• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Grounded Will Be Leaving Early Access This September

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman



Grounded will be leaving early access and receiving a full release on September 27 of this year.

Obsidian Entertainment’s survival game Grounded was released in early access in July 2020 and has been continuously updated by its veteran developers ever since. Game director Adam Brennecke took to Twitter to announce the full release of the survival game is just around the corner.

In the video, Brennecke touches upon the announcement of the Grounded animated television series and the final early access update which is launching today. The update reworks the game’s armour system and has a secret feature called Homestretch that will be activated sometime after the update’s launch.

Following this announcement, Brennecke segued into talking about the game’s official release date. “…and that’s what I’m here to really say is the date for the 1.0 release is going to be September 27th, we’re super excited about it, we have a couple of months left of development. We’re putting the final touches on everything, it’s going to be our biggest update ever. We’re really really excited about that, we’re going to have the full story, we’ll have a lot of surprises, a lot of mystery. You know, fully uncover why you’re in the backyard and how you’re going to get out of this mess. So, we’re super excited about that.”

The full version of Grounded will feature the entire backyard, as well as some areas of the house and other indoor locations. It will have a full campaign mode, complete with bosses and a fully-fleshed narrative. The full version of Grounded will also have a whole host of new weapons and armour for players to try.

Grounded officially releases on September 27 and with it being a Microsoft exclusive, is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
 
I would like to see more interviews like this. Spencer isn't Iwata, but the tone is slightly similar to the Iwata Asks stuff but not as in depth. Nice to actually meet the director and hear a little about the game. He needs to get more in depth on discussing development with these directors and increase transparency after all these delays
Yeah I really liked this interview. It felt pretty natural and it's a cool way to introduce team members and games. I hope they do more of this.
 
Will it also stop being a shit game?

What's shit about it? I played it in access way back when it first showed up and even then I had fun and found plenty to do despite the very early state. I stopped playing because I figured I'd pick it up and play when it had it's full release. Did something happen since then that's made it worse?
 
Last edited:

Havoc2049

Member
Good for Obsidian. I've put maybe 5-6 hours into the game and really enjoyed it. The crafting, building and survival elements are all great. The game is also great in co-op and fosters teamwork. Looking forward to see what the story is all about.

The interview with Phil and the Grounded Game Director was cool.
 

Kagey K

Banned
I've only played a bit here and there since it's been out. Was waiting for the full story mode before diving deep into it.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
What's shit about it? I played it in access way back when it first showed up and even then I had fun and found plenty to do despite the very early state. I stopped playing because I figured I'd pick it up and play when it had it's full release. Did something happen since then that's made it worse?

It got much better. General reception mirrors your impressions.
He’s probably saying this because it isn’t AAA
 

Wohc

Banned
It's "just" an AA game, but it whips the floor with many so called AAAs when it comes to gameplay and fun and it's beautiful.

What's shit about it? I played it in access way back when it first showed up and even then I had fun and found plenty to do despite the very early state. I stopped playing because I figured I'd pick it up and play when it had it's full release. Did something happen since then that's made it worse?
It's shit, because it's not on his plastic box. Don't waste your time with fanboy warriors.
 
Last edited:

Goalus

Member
It got much better. General reception mirrors your impressions.
He’s probably saying this because it isn’t AAA
He's saying this because Grounded interferes with the narrative he and his peers have been trying to push since the beginning of the year. It doesn't help, the writing is already on the wall that Grounded will be a big success.

Our silent laughing man is working overtime already in order to cope with the situation.
 
Last edited:

Catphish

Member
Been playing this on Gamepass since its release. Didn't touch it during early access, so it's all new to me.

The game is outstanding. There are some pathfinding issues with some of the larger mobs, like wolf spiders and orb weavers, as they tend to get caught on the geometry, but that makes em easier to kill, so I'm not too upset over it. Would like to see it addressed in the future, however. I'd also like to see some developments with weather. Rain, or even a bit of gusty wind, would go a long way to increase the immersion, as well as break up the monotony. It's weird to experience day after night after day in the yard with no change in the environment. If the game had that or, dare I dream, seasons, it'd be on a whole other level.

For what it is, though, it's an absolute treat. The sense of adventure is palpable. Explore, hunt, discover, build, survive... so much to do, and much fun to be had. The art is just the right balance between realistic and gamey, the sound is on point, and it's obvious that a lot of love and passion went into the game's design.

If you haven't played it, and you're into adventure/survival/build type games, you're missing out.
 
Last edited:
Been playing this on Gamepass since its release. Didn't touch it during early access, so it's all new to me.

The game is outstanding. There are some pathfinding issues with some of the larger mobs, like wolf spiders and orb weavers, as they tend to get caught on the geometry, but that makes em easier to kill, so I'm not too upset over it. Would like to see it addressed in the future, however. I'd also like to see some developments with weather. Rain, or even a bit of gusty wind, would go a long way to increase the immersion, as well as break up the monotony. It's weird to experience day after day after night after day in the yard with no change in the environment. If the game had that or, dare I dream, seasons, it'd be on a whole other level.

For what it is, though, it's an absolute treat. The sense of adventure is palpable. Explore, hunt, discover, build, survive... so much to do, and much fun to be had. The art is just the right balance between realistic and gamey, the sound is on point, and it's obvious that a lot of love and passion went into the game's design.

If you haven't played it, and you're into adventure/survival/build type games, you're missing out.
Damn, you're telling me there is no rain!? They need to add that so it's easier to drink water and stay alive!
 

Catphish

Member
Damn, you're telling me there is no rain!? They need to add that so it's easier to drink water and stay alive!
In my (admittedly little) experience, water isn't difficult to find, to be honest. Once you know where it spawns, it's more or less ready when you need it. And once you make a canteen, it's hardly ever an issue. Though I agree it would be nice to have water stocks replenished by rain.
 

Schmick

Member
In my (admittedly little) experience, water isn't difficult to find, to be honest. Once you know where it spawns, it's more or less ready when you need it. And once you make a canteen, it's hardly ever an issue. Though I agree it would be nice to have water stocks replenished by rain.
I found water is in abundance at night
 

Catphish

Member
I would also like to say that there is plenty of long-term potential for this game. I really hope they stick with this for years to come. The shrunk-down-to-ant-size motif is surprisingly under-utilized in gaming. The untapped possibilities tantalize the imagination...
 
I would also like to say that there is plenty of long-term potential for this game. I really hope they stick with this for years to come. The shrunk-down-to-ant-size motif is surprisingly under-utilized in gaming. The untapped possibilities tantalize the imagination...
This x1000

There is so much potential to this game for future updates and additional content. If MS/Obsidian play their cards right this could end up as another Ark/Minecraft type of thing.
 
It is, but there are also reliable spawn points for it during the day as well.
Interesting both good points. I got drink or die messages like three times last night while playing. I would prefer if your overall health would just slowly drained instead of dropping dead in 120 seconds.
 

Catphish

Member
I actually unlocked it before getting off last night. So now I'll try and build one and find fresh water. You can't boil the puddle water right?
Not that I know of, but I'm pretty early in and haven't unlocked everything. I know there's some kind of water barrel that can hold 6 drinks, but I haven't built it yet and don't know what it can do other than hold water.
 

Catphish

Member
Well, having played the game a bit more, I have several negative thoughts...

1) It's really fucking grindy. You need so much shit to build stuff or to outfit your character, not to mention repair everything. Speaking of which...
2) Weapon and item durability is at BotW levels. I hate it.
3) I don't think I've ever seen a game where you have to kill a thing in order to get the thing that enables you to kill the thing. WTF is that?

It's beautiful, no doubt, but it's starting to wear thin. Not sure how much longer I'll keep at it, to be honest. I ain't got time for all this grindy shit.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom