Grounded 2 Early Access Review – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Again

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In simpler terms, the game Grounded 2, similar to the popular sandbox survival title from 2020, beautifully encapsulates the essence of growing up in the early 90s. It’s like being in awe of technology that seems magical, having the confidence born out of ignorance and not caring about adult opinions, and experiencing everything as larger than life. The game presents a world where your character is dwarfed by Brookhollow Park, ordinary objects seem like landmarks guiding your journey, and danger lurks everywhere, both above ground and underground. Despite being in early access and needing optimization improvements, the allure of adventure remains captivating.

Two years following the events of the initial game, Grounded 2 launches straight into action. An introductory scene depicts a catastrophic explosion at Brookhollow Park, with Dr. Wendell Tully, the mastermind behind the first game’s shrinking experiments, appearing to have lost control and damaging BURG.L severely, even severing his head. You assume control of one of the four teenagers from the original story, who find themselves miniaturized once more as they strive to untangle tech-giant Ominent’s involvement in these recent events.

From the start, it’s not as if Ominent is a covert antagonist lurking in the wings. Instead, you engage in several video conferences with the Chief Strategy Officer, Sloane Beaumont. The game effectively creates an uneasy corporate atmosphere. Your dialogue options don’t affect gameplay, but it’s satisfying to harbor suspicion towards Ominent and their insincere concern. This is particularly fascinating when compared to the video logs found across the world, which reveal scientists frantically trying to claim credit for their work (and others’) in a desperate bid for recognition.

Beyond just what’s already been presented, there appears to be a secretive figure subtly challenging you from the background. Although it raises questions, they might hold the solutions you need. As intriguing as it is, the plot takes numerous twists and turns, but manages to stay connected and engaging. The voice acting generally impresses, however, I wish the teen characters had more distinct dialogue during gameplay. If I’m going to keep hearing about seasoning that roasted insect meal repeatedly, a bit of variation (or less frequent mentions) would be appreciated.

Players familiar with the original game or any survival sandbox title can anticipate a similar experience with Grounded 2. They’ll gather resources, construct shelters and workbenches for crafting superior armor, weapons, and items, manage hunger and thirst levels, and much more. Just like before, being miniaturized requires creativity, such as tapping the grass blades to collect dewdrops (and avoiding them merging with muddy puddles).

The process of creating dishes with ease continues, as arranging ingredients for a recipe without constantly switching tabs or setting up workstations on-the-go while systematically adding materials to complete them streamlines the entire cooking experience. Additionally, the new OmniTool is introduced, which handles all necessary survival crafting tasks. This means no more repair work or creating new versions, leaving room for accumulating additional resources. As you advance, you’ll encounter new components and rare Science items, enabling you to upgrade the OmniTool to handle tougher materials. In turn, this provides access to better weapons, armor, and even greater exploration opportunities within the park.

Despite its reliability, I always welcome the challenge that Grounded 2 presents, such as invading not just one, but two ant-infested locations in search of a Red Soldier Ant egg for incubation. Encountering an Orb Weaver to gather Acorn Shells for the task adds an extra layer of fear, prompting me to explore different areas or notice their behavior, hoping to collect the material and escape safely. As my base expands, the dangers gradually intensify – more ants passing through become a regular occurrence, necessitating improved defenses.

Absolutely, upgrading your armor and weapons is essential, and you’ll find your typical set of dual claws, swords, spears, and more at the ready. We’ve seen impressive advancements in combat, allowing you to dodge attacks smoothly now. Sometimes, it might be smart to take a hit or parry instead. Learning to read the signs of certain enemy attacks can be tricky initially, but with practice, it transforms into an exhilarating dance as you battle for survival.

Mastering particular combat techniques could prove advantageous as they grant special abilities or mutations that bolster their effectiveness. Additionally, scouring your environment may lead to discovering Milk Molars, items that can elevate health, stamina, the maximum number of active mutations, and even slow down the depletion of water and food resources.

As a gamer, let me tell you, the standout feature that’s got me excited is the fresh addition – the Ant Mount, or as we gamers call it, the Buggy! This bad boy not only amps up exploration, but it also brings a new twist to combat with its mounted mode. You can team up with a smaller worker ant for backup in fights, or jump off and turn the tables on your enemies with a 3-vs-1 scenario. Plus, the Buggy is a game-changer when it comes to collecting and transporting resources, making construction more effortless than ever!

In survival crafting games like Grounded, mounts aren’t exactly novel, but the Buggy significantly enhances the gameplay in unique ways. Nevertheless, engaging in combat while mounted can feel repetitive as you’re limited to using the Buggy’s attacks instead of your own weapons. Although I understand this is for balance purposes, adding some diversity beyond light attack, charged attack, and block would be greatly appreciated. Additionally, a slight increase in speed during gathering mode would also be welcome.

Besides that, the sequel Grounded 2 also has more than just the usual bugs found in the game’s park. I didn’t experience any game-stopping glitches myself, but there were instances where a dewdrop appeared to float in mid-air instead of falling after cutting the connected grass. Combat while mounted can be tricky sometimes, as your Buggy might overshoot the target and miss them. Whether this is due to height differences or other factors, it may lead to occasional frustration.

The game’s performance can sometimes be inconsistent. Running it at 1440p with High settings was a bit too demanding. Lowering the quality to Medium provided some improvement, but reducing the resolution to 1080p seemed to help more. However, as I explored new areas using a Buggy, stutters and frame rate drops became noticeable. Despite this, it’s not unplayable, given that I’m using an RTX 4060, an 11th-gen Core-i5, and 32 GB of RAM. It’s likely that better hardware will be able to handle it more effectively.

Remember this point, particularly if your hardware doesn’t match the suggested specifications, yet it’s hard to overlook the visual allure of Grounded 2. Brookhollow Park is breathtakingly beautiful, whether viewed at various times during the day when the sunlight filters through the grass or when the blades rustle as mademoiselle ladybug moves by. The world design is equally captivating – you can either follow Beaumont’s instructions or the enigmatic figure’s lead to complete objectives and move to different spots, or venture out on your own exploration without constraints.

What’s contained within that crumbling donut? Or what lies inside that opening cave? The sudden illumination of dozens of ant eyes turning red (spoiler alert: It’s quite terrifying)! There is a wealth of sights and activities to explore, and I can hardly wait to see all the additional features the developer will introduce during the early access phase.

If you can handle its present optimization issues, Grounded 2 is a straightforward recommendation for those fresh to survival crafting sandbox games as well as seasoned fans. Labeling it simply “more of Grounded” isn’t entirely inaccurate, but the numerous changes, advancements, additions, and new environments definitely make it worth your investment of time.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-07-29 16:15