Obsidian Entertainment already has a reputation for making good sequel games and early access of Grounded 2 is proving this. Though mini was released at 2023’s game awards prototype stage, it has an incredible amount of content. Given what is currently in the game, it looks like a smaller version of Conan Exiles.
The game has great innovations like using ants and spiders to travel faster, and solving the problem of inventory space by letting you store loot on them. In the new game, the RPG classes and combat have been refined, streamlined. What’s more, the narrative and character development and pacing are much improved over the first game.
A Small World with Massive Appeal
The premise is still pleasantly simple for fresh players. You and up to three friends play as teenagers who’ve been shrunk down to the size of ants. Exploring a regular suburban park, which is a wilderness at this scale. You’ll be fighting bugs, making bases from grass and pebbles, fighting a weird company that wants to shrink your kids, or turning boring places into epic lands from your new tiny viewpoint.
In Grounded 2, the amusing characters and dialogue take centre stage, unlike the first game, where the excellent storyline fit in the gameplay that focused more on survival. The game contains a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in the Obsidian way. The four returning characters are cute and comfortable with their reduced stature, cracking one-liners constantly. Your main guide, Sloane Beaumont, offers one of the game’s best performers, with an ambiguous stepmother-like vibe.
New Playground, New Challenges
An inflection from the backyard setting to the park backdrop introduces some very exciting new settings. An upside-down ice cream cart creates a frozen waste land where unprepared explorers are at risk of freezing. A high statue invites climbers to its top, while a stone-stepped garden creates a confusing maze for the people.
The current version available for early access has too few distinct areas to distinguish it from the previous one. Even though we’ve got new locales, like a big bush with traversable branches, a downed grill posing as the lava of a volcano, and a picnic table, they seem to be repeats of the backyard of the original. The first version of Grounded had a koi pond, poison, filled zones and a desert-like sandbox. But the sequel lacks this variety. Obsidian probably has a lot up their sleeves for the main game as a lot of the park is inaccessible even in early access.
Familiar Foundations, Fresh Features
A lot of the basic features from Grounded return, the red ants and orb weavers are back, you’ll be able to stab your opponents with the mosquito needle rapier and use systems like mutations and weapon upgrades. Grounded 2 may have taken away some tools, but Grounded 2 offers some quality-of-life improvements such as replacing the separate shovel, axe and hammer tools with an omni-tool. The omni tool requires no maintenance that is also a great improvement.
One of the big changes is the class system. A player can become a rogue, a mage, or other classes with proper equipment and stat bonuses. The sequel gives players unique gear and abilities in order to encourage different role-playing styles, even more so than the first game.
Insect Mounts: Game-Changing Companions
You can now hatch and domesticate insects to use as mount, which changes how people travel and fight. Now, instead of using ziplines or walking, you can quickly fly anywhere across the map and take out flying enemies from your friend.
At this time, there are two mounts available. The red soldier ant can carry huge materials and use its mandibles to clear obstacles; meanwhile the powerful orb weaver walks on spider’s webs and roars to intimidate lesser bugs. Getting to your friends in trouble quickly is a huge upgrade from the original game.
Room for Growth
Even after it has changed quite a bit, the base building is still much the same. Even though it works well, object placement is frustrating. Likewise, building surfaces are uneven, resulting in awkward positions. This area clearly needs refinement before the full release.
The variety of enemies needs to be expanded because most come over from the original. The new butterfly that can breath ice and fights like a dragon, and the deadly praying mantis, are all exciting. But the rest are just part of the series. Not all of the foes from the original Grounded make an appearance within it. Possibly they’ll turn up in a future update or in a whole new area that was not released, though!
Technical Challenges
At present, performance issues are the biggest drawback. Grounded 2 runs a little rough, even after tempering our expectations for an early-access title. After building significant bases and modifying their surroundings, framerates often drop a lot. There are crashes every five hours, enemies sometimes get stuck in objects and a number of other bugs. Players not equipped to deal with technical problems might lose their patience. However, the positives of the game are so good that it manages to cover for those shortcomings.
A Small Game with Enormous Potential
Grounded 2 is potentially one of the best survival games there is out there, and that too in its unfinished unpolished state. The game now offers improved storytelling, exploration, and RPG systems. It also includes the ability to use insect mounts in gameplay.
Obsidian has clearly laid the groundwork for something special, though there is place for improvement with enemy variety, environments, base building, and performance. This early access version is an impressive evolution of an already great franchise.