The Outer World makers, Obsidian Entertainment, is bringing a nostalgic Honey, I’ve Shrunk the Kids type of gameplay to the Xbox platform on July 28.
The Xbox Series X Game Showcase featured quite a number of great titles coming to Microsoft‘s console gaming platform. Obsidian Entertainment gave the viewers more than a The Outer World DLC update as it introduced a fun-looking survival title called Grounded.
The shiny Grounded trailer
The first few moments of the Grounded looked like Disney’s Ant’s Life and the 1989 Joe Johnston’s movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids—which is actually a Disney film as well.
It didn’t reveal how the kids became bite-size humans, but there was some sort of a machine where the kids were gathered within the backyard of a house. At some point, there was a hint of Fortnite in there with the characters building their shelter.
While all other game titles are building some kind of morphed or high-breed creatures, in Grounded, players will only be battling a colony of ants, bugs, and climbing up lost toys —and soda cans, apparently.
Based on TheSixthAxis‘ report, the game was during XO19 last November. It centers the storyline of a teenager (or a set of teenagers) who had been shrunk down. Players will need to gather resources and find out a way to repair the machine that shrunk the kids. All these, plus trying to stay alive and fighting off the “now gigantic creepy-crawlies” that are about to attack you.
It does look enjoyable, and the way it was presented, players might be in for some funny storyline or character conversations.
The Grounded gameplay
Grounded is a survival game. Per PC Gamer, it has a four-player co-op, which explains the feature of four kids running around venturing the tall grasses of their backyard.
The gaming media outlet’s review of the game reads:
“Navigating the garden means learning the rules of a whole new ecosystem where the familiar becomes alien. Every first contact is risky because who knows if the bug is going to eat you, ignore you, or create a big toxic cloud that chokes you. Even grass creates complications. It’s so tall that it obscures everything, so you need to climb if you want to see where you’re going, and each blade is as thick as a tree.”
There’s little information about the Grounded gameplay. So far, what we know is that aside from the co-up mode of play, there’s also going to be a base building, weapon crafting, and the environment will be reactive. As the media outlet mentioned, players will never know which bugs or ground creatures are going to harm or gas you.
There’s also a campaign mode, based on its Steam page, where it reads, “Uncover the secrets lurking in the shadows of Grounded as you freely explore the backyard and progress through its mysterious story.”
More details should definitely be revealed once Xbox offers it as a game preview on July 28. It’ll also have an equivalent Steam Early Access release on the same day, for US$29.99 [AU$42.35].
Featured image courtesy of Grounded/Obsidian Entertainment