When I first heard about Grounded, I loved the concept. As a kid, having watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, I always wondered what it would be like to be shrunken down and have to survive the garden.
Well, Grounded finally gave us the opportunity to do just that. And yet somehow I never played it. And then came the slew of survival-crafting games that dominated the 2020s up until now.
It got to a point where if I didn’t see another survival-crafting game, I’d be just fine. But PlayStation Plus is giving Grounded away for free this month, and with a few days off, I figured why not just jump in and try it.
There are spiders in this game
I’m no longer scared of spiders, having “beaten” my arachnophobia, so when the spider warning popped up, I scoffed. Spiders are my friends, and they catch the bugs that are actually dangerous, so no sweat there.
Flash forward, and I’m exploring. I find this action hero head and check it out. I leave the hill, hear something, and turn around. There’s a big, BIG spider right there. I go to show my partner, and the spider turns around and leaves before she can take a look.
So I go back to the mound and look for the spider. I thought it was probably patrolling somewhere nearby, right? So I look around the hill, turn, and I’m face to face with this colossus.
So I scream like a girl, naturally, and run my little legs off, but it’s no use. My partner is crying with laughter while I’m dying from poison. Fun times, but that’s not the end of it.
I decided to learn on YouTube how to hunt Wolf Spiders, and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. This guide points out how stupid the AI is, and that I can just stand on some tree branch by the oak tree and finish the spider off with arrows. Fine, looks easy.
Turns out, spiders aren’t that stupid anymore. This thing runs off, and I’m just there waiting, like, when’s it coming back? Again, I hear something, look around, and this thing’s charging straight at me along the branch I’m on, like some nightmare version of an oncoming freight train.
Well, after that fiasco, I attempted something a lot more cheesy—but a lot safer. I’d shoot the wolf spiders under the oak tree and just run into the lab. Finally, I did it, I killed my first Wolf Spider. Sweet, sweet loot.
This becomes my spider farm. And to reframe this next story, I play a lot of horror games, and never really get all that freaked out. I’m not all that susceptible to jump scares, either, as a horror fan since early childhood.
So I’m in need of more Spider Venom Sacks, and I go to my now trusty spider farm. I shoot an arrow up the butt of one of the spiders, sprint into the lab, and wait. This thing doesn’t show up. I hear it lose aggro and walk away, so I assume it’s back in the tree.
So I leave the lab, VERY carefully, I might add, and head back to the oak tree. Only one spider. There were two. So… where’s that last one?
I turn around, head back down the little path, and it’s WALKING BACK UP from the other side, and we get face-to-face. I’m not sure who got the bigger fright, me or my partner reacting to my screech of terror. My heart didn’t slow down for a good thirty minutes after. Almost dropped the damn controller.
If you haven’t played it yet, you have been warned.
Apart from giving me arachnophobia again, the game is really, really good
So, my arachnophobia is back somehow, but I still can’t stop playing. I’ve got better armor now, so the wolf spiders are less of an issue, though on days when my timing is off, a single one can still take me down.
I’ve since explored the depths of the pond, dodging that giant and grossly overpowered Koi fish, I’ve navigated the Haze and its sea of infected Larvae and Ladybugs, and I’m getting geared up to enter the sandbox, while loving every minute of it.
I’m kind of bummed at missing out on such a fantastic game all these years, but I’m definitely giving Grounded 2 a go next.
If you’ve been on the fence, give it a go for sure, even if you have a little survival-crafting fatigue. If you’ve played extensively, I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
And finally, what other games have I missed out on that I should definitely play next?
