2, which is bolstered by some extra character-driven writing and alternatives to soak up the lore of the corporate answerable 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 information to remain alive. Together with amassing supplies to construct weapons, armor and buildings, you will additionally need to maintain your characters fed and hydrated. You may additionally must 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 honest.

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

Shortly after my hands-on expertise, I sat in on a roundtable dialogue with sport 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 totally implement their imaginative and prescient for Grounded, although, they would wish a brand new sport.

“Virtually every part in Grounded 2 comes from suggestions from the neighborhood that we had gathered from the primary sport,” Parker mentioned. “We had to have a look at what was essential to work on with the sequel. Individuals all the time need extra stuff to do. They needed 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 programs? So these have been all of the issues that we took on from the start for Grounded 2.”

Grounded 2 felt like a extra totally realized sport, 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 need to discover – which is greater than 3 times the dimensions of the unique’s map – The sport will even launch with artistic mode, which was a preferred characteristic that allow gamers concentrate on exploring and increase buildings at their leisure.

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

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 received me invested in making a return go to to this small world with large ambitions.

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