Grounded 2 First Hands-on Preview: Bigger Than Before

In a delightful astonishment for Grounded fans, Obsidian took to the signifier astatine the Xbox Games Showcase past play to uncover an unexpected sequel simply dubbed Grounded 2.

Obsidian has shared that Grounded 2 volition instrumentality cues from its predecessor by likewise launching into aboriginal entree and increasing implicit clip with the enactment and feedback of the community. That aboriginal entree motorboat is soon, too; adjacent month, to beryllium exact. I got a accidental to play a small spot of what players volition beryllium shrinking into adjacent period astatine the Xbox Games Showcase successful Los Angeles implicit the weekend. And my wide impression, which I accidental arsenic a full-throated compliment, is that yup, that's a small spot bigger Grounded each right!

It's admitedly hard for maine to accidental overmuch astir the ways successful which Grounded 2 differs from the archetypal Grounded conscionable based connected the small, tiny snippet I played. I was fixed the enactment to leap into a aboriginal conception of the game, but I opted for the tutorial to refresh my Grounded skills, which person gotten a small rusty.

Thus, overmuch of what I saw done that tutorial was, pleasantly, much Grounded. It's the aforesaid kids (albeit 2 years older now) shrunk down to ant size acknowledgment to the shady dealings of a institution called Ominent. Once shrunk, they endure from a interaction of amnesia that leaves them with small representation of what they were doing pre-shrinking, but luckily, our teens do retrieve the gist of their last tiny backyard adventure, adjacent if they indispensable reacquire galore of the skills they developed the archetypal clip around. Crafting, for lawsuit - you'll inactive beryllium analyzing each point you travel across, learning caller crafting recipes, and dilatory gathering caller pieces of armor, weapons, tools, and different items to assistance you survive. Or you'll beryllium scrounging astir the aboriginal areas for nutrient (mushrooms, successful my case) and portion (dewdrops) truthful you don't starve to death. Or possibly you'll beryllium warring bugs oregon different critters, poking astatine them nervously with a crudely-made instrumentality spear. All the fundamentals are inactive successful Grounded, acquainted and waiting for everyone who conscionable wanted much of what the archetypal was selling.

What's caller present was a small little evident successful a short, early-game sample, but I did get a sensation of immoderate of it. You'll get a caller Omni-tool, for instance, that combines each of your tools into 1 for casual usage without taking up inventory space. I didn't get to experimentation with its myriad uses much, but I did usage it to hack distant astatine immoderate tremendous writer blades successful spot of an axe. Another caller mechanic is the summation of a dodge fastener successful combat, which acceptable successful truthful smoothly I concisely forgot dodging wasn't a portion of the archetypal game. Both of these examples are comparatively tiny quality-of-life features, but they look poised to creaseless retired immoderate of the wrinkles successful the wide acquisition long-term. It's wild that the archetypal Grounded didn't person a dodge fastener earlier now!

The biggest caller portion of Grounded 2 that I really got immoderate decent hands-on clip with was the Buggy strategy - fundamentally mounts. I was capable to thrust proudly astride a large ol' ant. It...kinda ruled? It's amusive to thrust a large bug? Galloping astir connected my ant steed aside, the Buggy really comes with rather a fewer different absorbing features packed in. You tin sprint, oregon you tin swap to a overmuch slower gathering mode that volition person your Buggy cod immoderate resources it runs into arsenic you walk them, eliminating the request for time-consuming harvesting. Buggies tin besides combat connected your behalf, oregon chomp down connected blades of writer oregon different choppable items to hack them down. At 1 point, I skittered done a nest of mites, gripping a glowing mushroom torch and letting my ant bash the soiled enactment of munching distant each mite that threw itself astatine me.

I was told successful an interrogation aft our preview league that it's these Buggy mounts that fundamentally necessitated Grounded 2, albeit alongside different factors. The archetypal Grounded was ne'er designed for the velocity astatine which mounts tin screen ground. As a result, the representation was excessively tiny for Obsidian to ever instrumentality Buggies arsenic a real, utile diagnostic for anyone. The lone mode to get the oft-requested rideable bugs into the crippled was to marque the crippled much, overmuch bigger.

And that's what I'm told has happened here. Grounded 2 takes spot not successful a backyard, but successful Brookhollow Park, which Obsidian says is astir 3 times the size of the backyard from the archetypal game. I deliberation I saw, like, possibly the teensiest, tiniest, earliest-gamest country of that parkland - the nice, easygoing abstraction that's intended to acclimate some caller and returning players to the satellite of Grounded earlier sending them disconnected connected an ant-riding escapade into the unknown.

I inactive person a batch much questions astir what Grounded 2 is bringing to the picnic array that volition warrant an wholly caller crippled arsenic opposed to conscionable expanding the existing Grounded. Mechanically, I'm not afloat definite rideable bugs is going to merchantability maine connected it. Then again, Grounded is heavy story-focused, and Grounded 2 opens the gross to a marque caller story. It lets Obsidian property up its protagonists, advancement Ominent's nefarious nonsense, and grow the world. And it remains existent that the archetypal Grounded was beauteous dang amusive conscionable arsenic it was. So sure. I'll instrumentality much of it, positive bug riding. Ride similar the wind, bugs-eye.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].