The Kids Have Shrunk, but Everything Else Has Grown

The kids may have shrunk again, but Obsidian Entertainment’s bite-sized survival game has only grown in proportion. On the surface, not much has changed in Grounded 2: the same four teens are once again shrunk to roughly the size of an ant, and they’re once more thrust into a battle for survival amidst the variety of insects that inhabit the environment. While the premise and overall gameplay loop are untouched, Grounded 2 earns its place as a sequel by meaningfully expanding on virtually every aspect.

Grounded 2‘s current Early Access build is limited to just a portion of Brookhollow Park—inaccessible biomes are blocked off with construction tape—but there’s still a whole lot of game even with this restriction. Additionally, a few features are temporarily disabled during this phase of Early Access, namely the Custom Game mode that allows players to modify its settings. Despite these limitations, I had a blast exploring, surviving, and building my base from a miniature perspective.

Tiny Teens, Big Changes in Grounded 2

Of course, the first thing I noticed was an overall boost to the game’s production value; Grounded 2 kicks off with a well-animated expositional cinematic before handing off controls to the player. Once in-game, I felt an immediate upgrade to the game’s visuals, largely thanks to its improved lighting, which accentuates the game’s cartoonish art style and brings a lot of life and color to its visuals, like sunlight subtly bleeding through grass planks and weed stems that made up my house. Animations also feel smoother across the board, which tightened up the feel of combat and parrying.

The UI has also undergone a complete makeover, but the wheel-based menu tabs may be hit or miss for PC gamers—although it’s comfortable enough with a controller. Undoubtedly, the most significant UI improvement is the map. Rather than the previous game’s barely readable low-tech map, Grounded 2‘s map is a detailed satellite image of the park, complete with borders that mark each biome. This upgrade immediately made navigation far more straightforward with easily identifiable landmarks.

Grounded 2‘s new Omni-Tool gives the game a quality-of-life boost.

Another handy UI addition is a radial menu that allows players to directly craft common items, such as bandages or crude ropes. This is a superb addition that cuts down on time spent in menus, especially in the early game, where crafting these items is a constant need.

However, my favorite quality-of-life boost comes in the form of Grounded 2‘s new Omni-Tool. Grounded 2 has done away with separate chopping, busting, and digging tools, instead opting for a single, upgradeable device. Best of all, the Omni-Tool is context-sensitive – players no longer need three tools on their hotbar. Instead, you press E when looking at a blade of grass or a submerged grub to use the tool. This saves space in the hotbar and inventory, all while preserving the satisfaction of progressing through the tool tiers. The Omni-Tool’s functions can each be upgraded at Ranger Stations, requiring increasingly complex resources—just like the multiple tools it replaced.

Grounded 2’s Buggies Are Its Defining Feature

Gameplay is, of course, functionally identical to Grounded but with a few tweaks. Alongside the improved feel of parrying, there is also a new dodge button that opens up new defensive options. The most significant gameplay change is perhaps Grounded 2‘s greatest draw: Buggies. When I originally played Grounded, one of my first questions was, “When do I get to ride the bugs?” Grounded 2 has thankfully answered that question. Buggies are persistent rideable insects that players can engage in mounted combat with, alongside serving as an independent companion in combat.

Additionally, Buggies carry some inventory storage, which is a huge boon to solo players. Plus, the extreme boost to movement speed makes traversing the park a breeze. Buggies also have useful special abilities, like chopping grass and hauling a huge stack of planks. There’s even a bit of a metroidvania component to Buggies, whereby they open up new paths to explore. The ant Buggy can chew through certain obstacles, while later on, the orb weaver buggy can traverse webbed paths. Obtaining a buggy is an involved process, appropriate for such a game-changing feature.

Grounded 2 Has a Smoother Start and Better Progression

While Grounded plopped players into the yard with relatively little direction, Grounded 2 has a far more robust onboarding experience that should smoothly ease new players into the game. This sequel kicks off within an incredibly convenient Ominent Onboarding Facility designed to teach Ominent employees the basics of crafting and exploration throughout the park, resulting in a nifty in-universe way to justify the game’s more detailed tutorial.

The playable area in Grounded 2‘s first act is mostly similar to Grounded‘s earlier biomes, primarily consisting of grassland dotted with bits of debris, while larger landmarks such as trash cans and picnic tables serve as rewarding platforming challenges. The lack of environmental diversity can be forgiven at this early stage of the game, as more interesting and challenging biomes will certainly become available further in development, but there are still some highlights: one region of the playable space was covered in ice, threatening to freeze unprepared tiny teens that spend too long treading there.

Progress is guided by a more active narrative, and the game does an excellent job guiding players. Unlike some open-world survival games, there’s never any wondering about what to focus on next, and the main quest also breadcrumbs players toward sources of important resources. There are side activities to engage in as well, such as hacking O.R.C. transmitters, which can usually be found at the end of platforming challenges and are often accompanied by a stunning vista overlooking the park.

Grounded 2 Shows Promise, But You May Want to Wait

grounded-2-overlook — grounded 2 gameplay screenshot

Without spoiling too much, the boss fights currently on offer impress. Grounded 2 may feature teenagers in a cartoonish setting, but its boss fights—particularly the act’s final encounter—are easily on par with some Dark Souls bosses. With an expanded arsenal owing to some new bug types (snails and caterpillars, for example) in Grounded 2, the game’s build variety is also approaching that of its soulslike contemporaries.

So far, Grounded 2 is bigger, prettier, and smoother to play, with improvements across the board that all tangibly add to the experience. If Obsidian Entertainment stays the course, it’s difficult to imagine a world where Grounded 2 isn’t considered a successful sequel. That said, prospective players may want to hold off for now—it can be a bit of a letdown upon reaching the “end” of its currently limited content. Waiting for the full release to appreciate Grounded 2 might be the best way to experience it.