Get out your bug-splattering Mint Mace, because Grounded has gotten another update that includes quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. This holiday update comes with another special gift for the developers; over 15 million players have been shrunken down to tackle the game worldwide.
Grounded officially launched in September 2022, but had been in the early access state since July 2020, allowing for plenty of time to get your feelers out and about to explore the miniature world around you. The basis of the game revolves around kids who messed with science and accidentally shrunk themselves down to the size of a dust mite. The game is basically a rendition of the movie Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, an iconic 1989 movie about an inventor who accidentally shrinks his kids and now has to find a way to un-shrink them.
Since the game's launch, over 15 million shrunken kids have been swarming their backyards (in the game of course), traversing the area and learning how to not only survive but to thrive with the little globules of water, interesting foods, and powerful weapons they can craft. This is a huge milestone for Obsidian Entertainment, and with that milestone comes the reward of a lifetime; an update to the game.
The update brings quite a few quality-of-life improvements, including one that I personally am thrilled about. There are zip lines in Grounded known as ZIP.R lines, and they are a great way to zip around, but they came with one fatal flaw. You could only use them to descend into the depths, and could not use them to get back up. This was a huge complaint because finding your way back around was a bit of a nightmare when there are wood spiders 4x your size just waiting to slap you around the yard. This new feature lets players explore the backyard faster than ever before, all while being able to get back up to where they came from if need be.
There has also been a new trap added to the game for players to utilize. Traps are primarily used to protect the home base from pesky invaders, and become vital as you progress further into the game. Speaking of the home base, there have been several new decorations added as well, like chairs, dressers, and newly designed stairs. Feeling jolly and bright? Why not add the newly added holiday tree decoration to your base to celebrate the frosty weather? Now this tree is not your run-of-the-mill Fraser Fir, but they make a great addition when trying to spruce up your space.
To read on about the rest of the updates added, check out the Xbox news post.
