Summary
Obsidian Entertainment is having quite the year, which first began withAvowedback in February. Reviews were positive, which put them in a good light in Microsoft’s eyes at least. They’re planning on releasing another big open-world game this year,The Outer Worlds 2, in October.
They also just released an Early Access version of their next project afterThe Outer Worlds 2,Grounded 2, which is currently available on Game Pass. When the first game was released into Early Access, it took two years to hit its 1.0 status. Hopefully, it doesn’ttake Obsidian Entertainmentthat long to getGrounded 2to hit 1.0, as there aresome improvements the game already needs at launch.
7Non-Friendly Multiplayer
It’s A Small World
Multiplayeris one of the best reasons to play a survival game, and both the first game andGrounded 2support co-op, but with a catch. In both versions, players can only hook up with friends on their accounts.
It’s a similar system to how Nintendo gates their multiplayer games, and it’s a bit jarring to see outside of that company’s products. Hopefully, Obsidian Entertainment will patch in a feature for players to connect with random people, because it’s a very lonesome game as it stands right now.
6Make The Kills Count
Raw Science Points For EXP
Obsidian Entertainment is an RPG giant, and yet the role-playing elements seen in the firstGroundedand its sequel are minimal. Players can get Raw Science points when they analyze materials, complete some quests, or find certain objects in the world. These Raw Science points can be spent to unlock recipes or to upgrade theOmni-Tool inGrounded 2, among other things.
While it is a fine enough system, it would be nice if they added rewards for actions like killing bugs, beyond just harvesting them for materials, like Raw Science points. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it would help with the grind.
5Analyzing Multiple Resources
It’s A Long Process
When players first discover a piece of material, be it a piece of grass or an insect husk, they can take it to get analyzed in a lab. Doing so will drain the analyzer’s battery, and players have to wait to scan again if there are no more chargers. Also, players can only analyze one thing at a time.
Obsidian Entertainment should get rid of battery chargers and allow players toanalyze multiple items at once, because it is a hassle to level up otherwise. If they can’t implement both features in the game, then hopefully they can at least get rid of one or the other, preferably the battery system.
4Make The Kids Matter
Class Is In Session
The same kids fromGrounded,Hoops, Max, Pete, and Willow,reprise their roles in the sequel, since it takes place after the events of the first game. Choosing a child is all about aesthetics, as there is no advantage to being Willow rather than Pete, for example.
Having a class system would be a huge improvement over the original, as it would help diversify the kids and make selecting one to play as more impactful. They don’t have to fall under typical RPG classes like Rogue or Ranger, but each kid should get an distinct quality to make them stand out. Maybe Max can craft health kits faster, while Hoops can chop things more quickly.
3Custom Settings
Being Stuck In One Difficulty
Grounded 2offers the same difficulty modesas the original game, including Mild, Medium, or Whoa, and then there are two more passive options: Creative and Creative With Bugs. Finally, there is a custom option too, and while it cannot be played at the moment, players can look and see what will later be implemented in the menu.
Players can switch between the three major difficulties at any time, but if they discover something is to challenging in Mild, then they are out of luck. Custom options would eliminate the need to stay on top of drinking water or eating, for example, so getting them patched in sooner rather than later would be helpful for appealing to a wider player base.
2Switching Between Perspectives
An Easier Click
One big addition toGrounded 2is being able toswitch between third and first-person perspectives. In the first game, players could only play in first-person, which remains the most comfortable perspective inGrounded 2. Giving players the option to switch to third-person is a great feature, but there is a caveat.
Players have to pause, go into the menu, click a button, and then pop out in order to make the switch. In most games with this feature, likeThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, players simply have to click in an analog stick to switch back and forth between perspectives. It’s not a huge inconvenience to go into the menu inGrounded 2right now, but it could be more streamlined, like the analog stick suggestion.
1Storing Materials
Selecting Mass Items
When players discover a body or a chest in the world, they can choose to take everything with them in a single action. It’s how mostRPGs incorporate their looting functionality. What’s odd aboutGrounded 2is that players cannot similarly dump all of their materials into a crafted storage unit. They can’t even easily select multiple items to at least transfer over.
Like the aforementioned analysis system, players have to move units around one by one, which is time-consuming and a bit tedious. Better inventory sorting and moving functions would make the looting and storage process significantly faster inGrounded 2.
