Early June brought an Xbox Games Showcase and within, surprisingly, an announcement for a sequel to the shrunken survival action-adventure, Grounded. Grounded 2 plans to bring a more story rich, mechanically deep experience alongside quality of life improvements and the inclusion of new features – one of which much requested by the community – all aiming to propel Grounded 2 as a sequel bigger, better, and more fun than its predecessor. This feature outlines 10 of the biggest differences between the two Grounded games.
Sequel’s world is much larger
Grounded 2 features the same four teenagers originally shrunken in Grounded 1, yet the timeframe has progressed a few years to 1992. They’re a little older and wiser, capable of dealing with more large-scale threats. As it happens, for this sequel they’ve been miniaturised again but in a world much vaster than the predecessor’s backyard. Taking place in Brookhollow Park, the game’s larger surface area has allowed the game to incorporate distinct biomes – subterranean insect networks, toxic wastelands, frozen wonderlands (courtesy of an up-turned ice cream truck), for instance – meaning there’s plenty more variety in the environments for players to discover.
The Buggy System
Grounded’s passionate community has been requesting this feature above all else: the ability to mount and ride bugs. It is perhaps because of this widespread request that the sequel has come to fruition in the first place, as the original game’s backyard setting plus the technical limitations of the Xbox One meant that bug riding was never viable. The game toyed with the idea, but for those reasons couldn’t get it to work. Now, with a vast, technically complex world to explore, how better for players to get around than atop their very own bug – dubbed, lovingly, as Buggies in-game.
Riding bugs, and the things you can do
First and foremost, mounting bugs within the sequel’s Buggy System is the principal way to get about. Skittering across the dirt at a rapid pace provides an obvious quality of life benefit – as well as oodles of fun – but riding your trusty insect steed is more than just getting from point A to point B in as short a time as possible. Mounts are also useful in battle, they’re integral to resource gathering, and they provide essential extra hands when it comes to building bases. Grounded 2 has cleverly weaved bug riding into every facet of survival 2 and, based on gameplay provided thus far, we can further outline two distinct bugs which you’ll be able to ride from the beginning of Grounded 2’s early access period: the Red Ant Soldier and Orb Weaver Spider.
Red Ant Soldier
Each of Grounded 2’s Buggies has unique abilities and specialisations, some are better in combat situations, others more attuned to crafting and building. The Red Ant Soldier can zip along at breakneck pace, but it also possesses a more stately gathering mode to automatically collect resources. What’s more, the Red Ant Soldier can assign a pair of worker ants to follow you about, to assist with resource gathering and, if the need arises, combat. Ants are specialists in battle, but a trio of insects plus yourself dismounted and fighting alongside should be able to deal with any medium-sized threat you encounter throughout Brookhollow Park.
Orb Weaver Spider
Whilst the Orb Weaver Spider doesn’t fulfil a utilitarian purpose as much as Red Ant Soldiers, they’re fantastic in combat; intimidating, agile, rapid fire heavy hitters, with a selection of combat focused special abilities and attacks. First, they can scream. So loud, in fact, is their scream that it can stun lesser-powered enemy insects. They can also shoot webs that’ll entangle enemies in sticky nets to temporarily immobilise them. Their only downside is they’re relatively weak defensively, but once their nimbleness is mastered we expect this won’t prove to be a problem.
Ziplines won’t feature (at least to begin with)
In order to find the best implementations of all these new features we’ve already highlighted – and some we’re yet to discuss – Grounded 2 opted to take some of the original Grounded’s features away. This way, new elements like the Buggy System have room to breathe and evolve based on community feedback. One such feature that’ll be missing in Grounded 2’s early access period are ziplines. They won’t be missing forever, they’ll turn up eventually but they’ll be embedded seamlessly to coexist with the fresh traversal mechanics newly established and iterated upon.
New creatures
Blue butterflies, caterpillars, snails, and a new scorpion have already been confirmed. However, there’re quite a few more spottable in Grounded 2’s deep dive video, some new, some returning. Praying mantises appear to be a roaming presence in this sequel, mosquitoes appear more prevalent too alongside the park’s more water-logged sections. Cockroaches will stalk toxic, garbage-covered wastelands.
Layed combat strategy, and new battle mechanics
For this sequel, Grounded 2 has iterated on Grounded 1’s combat by adding new layers. So far, however, this mostly seems to centre on making bug opponents tougher to defeat. Rejigged attack and defense stats plus tweaked speeds aren’t the only steps they’re taking though; the blend of light and heavy attacks, plus blocking, which players of the first game are so attuned to is being extended more comprehensively to an enemy bug’s toolset. Grounded 2 players do have a new combat technique in their arsenal though: a dedicated dodge. Useful for dashing out of danger or, indeed, swiftly striking into a close attack, the dodge mechanic has been retrofitted into Grounded’s combat mechanics seamlessly for this sequel. A word of warning though is bug enemies are also being given the ability to dodge.
Clearer player archetypes
Embellishing the planned multi-layered combat strategy further in Grounded 2 are more clearly defined playstyles achievable for players through overhauled mutations. Grounded 1 had mutations, of course, but for the sequel there won’t only be passive mutations but active mutations governing fighting styles, survival skills, exploration, and combat ability, et cetera too, with combinations thereof fostering more distinct player archetypes: low defence, high attack rogues, ranged specialists, tank-like marauders, affect laden mages, it’s all possible here, and more in Grounded 2. Furthermore, Grounded 2 has the opportunity to push the mutation system to concoct super-distinct archetypes. Specifically, Grounded 2 mentions an assassin-type build: nimbleness via light armour, yet dual poison dagger wielding, a supreme backstab attack, plus extra stamina to support multiple dodges.
New Omni-Tool encapsulates streamlined inventory
Grounded 2’s quality of life improvements extend to its refined inventory management too, and nothing encapsulates this better than the new Omni-Tool. Ostensibly a 4-in-1, the Omni-Tool combines an axe, hammer, shovel, and wrench into one multi-purpose utility designed to save vital inventory space. This isn’t a combat item, but for exploration, scavenging, harvesting, crafting, and building, your bases are covered with the Omni-Tool in your backpack.