Chris InglisGrounded 2, an early access open world survival game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, takes everything that made the original a beloved survival adventure and amplifies it. With an intriguing premise, impressive writing and excellent voice acting, the game delivers an experience that is both visually stunning and incredibly engaging. From the moment you choose your character and woken up shrunk down in the vast, perilous yard of Brookhollow Park, it’s clear that Obsidian has poured immense detail into this sequel, creating an immersive open world environment that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.
Exploration is richly rewarded in the expansive Brookhollow Park, which is roughly three times the size of the original backyard. Beyond the initial survival loop, Grounded 2 offers an interesting story that is more focused and engaging than before. It’s robust enough to keep you moving beyond the relative safety of the starting area, constantly pushing you to discover new areas like the intriguing ice cream cart area, uncover secrets tied to a corporate conspiracy, and face ever-greater threats. This narrative aspect adds significant purpose with main and side quests to your miniature survival and base building adventures, making the entire experience a lot of fun. It is even more enjoyable playing co-op, much like the first game.
One of the most immediate improvements is the visual fidelity. Despite the significant increase in environmental detail, the game runs super smooth on my ageing PC, a testament to its optimised engine. Every blade of grass feels distinct, and the way blobs of water dew roll down a hill is a small but impactful touch that enhances the immersion. The world, from towering dandelions to sprawling spiderwebs, feels genuinely alive and dangerous.
The creatures and critters, from the smallest gnats and red ants to the most formidable spiders, look amazing and terrifying at the same time. Their intricate designs and mannerisms add to the game’s unique charm and challenge. Encountering a wolf spider or a praying mantis feels like a truly monumental confrontation when you’re no bigger than their eye, and the “Arachnophobia Mode” from the original thankfully makes a return for those who need it and is up front with the accessibility options before you get to the gameplay which is an excellent touch.
The gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying and refined, building upon the strong foundations of the first game. The tutorial system is well executed, seamlessly guiding new players without feeling restrictive. It cleverly encourages exploration and resource gathering by driving you to analyse looted items, which in turn unlocks essential crafting recipes. This natural progression leads you to create a simple lean-to for shelter, a workbench for more complex crafting, and cooking stations to manage your hunger and thirst which reduce at a decent rate compared to other recent survival games.
These initial steps quickly get you underway with the foundational tools for armour and weapon crafting, and robust base building, allowing you to establish a foothold in the treacherous environment. A significant quality-of-life improvement is the Omni-Tool, which streamlines harvesting by combining multiple tool functions into one, reducing inventory clutter and the constant need for repairs. You need to collect specific resources to unlock different tool add-ons, but it saves you having to manage multiple tools for harvesting the different resource types.
Crafting and base building therefore remains at the heart of the experience, offering deep customisation options to personalise your build, either solo or co-op with mates. You’ll gather various materials from the backyard – sap, pebbles, blades of grass, and insect parts – to fashion an impressive array of tools, weapons, and defences. The sheer variety of items you can create allows for diverse playstyles, whether you prefer stealth, ranged combat, or going head-on with a mighty club.
Base building is intuitive yet deep, enabling you to construct elaborate fortresses, elevated walkways, and hidden shelters to protect themselves from the nightly threats of the backyard. Combat itself feels improved, with a crucial new dodge button making each encounter more engaging. Some creatures will attack you on sight and take two to three hits, while others will scurry and you will need to learn their patterns to gain advantage. Some will scurry up blades of grass or run off, but they will give away their weaknesses for you to exploit, or to learn what you need to build next to improve your arsenal.
A particularly exciting new feature is the ability to hatch, raise, and ride your own insect friends called buggies! These loyal companions, like the soldier ant for hauling or the orb weaver for faster travel, add a whole new dimension to traversal and combat, making the vast Brookhollow Park feel less daunting and a lot more exciting. Whether playing solo or in co-op with friends, traversing the playground on a custom-built buggy or riding your loyal insect companion adds an exciting sense of scale and freedom.
Despite being in early access, Grounded 2 already feels like a more polished and engaging survival and base building experience. It streamlines some of the original’s busywork while expanding on its most enjoyable aspects. Obsidian has delivered a sequel that is bigger, better, and crawling with new critters and mysteries. It’s a must-play for fans of the original and new players, promising countless hours of miniature adventure and solidifying its place as a standout in the survival genre. I am excited to watch the game get enhanced even further over the early access period.
This early access review utilised a Steam key provided by Xbox/Microsoft and Grounded 2 is available now on Steam early access and Xbox.
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