Through Steam, Xbox Game Preview, and Game Pass.
Grounded, Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming Honey-I-Shrunk-The-Kids-style bug-height survival adventure, will be entering Steam early access and Xbox Game Preview on 28th July.
Obsidian initially announced Grounded – to some surprise, given its considerable deviation from the studio’s usual RPG fare – at the tail-end of last year, and Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese was rather charmed by the experience when he got an early look last year.
That initial reveal was accompanied by a trailer showcasing Grounded’s strikingly oversized backyard-as-perilous-jungle environment, but now Obsidian is ready to start teasing the game’s story elements, as seen in a brand-new trailer during tonight’s Inside Xbox livestream.
Here, we’re introduced to a talking robot companion called who’ll guide you through your survival-driven adventures, formed of the genre’s usual exploration, crafting, and base building – albeit with big bug twist. There are hints of a weirdly advanced high-tech civilisation among the inches-high shrubbery, some kind of evil force whose real aims will be revealed as Grounded’s action progresses.
Although Obsidian insists story is a focus, and has helped informed the world’s “lived in and alive” world design, Grounded won’t have an end to its plot when the game enters Xbox Game Preview. Instead, the developer says it hopes to get community feedback to bring things to a satisfying conclusion, following Grounded’s early access launch on Steam, Xbox One, and the Windows 10 Store (as well as PC and console Game Pass) on 28th July.
