Parents' Guide to Grounded

There are many things you might see and take for granted in your everyday life, like a half-empty juice box tossed on the lawn or a prickly little thistle plant that refuses to go away. Now, what if you were somehow shrunk to the size of an insect, like what happens to the characters in Grounded? Well, those discarded and forgotten nuisances suddenly take on a whole new purpose and might be key to surviving to see another sunrise. That juice box suddenly becomes an oasis to prevent thirst, and thorns from that thistle become a bundle of arrows for your trusty handcrafted bow. In Grounded, survival is all a matter of seeing things from a different perspective.

One of the appealing things about Grounded is that, as outlandish as its premise is, the game still feels somewhat believable. Crafting tools, building shelter, and otherwise making due with what resources are available genuinely feels like what one might do in a real survival situation. Even the bugs in the game seem to act and react in a realistic manner. Worker ants will address players with a moment of curiosity before going back to work, while an encounter with a soldier ant can quickly become a deadly meeting. Players must constantly monitor things like hunger, thirst, and sleep while harvesting resources and avoiding the constant threat of spiders looking to turn them into an instant snack. Meanwhile, there's still an actual story to uncover along the way. It's a daunting task requiring a lot of patience and forethought. Navigating the game's multiple menus doesn't help the situation either, because it's not exactly the most user-friendly interface. Making matters worse, the game doesn't pause while players are in the menu screens, often leaving players open and vulnerable at the worst possible time. But if you can look past the menu issues and the threat of insects, Grounded could be the next adventure you want to explore.