Obsidian's pint-sized sequel Grounded 2 is already a massive hit. Dropping into Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview, the game shattered the original's all-time concurrent player record in its first 60 minutes. Steam charts show the player count soared past 48,000, easily surpassing the first game's lifetime peak of 32,012. It’s a massive vote of confidence from the community, though early hours in the park have revealed a promising, if occasionally unstable, new wilderness to conquer.
Forget the familiar backyard; Grounded 2 moves the action to the sprawling and untamed Brookhollow Park. Set in 1992, a few years after the original, the story again follows the plight of the shrunken teens as the sinister Ominent corporation resumes its shady experiments. This new environment is designed from the ground up for current-gen hardware, allowing for more diverse and visually impressive biomes. The presentation showcased glimpses of a frigid landscape formed from a spilled ice cream cart and a "spooky" new anthill to delve into, promising a world far larger and more varied than the first. The core loop is still pure Grounded: scavenge, craft, and survive against horrifyingly large insects, but on a much grander scale.
By the Numbers: In just one hour, Grounded 2's Steam player count surpassed the original's all-time high by a staggering 50%, peaking above 48,000 users.
The most significant gameplay evolution is the introduction of mounts, cleverly called "Buggies." These tamed insects not only offer a new way to traverse the massive park but will also fight alongside you, fundamentally changing how players approach both exploration and combat. This isn't the only upgrade to your mobility, as players can now dash to evade danger. It’s a necessary upgrade, as the park’s new creepy crawlies, including fast-moving cockroaches, have learned the same trick. While the four-player co-op limit remains to preserve the tight-knit survival experience, the moment-to-moment action feels faster and more dynamic.
While the player count is a resounding success, the launch hasn't been without its issues. As is common for an Early Access title, the expected technical hiccups like performance dips and stability issues are being reported by some players. Beyond glitches, a more nuanced critique is emerging from early adopters: the park is seemingly overrun with spiders. In the first game, spiders were terrifying gatekeepers that instilled a real sense of fear and marked progress; now, Orb Weavers and spiderlings are far more common, which some players feel dilutes their impact into a constant annoyance. This is precisely the kind of feedback Obsidian will be looking to address during the Early Access period.
Obsidian is already looking toward the future, unveiling an Early Access roadmap packed with upcoming additions. Players can expect a fall update to deliver more crafting recipes and creatures, followed by a winter release introducing top-tier "Tier III" gear, official Steam Deck support, and mysterious new systems like "PlayGrounds" and "Coziness." Despite some early cobwebs to clear out, Grounded 2 has proven to be an immediate sensation, with its burgeoning community of nearly 50,000 players ready to see how this tiny world grows.
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