GROUNDED REVIEW SERIES

The most striking part of Grounded’s visuals is its use of color. It’s easy to imagine a slightly more directed version of Grounded, where the story complements the gameplay rather than just providing a distant carrot and entirely too much stick. It’s a huge missed opportunity, particularly since Grounded does not do a good job of introducing players to the general gameplay loop, or the myriad systems therein. While you need to do both, the “survival” part of the game seems largely unconcerned with the “story” part, and vice versa. You survive by crafting shelters and tools you advance the story by seeking out laboratories. The trouble is that the gameplay and the narrative never intersect in any meaningful way.

GROUNDED REVIEW SERIES

The major difference in Grounded is that the “how did we get here?” mystery plays a big role in the plot, and you’ll have to track down a series of tiny laboratories to unearth a slightly satirical “science-gone-wrong” story. Four teenagers get shrunk down and thrown into a suburban backyard, where they must match wits with environmental hazards and belligerent insects in order to survive.

If you’ve ever seen the 1989 comedy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, then you pretty much know the story in Grounded as well. I didn’t mind the difficulty, or having to overcome obstacles I did mind that the only way to learn this was through a grueling trial-and-error process that cost me hours of progress. After a rare plot mission directed me toward a hidden lab, I sought it out - only to find that the entrance was on a completely different side of the map, hidden behind dozens of impossibly tough insects, and requiring all sorts of traversal items that I didn’t have yet. Improving your gear, shelter and survival skills over time can feel rewarding, especially since newer items often offer a substantial benefit over older ones.Įven when you know where you need to go, exploring the map can be a joyless slog. You come back to your base (which you can also build up and customize via crafting), make better items, and repeat the process. Slaying tougher insects nets you tougher hides going further afield can get you more exotic plants, such as blueberries or dandelions. You craft a few basic resources, such as a pebble ax and some clover armor, then go out exploring. You can analyze the resources you find to gain “Raw Science” (essentially experience points), which teaches you new recipes over time. Just about everything you find in Grounded - plants, pebbles and insect parts, primarily - is part of at least one crafting recipe. But once you get past the initial thrill of discovery, gathering food and water is simply a bit of busywork that you have to do every day.Ĭrafting is the most substantial part of the game, but whether you find the process engrossing or tedious depends a lot on your tolerance for the genre. Roasted meat and fresh dewdrops work much better, particularly when you find a way to store additional supplies and carry them with you. Raw insect meat is a no-go, as is stagnant water you find lying on the ground. At first, figuring out what you can eat and drink feels rewarding.

Grounded review