Review: Grounded

destructoid.com:

After two years in Early Access, it’s time to check back in with Grounded now that it’s been fleshed out with more bugs to battle and harvest, more impossibly large backyard sights to seek out, and a fully realized story — complete with an eventual ending — to uncover.

Having only dabbled in the early build, back when there were hardly any threads to follow, I’m surprised how far Grounded has come thanks to ongoing updates and a big final push for the 1.0 launch on PC and Xbox. Originally, the familiar yet creative-up-close shrunken world was its biggest asset — and it still is to this day. But now, the whole survival loop feels cohesive, with plenty of thoughtful touches you’d expect from a passion project.

Since the game’s work-in-progress debut, some players never really left, and they’ve got magnificent (and painstaking) home bases to prove it. As for me, I started fresh with a new save file and got to exploring. Little did I know I’d be in for a 30-hour adventure.

Grounded (PC [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Released: September 27, 2022 MSRP: $29.99

Even with familiarity from my Early Access playthrough, this is still one of the most interesting worlds I’ve gotten to know in a survival game, right up there with Subnautica.

Chopping down towering blades of grass and hauling planks like a lumberjack, scurrying through ant tunnel labyrinths with a torch in hand, scavenging for half-buried scales in a koi pond with water fleas nipping at your feet — it’s an unforgettable lens for such an established genre. And the more I play Grounded, the more I’m weirded out looking down at my own backyard. What tiny creatures are out there, and just what are they