Grounded is a miniature world bursting at the seams with small details worth kicking up a big fuss about in appreciation. This survival RPG makes fantastic use of its simple concept, packing a massive amount of rich detail and nuance that appropriately rewards adventure and discovery.
While you can focus-hunt your way through Grounded, making certain to discover, harvest, and analyze every last object on the map, perhaps the best way to enjoy the game is by wandering aimlessly. The most awe-inspiring moments and locations are found by letting your feet guide you on this incredible journey through shrunken life.
8 The Sounds Of A Good Chop
Grounded is a game of small pleasures and even smaller tools to help our miniature heroes dig, chop, and smash our way through the yard's variety of materials. As you progress through the story and decide to set up camps throughout the yard, you'll be gathering plenty of grass planks and weed stems to construct your mansions.
Few things can compete with the satisfaction of bringing your vision to life, but the gentle, creaky snap of a grass plank as it gently tumbles to the ground might be up there. As you hack away at the blades of grass, each one will groan and crack with satisfying effect while you gather supplies. Each blade of grass definitely hits differently, so chop away to hear the variety of wonderful sounds and expert Foley work Obsidian included.
7 The Map's Functionality
Moving around the Grounded map can take some time, but luckily the map overlay screen and detailed set of markers help give some direction to your free-flowing adventure. Each player can place their own appropriately labeled map markers, making exploration and area pinging easier than ever.
The pre-existing marked points include SCA.B spots and lab locations among various other landmarks that will make navigating the yard much simpler than it would be without it. Each distinct locale from The Hedge to The Sandbox is also distinguished with clear borderlines and easy-to-understand paths that indicate how you might have to approach a given area.
6 Insects Announcing Themselves
As you scamper between blades of grass and wade through shallow puddles, you'll often be greeted by the light snorting or skittering of a nearby insect. During your first few hours in the game, these noises will serve as generic indicators about the demeanor of nearby bugs, with adorably harmless noises used to indicate cute friends, like Aphids.
However, as you are hardened by the elements and cold realities of the yard, you will come to pick up on the angry growls and concerning skitters common among the several breeds of spiders in the game. Wolf Spiders offer a distinct, gravely sniffing noise while Orb Weavers emit a blood-curdling screech and hissing combination that will make your skin crawl — but in a helpful way.
5 Unique Damage Types
Grounded takes an old RPG staple and spins it on its head, substituting typical elemental damage types like fire or ice with unique re-imaginations in the form of Sizzling and Fresh, among others. There are practical niches for each of the game's damage types and some weapons even bestow excellent status effects to boot.
Once you take the time to learn the weaknesses of the myriad of marauding insects across the yard, you'll be quickly swapping between the Mint Mace, Coaltana, Rusty Spear, and Salt Morning Star, expertly selecting the perfect weapon to get the job done. Take some time to learn and master the different elements, as there are several Sizzling, Fresh, Sour, and Salty weapons to choose from, just to name a few.
4 Well-Placed Points Of Interest
As you explore the seemingly infinite stretches of the yard, you will come across fascinating objects like old toys and even a grave site. The Hamster's headstone is among the many objects worth going out of your way for, as the pastel-colored rock is brightly decorated in memory of the family pet.
Small offshoots like the one found by entering Dan's shallow grave may lead you to rare objects or upgrade materials, like Milk Molars, which are imperative to improving your efficiency. Dan's grave is a morbid reminder of a lost pet but illustrates how richly detailed even the game's most obscure corners are, so go looking for the unexpected; you never know what you might find.
3 Your Character's Reactions
These pint-sized adventurers have a lot on their minds, including several fantastic lines of dialogue that offer a closer look at the Grounded characters. While you run around and encounter new insects or locations, your character will be quick to remark on their observations or a new discovery.
These moments expand beautifully the more people you play with as the multiple characters will initiate unique lines of dialogue and conversation topics depending on who is in the group. Max and Pete have some adorable, short quips while Willow and Hoops often offer practical, sobering perspectives on life in the yard.
2 The Pace Of Progression
Grounded's story is rather short and simple all things considered, though it is elongated by the amount of time and effort needed to navigate and conquer the yard. Aside from the story, your only means by which to judge progression is by checking your overall Brainpower. You can increase Brainpower by scanning new objects and in turn, you will earn Raw Science and unlock new recipes at certain thresholds.
While you likely won't notice your Brainpower if you're engrossed in the exploration or combat, it provides a wonderful metric by which to tell how much of the yard you've actually analyzed. In addition, the unlocked recipes are incredibly advantageous and include access to endgame armor such as the Roly Poly Armor Set, which provides excellent resistance, among several other important recipes.
1 The Sense Of Humor
From the get-go, Grounded presents diverging ways to approach the game: as an intense survival game with elements of bug horror, or as a 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids'-inspired game with a band of light-hearted kids just looking to survive. However, if you take a moment to look at some of the game's items and recipes, you'll notice the game pushing you toward the lighthearted interpretation.
Reading through ridiculous recipes with names like 'Gnatchos' or 'Quesadillantlion' makes everything a little funnier. Suddenly, that Wolf Spider waiting for you to exit your menu seems a lot less terrifying, especially if you remember spiders are just colossal Web Fiber containers with faces and terrifying pincers. The next time you're approaching The Broodmother's Lair with your Broodmother BLT and a refrigerator's-worth of smoothies, remember to take a breath and enjoy the absurdity of this off-the-wall adventure.