Obsidian's Grounded - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids meets Ark: Survival Evolved - released into Early Access a little over two years ago. And now with Version 1.0, we jumped into the wide open spaces of the game's backyard world to check out the full release.

A snippet.

Having checked out that version two years ago, and not coming back until the big Version 1.0 release, it’s astonishing how much Gnat Roast and Cooked Tadpole Meat there is on the bone. Grounded might take place in a single backyard, but it's a marvel of scale, scope, and what sitting with an idea and letting it grow can deliver. From an underwater world to discover under the surface of a pond to trying to survive the scorching desert heat of a sand pit overrun with bugs. It’s fantastical, cartoonish, and realistic in equal measure, with a sense of fun and even dread, expressed through impressive art direction and a moody synth-driven soundtrack.

The backyard is peppered with small-but-now-large discoveries, including a functioning etch-a-sketch-like toy, discarded juice boxes, a rundown lawnmower, toolboxes with massive screwdrivers doubling as precarious platforms, a tabletop boardgame set up on a picnic table, and more. Each not only serves as a means to create biome diversity and recognisable landmarks but as a nice little reminder that in the world of Grounded a dew drop forming on a blade of grass is something you need to look up to see.

Head Here For Our Full Grounded Review

Obsidian's Grounded launched into Xbox Game Preview/Early Access back in July of 2020. As per our own hands-on from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-inspired tiny kids in a backyard survival game, it was impressive but not a full experience. Well, that changes now with the 1.0 release out in the wild - which builds on two years of community-led development.

Our full review is coming soon, but it's safe to say that the promise of that first Early Access jaunt has definitely been fulfilled. Having put quite a bit of time into the 1.0 release already, the scope of the game is huge - and a great take on the classic survival game genre.



"Two years ago when Grounded entered Game Preview/Early Access, there were six biomes to explore, and 14 creatures to interact with," writes Mikey Dowling, Director of Communications, Obsidian Entertainment. "Now with the full “1.0” release, there are 13 biomes, three of which have had massive overhauls, 44 creatures, including the giant koi fish and bird, and a whole host of features to flesh out the game."

For those that have been playing alond the 1.0 release adds a tonne of new things to the game, including a complete story with pre-rendered cut-scenes, new creatures, new bosses, new weapons and armour sets, new building options, and more. Progress for those that have been playing will carry across to this new version too, which is cool to see.

Stay tuned for our full review.

Blending the survival vibe of something like Ark: Survival Evolved with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is reason enough to pique our interest. And that's exactly what Grounded is - available now (as an Early Access release) on Xbox Game Pass (PC and Console) and Steam. We put Adrian Haas through our own shrink ray to explore the microcosm of Obsidian's latest.

And to find out whether he has the smarts of a Szalinski kid. Or, if he's just another soda chugging Thompson.

At first glance, there's not a lot separating Grounded from other survival games like Ark: Survival Evolved or Conan Exiles. There's your typical survival tropes: hunger, thirst, exploration, weapon and armour crafting, shelter building, and so on. What sets Grounded apart from the crowd though are all of the little things, like quest markers measured in centimetres and the fact that you're not gathering rocks or even pebbles; but peblets. Hydration comes in the form of dew drops, and the clover portion of a four-leaf clover is strong enough to withstand your weight.

At this stage of the game's Early Access journey, things are as relatively bare as the wide open spaces of a new vegetable plot awaiting seeds - in Grounded such a site is huge. Only a portion of the story has been revealed, and with the opening teaser being engaging as it is, there’s a sense that this is more proof of concept than a rough-around-the-edges full game.

Our Full Grounded Early Access Impressions