Tested on: PS5
Also available on: PS4/Xbox Series/PC/Switch
Imagine: you wake up on your garden terrace and notice that you are suddenly the size of an ant. Everyday things such as a rain shower or a wasp suddenly become a struggle for survival. Sound cool? That’s a good thing, because now you can also go survival in your backyard on PS5
Honey, I shrunk the kids
Chances are you’ve never heard of Grounded. But now that the console war between Sony and Xbox seems to be over, these kinds of pearls are finding their way to the other side. And in the case of Grounded, that feels pretty good.
Anyone who experienced the ’80s can safely see this as a playable version of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: teenagers who are suddenly the size of an ant and have to brave the dangerous world around them.
We spent quite a few hours in the Xbox version of Grounded, and a few years later the survival game has lost none of its originality. The crazy story may find fewer takers in the 21st century, but the fun environments, the baddies and the RPG systems are still rock solid.
Survival in the backyard
Don’t be fooled, despite the cute look, this remains a tough survival game. The world and all the insects in it are targeting you and your friends. So you have to build a safe shelter. You start with a fairly standard hut, but you soon have to craft weapons, tools and armor to survive.
Grounded was created by Obsidian Entertainment, which we know from top RPGs such as Fallout New Vegas and The Outer World. And that also means a high RPG content and quite a steep learning curve.
You have to grind while keeping your hunger and thirst under control while also fighting bugs. It takes a lot of trial & error to know how and which items to craft best to survive. And you honestly don’t expect that from a game with these kinds of cute graphics.
Do you really find Grounded too difficult? Then don’t be too proud to explore the many settings. This way you can not only adjust the difficulty level, but also a laundry list of gameplay parameters. For example, you can ensure that the bugs no longer attack you, remove them from the game completely or ensure that your food does not spoil. At almost every level you can fine-tune the gameplay and adapt the game to your playing style.
Scorched by the sun
You can work alone or online with four people. And we recommend the latter. The encounters with some animals are mercilessly hard and we quickly learned that we occasionally had to do research to discover how best to approach certain animal species and which items are best to craft.
In terms of content, Grounded is exactly like the Xbox version, only we experienced more frame drops and technical hiccups on PS5. And that’s quite a shame. While the PS5 version of other Xbox exclusives (such as Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush) run a lot smoother.
For our part, Obsidian may also have made some substantive adjustments. Anyone who ever played the Xbox version will also discover that the inventory space to collect all the supplies is still frustratingly small. And that all parts of the garden really want to kill you. A sandbox that scorches you in the sun like a desert? Some kind of swamp with toxic fumes? Prepare to die often.
Grounded is bursting with creativity and, despite its sometimes bitter and spicy taste, is also a tasty cocktail on PS5. Do you also have an Xbox Series under your TV? Then just stick with the technically better version.
