Survival of the fittest is no joke. Whether it’s wild animals flourishing in cities, shockingly violent plant life, or the scariest bugs you’ve ever seen, the drive to thrive is everywhere. This is why the survival game genre continues to flourish. Video games give us a safe outlet to revisit the thrills of hunting and gathering, to see what we’re really made of when the stakes are at their highest. And the latest survival sensation on Game Pass brings us back to nature in a very big way.
Grounded 2 from developer Obsidian launched in early access on July 29, an Xbox exclusive follow-up to 2022’s smash hit. If you’ve ever seen Honey, I Shrunk The Kids then the premise is instantly recognizable. A group of teens are accidentally miniaturized in a science experiment gone awry and forced to fend for themselves in a suddenly treacherous suburban yard. Dandelion stalks tower like skyscrapers as players fight, gather, and craft their way through a familiar tale about unethical corporations run amok. It’s clear you’re a pawn in a bigger game, but that’s hard to focus on amidst all the gargantuan creepy-crawlies trying to eat you for lunch.
