Grounded - Survival (honey I shrunk the kids concept)

It’s been a while since I revisited this game and the most recent patch at the end of June seemed like a good time to pick it back up again. Since I last played in August/September 2020, they’ve added a few new systems, creatures, armor/weapons/furniture/structures, fleshed out some work in progress biomes, the beginnings of a pet system, and their first boss.

One of the new systems is mutations. They’re perks that improve stats and are mostly unlocked based on player behavior, types of enemies slain, and usage of specific weapon types. Another is underwater progression. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but it seems fairly light and tightly focused to one biome.

The new creatures include bees, mosquitos, tadpoles, water boatman, diving bell spiders, and some others I’m probably forgetting. For now you can only tame aphids. I’m not sure how or if they’re only aesthetic or functional.

The hedge lab seems to be fully implemented now. I just completed it last night. The most recent patch unlocked the lab in the gas area. I think it contains the chip that unlocks recipes for building with mushroom blocks.

Anyway, I’ve heard it’s free on game pass so I’d definitely check it out if it seems interesting to you. It’s not content complete but it’s pretty polished for an early access title.

Dandai said:

Another is underwater progression. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but it seems fairly light and tightly focused to one biome.

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I was pretty wrong about this. The underwater progression is no "lighter" than terrestrial progression. There's two tiers of armors, weapons, and utility equipment. It's real easy to make underwater combat and breath mechanics tedious and unnecessarily complicated, but I enjoyed it here. Also, the pond lab and biome appear to be complete. There are a couple locked doors in the biome still, but I'm guessing that those are for future story additions as the quest associated with the lab itself is completable.

I've made and done about everything except taking on the broodmother boss. Once I check that out, I'm gonna put it down for a few updates again. The aesthetic and theme are so consistent and on point. You can tell this is a passion project from a small team or a well-functioning team. I can't wait until they get it fully released.

Edit: I'm very sad that I only just now bothered to make the lantern helmet (made using firefly parts lol). Granted, underwater it's less useful since it occupies the same slot as your extended breath-o-meter equipment, but being able to see while using two handed weapons at night is amazing.

They’ve announced they’ll be leaving early access “preview” and having the full release (1.0) in September. I’ve played about 20-30 hours in the last week to see what all has been added since this time last year. If you haven’t played yet, at this point it’s probably prudent to wait to play at launch. That being said, it’s super fun already.

Dandai said:

They’ve announced they’ll be leaving early access “preview” and having the full release (1.0) in September. I’ve played about 20-30 hours in the last week to see what all has been added since this time last year. If you haven’t played yet, at this point it’s probably prudent to wait to play at launch. That being said, it’s super fun already.

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Trailer looks great, might get this!

Bump - the final content patch (1.4) was released about a month ago and included a release on PS5 and Switch. I’ve put hundreds of hours into this game since it first came out in early access and would highly recommend it to anyone that finds the concept interesting.