Groundedis asurvivalaction-adventure video gamedeveloped byObsidian Entertainmentand published byXbox Game Studios.It was released forWindowsandXbox Oneinearly accessin July 2020. It was fully released on September 27, 2022. TheNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4andPlayStation 5versions were released on April 16, 2024.
| Grounded | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Obsidian Entertainment[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Adam Brennecke |
| Producer(s) | Adam Brennecke |
| Designer(s) | Andy Artz Bobby Null Matthew Perez |
| Programmer(s) | Roby Atadero |
| Artist(s) | Kazunori Aruga |
| Writer(s) | Mitch Loidolt Michael Chu |
| Composer(s) | Justin E. Bell Finishing Move Inc. Marc Rebillet |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4[2] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Survival |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
A small team of 13 people in Obsidian began working inGroundedfollowing the completion ofPillars of Eternity II: Deadfire,while the rest of the team began working onThe Outer Worlds.In the game, the four protagonists are shrunk in size following a science experiment and must survive in abackyard,combating against various bugs and insects. The core premise of the game was inspired byA Bug's LifeandHoney, I Shrunk the Kids.The game received generally positive reviews from critics and attracted more than 20 million players upon launch. An animated series adaptation based on the game is currently in development.
Gameplay
edit
Groundedis asurvival gamethat can be played either infirst-personor athird-person.In the game, the protagonist isshrunkto the size of an ant and must strive to survive in abackyard.In the game, theplayer character(Max, Willow, Pete or Hoops) needs to consume an adequate amount of food and water, or they will losehealthdue tostarvationordehydrationrespectively.[3]The backyard is filled with various bugs and insects, such asspiders,bees,dust mites,ladybugsand many more. The specific microfauna featured in the game suggests the setting to be somewhere in North America as the majority of species featured may be readily found there, although a few (such as the Orchid Mantis) are not native but could reasonably be considered invasive. Different insects serve different purposes in the game. For instance, spiders are one of the game'sapex predatorsthat will hunt down the players, ladybugs can lead players to food sources, and aphids can be cooked and consumed for food. Players can also cut down grass to collectdewdrops.[4]The game has an accessibility option for players who havearachnophobia,which allows players to decide how scary spiders are going to be in the game.[5]
As players progress in the game, they will visit new areas in the backyard. The game's difficulty would slowly increase and enemies that are more dangerous would be introduced. Throughout the game, players need to scavenge resources in the world in order to construct a base so as to defend themselves from hostile enemies, in particular during nighttime as some of the insects become more aggressive.[6]The resources can also be used to craft different tools, traps and weapons, such asaxes,spearsandbows and arrows,to defeat enemies.[7]Players also need to manage theirstaminaas the playable character may become exhausted in sustained combat.[8]The game can be played solo, though it also has a four-playercooperative multiplayermode.[9]
Synopsis
editIn 1990, Pete (Max Mittelman), Max (Luke Youngblood), Willow (Ozioma Akagha), and Hoops (Charlet Chung) are the latest four teenagers in a string of disappearances. The teens wake up to find themselves shrunken down to the size of a small insect and trapped in a backyard, but have no memory of how they were shrunk or how they ended up in the yard.
As the teens explore the yard, they come across recordings left behind by a scientist named Dr. Wendell Tully (Zachary Levi), who invented the SPAC.R, which can shrink objects and people. The teens discover that they are in fact in Dr. Tully's backyard and find the SPAC.R. However, the device malfunctions and causes an explosion in a nearby oak tree. The teens head over to investigate the explosion and find an entire miniature lab built inside of the tree. Inside, they find Dr. Tully's robotic assistant, BURG.L (Josh Brener). Unfortunately, the explosion damaged BURG.L's memory, so it cannot help them repair the SPAC.R until the teens recover its memory backup chips stored in Dr. Tully's labs scattered across his backyard. Despite its memory loss, BURG.L assists the teens by providing them blueprints and knowledge on how to survive in the wilderness and defend themselves from hostile insects.
As the teens locate Dr. Tully's labs and recover the memory chips, they also begin to recover their memories, and recall that they were kidnapped and experimented on by a company called Ominent. Once they were shrunk and the experiments were complete, the project's leader Director Dalton Schmector (Roger Craig Smith) ordered the teens to be disposed of. However, one of the scientists took pity on the teens and secretly smuggled them into Dr. Tully's backyard, as he is the only person that can help them. BURG.L recovers its memories and explains that a side effect of using the SPAC.R is a condition called Raisining Syndrome, where the shrinking process goes out of control and the person suffering from it eventually shrivels up like a raisin. Ominent was experimenting on children since they appeared to be immune to the effects of Raisining Syndrome, and managed to find a cure. However, Ominent still has been unable to replicate Dr. Tully's secret Embiggening Formula, which is needed to reverse the shrinking process.
BURG.L sends the teens to Dr. Tully's last known location. They find a recording left by him explaining that he had begun to suffer the effects of Raisining Syndrome and retreated to an underground lab in an effort to find a cure. The teens head into the lab and find Dr. Tully barely being kept alive by a life support pod. Dr. Tully further explains that Schmector used to be his supervisor before he left the company to work on the SPAC.R, and is angry that Ominent already built their own version. Seeing the predicament the teens are in, Dr. Tully instructs them on how to formulate the Embiggening Formula. However, Dr. Tully also warns the teens that once they start mixing the formula, Ominent will become aware of it and send their army of mind controlled insects to attack. The teens then have the choice of going ahead with the mixing process or confront Schmector's surveillance robot first. If the robot is defeated, the teens will recover a disk containing all of Ominent's research data, including a cure for the Raisining Syndrome.
The teens then mix the Embiggening Formula and reactivate the SPAC.R to return to normal size. However, the ending depends on whether they confronted Schmector or not.
- If the teens did not confront Schmector, then they will have no evidence to prove any of Ominent's wrongdoing. Schmector reveals the SPAC.R to the public and takes all of the credit for its invention. The teens try to return to their normal lives despite being accused of faking their disappearances, while Tully reunites with his family but remains in his shriveled form.
- If the teens confronted Schmector and recovered his research data, then they turn it in to the authorities, and both Ominent and Schmector are put under investigation for illegal human experimentation. The teens are hailed as heroes and Dr. Tully is cured of his Raisining Syndrome and is recognized for his invention of the SPAC.R.
Development
editFollowing the release ofPillars of Eternity II: Deadfire,the team atObsidian Entertainmentbegan brainstorming ideas for asurvival game.While the majority of the staff in Obsidian worked onThe Outer Worlds,a small team of 13 people began the production ofGrounded.The game was already in production before Microsoft's acquisition of Obsidian in 2018.[4]Announced byXbox Game Studiosat X019 in November 2019,[10]the game was released on July 28, 2020, forSteam'searly accessandXbox Game Preview.[9]The early access version of the game featured about 20% of the game's main campaign, and Obsidian actively listened to the feedback from the community as they continued work towards the game's full release in 2022.[7][11]The early access version amassed around 5 million players within 6 months of release.[12]The game was fully released forWindows,Xbox One,andXbox Series X/Son September 27, 2022,[13]and versions forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4andPlayStation 5were released on April 16, 2024.[14]
The team was inspired by films such asDisney'sA Bug's LifeandHoney, I Shrunk the Kids.To know more about different types of insects, the team also watched long featurettes atYouTubeproduced by insect enthusiasts. The team chose the backyard as the game's setting as the team felt it to be a recognizable and approachable setting. They also believed that a backyard create a "larger-than-life" feeling and pose "real sense of danger".[4]The game's director, Adam Brennecke, compared the setting to a "theme park", as the team added numerous landmarks into the world with the goal of making it more interesting.[15]
The team envisioned a game world that was interactive and in which players' actions would change the state of the world. Brennecke added that the game would feature a "memorable" story like other Obsidian's games.[4]The team worked extensively on theartificial intelligenceof insects, which govern their behaviors. For instance, ants are curious about the player character and initially do not attack. However, if the player builds a base around their food, or the player character becomes stronger and the ants begin to see them as a threat, they will attack the players.[16]
Television series
editIn July 2022, it was announced an animated series adaptation of the game is in the works with Brent Friedman developing the series.[17]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 83/100[18] XSXS: 82/100[19] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[20] |
| Eurogamer | Recommended[21] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[22] |
| GamesRadar+ | 3.5/5[23] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4.5/5[24] |
| IGN | 9/10[25] |
| Nintendo Life | 6/10[26] |
| PC Gamer(US) | 90/100[27] |
| Shacknews | 9/10[28] |
This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(December 2020) |
Groundedwas met with "generally favorable" reviews, according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[18][19]
It was nominated for Innovation in Accessibility atThe Game Awards 2020[29]and won the Xbox Game of the Year award at theGolden Joystick Awards.[30]It also received a nomination forAction Game of the Yearat the26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[31]
By February 10, 2022, the game had attracted 10 million players. In-part byXbox Game Pass.[32]
As of December 2022, the game had attracted more than 15 million players.[33]
Notes
edit- ^Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions byDouble Eleven[1]
References
edit- ^@DoubleElevenLtd (February 22, 2024)."Double Eleven on X:" We're delighted to count Obsidian Entertainment as one of our new partners. We're helping them take Grounded, their cooperative survival adventure, to additional platforms. The game is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on 16 April 2024! ""(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"Over 80 Unreal Engine-powered games featured during 2022 summer gaming events".Unreal Engine.August 15, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on August 15, 2023.RetrievedAugust 15,2023.
- ^Fenlon, Wes (November 14, 2019)."In Grounded, an adorable survival game from Obsidian, you're a shrunken kid in a giant backyard".PC Gamer.Future plc.Archivedfrom the original on May 5, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^abcdMercante, Alyssa (November 14, 2019)."Time to get Grounded: A sneak peak[sic] at the surprising Obsidian game".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Makedonski, Brett (April 9, 2020)."Obsidian's Grounded has a mode for people who are scared of spiders".Destructoid.Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2020.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Purchese, Robert (November 15, 2019)."Obsidian's first Microsoft-owned game is basically Honey I Shrunk the Kids".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^abDevore, Jordan (June 17, 2020)."The half-hour demo for Grounded is such a pleasant surprise".Destructoid.Archived fromthe originalon December 5, 2020.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Brown, Fraser (June 17, 2020)."Being shrunk down in Grounded made me confront my unquenchable thirst for blood".PC Gamer.Future plc.Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^abMinotti, Mike (April 7, 2020)."Obsidian's Grounded enters early access on July 28".VentureBeat.Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Tyrrel, Brandin (November 14, 2019)."Grounded Announced as New Co-Op Survival Game from Obsidian".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Ryan, Jon (November 14, 2019)."Obsidian's Grounded Is a Survival Game With Room for Growth".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on November 23, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Kerr, Chris (November 11, 2020)."Grounded tops 5 million players in under six months".Gamasutra.Archivedfrom the original on January 9, 2021.RetrievedNovember 17,2020.
- ^Gutierrez, Luis (July 28, 2022)."Grounded Officially Releases September 27, Many More Features Coming".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2022.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^Romano, Sal (February 21, 2024)."Grounded coming to PS5, PS4, and Switch on April 16".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on February 21, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 21,2024.
- ^Cork, Jeff (May 5, 2020)."Looking Into Grounded's Unnatural Wonders".Game Informer.GameStop Corp.Archived fromthe originalon May 6, 2020.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^Cork, Jeff (April 28, 2020)."Three Big Ways Grounded Nails Its Micro-Scaled Setup".Game Informer.GameStop Corp.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2020.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
- ^White, Peter (July 18, 2022)."Xbox Video Game 'Grounded' In The Works As Animated Series From 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' Brent Friedman".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2023.RetrievedAugust 3,2022.
- ^ab"Grounded for PC Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on December 27, 2023.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^ab"Grounded for Xbox Series X Reviews".Metacritic.RetrievedOctober 12,2022.
- ^Devore, Jordan (September 26, 2022)."Review: Grounded".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedOctober 25,2022.
- ^Blake, Vikki (September 26, 2022)."Grounded review - a delightful mix of harsh survival and warm-hearted design".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2022.RetrievedOctober 25,2022.
- ^Delaney, Mark (September 26, 2022)."Grounded Review - Mountains Out Of Molehills".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2022.RetrievedOctober 25,2022.
- ^Avard, Alex (September 26, 2022)."Grounded review:" A mighty addition to the Xbox Game Pass catalogue "".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on March 15, 2023.RetrievedOctober 25,2022.
- ^LeClair, Kyle (October 12, 2022)."Review: Grounded".Hardcore Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on November 14, 2022.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^Northup, Travis (September 27, 2022)."Grounded Review".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2023.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^O'Reilly, PJ (April 22, 2024)."Grounded Review (Switch eShop)".Nintendo Life.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on September 3, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 3,2024.
- ^Brown, Fraser (September 26, 2022)."Grounded review".PC Gamer.Future plc.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2023.RetrievedOctober 25,2022.
- ^Denzer, TJ (September 26, 2022)."Grounded review: Lord of the Flies (and other such backyard pests)".Shacknews.Archivedfrom the original on December 6, 2022.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^Tassi, Paul (December 11, 2020)."Here's The Game Awards 2020 Winners List With A Near-Total 'Last Of Us' Sweep".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2021.RetrievedOctober 31,2022.
- ^Loveridge, Sam (November 22, 2022)."Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners".Archivedfrom the original on November 22, 2022.RetrievedNovember 23,2022.
- ^"D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Detail Grounded".Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2023.RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
- ^"Grounded Reaches 10 Million Players, Here's How That Compares To Halo, Forza, Sea Of Thieves, And More".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on May 6, 2024.RetrievedMay 6,2024.
- ^Carter, Justin (December 9, 2022)."Obsidian's Grounded has grown to 15 million players".Game Developer.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 12,2023.