Normally I would write up a word document before posting a review like this but not for this game. This game, which has successfully unlocked my inner child like wonder, needs to talked about asap. I am not finished with it yet. Not by a long shot. But the amount of love and care that this game showcases is currently a rarity in the gaming industry, especially one published and made by a Triple A company. The team that worked on this, should pat themselves on the back for an amazing job well done. A unique thematic twist on the open world co-op survival experience has you playing as a group of unlucky yet rather charming group of shrunken young teens, trying to survive the best they can in the microscopic world located in the back yard, akin to the old film "Honey I shrunk the kids."

With a 80's/90's vintage style in presentation, shown through its technology, dialogue and large scale toys/action figures strewn about the enviorment, Grounded is a phenomenal game that had me grinning from ear to ear, straight from the get go. Waking up in a confused state, clambering out of a briefcase of sorts, you are immediately welcomed by tall blades of grass, bugs and critters waddling about and a true sense of scale as you stare wide eyed at a large tree off in the distance. This game nails its atmosphere and presentation like no other and it never gets old. It keeps directing you to new areas that floor you again and again, one after the other. You'd be climbing up branches in hedges, making sure you don't fall from a great height or diving deep in the murky depths of a pond just behind the giant acorn tree standing firm in the centre of the garden. It is something I could gush about days on end.

Now what about the game play itself? Well, aside from the setting, it doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel of your other first person survival games. However, what it DOES do is polish it to a tee. As you'd expect, there is base building, crafting, a plethora of items to gather, key locations to find. quests to complete and other traditional aspects of modern survival games. But unlike its competition, Grounded feels complete. It ain't no Forest clone. It stands a head above the rest because the team behind this have thought about the small tiny details that reduce so much tedium that plague so many other survival games.

For example; imagine you are out exploring for a number of hours and you have a stacked inventory. Any other game would force you to go back and forth each chest, painfully going through each one to find where you put a certain item and then, put the item you collected away. But the people that have made this game thought of a simple way to remove that tedium and lets hit one key and it auto dumps everything into your chests for you.

Another example; you chop down each individual blade of grass which would normally act as logs in another survival game. It allows you to build walls, create doors, craft stairs etc. But a neat thing that you can do, is build a blade grass holder of sorts. Dump all the little grass pieces on that one spot, and you don't need to go back and forth when building something. It has a hidden detection radius, meaning if you aren't too far away, and you place a blueprint of a wall down, you don't need to run back to pick those grass pieces up again. It allows you to use them up where you are standing.

It's so small yet makes the world of a difference. And let met just say, the things you can build in this game is brilliant. The game gives you so much freedom with how you want to build. You can be so creative and allows you to think outside the box and experiment.

Oh and that hidden detection radius that I mentioned? It also works when crafting at a work bench. You don't need the items in your inventory. It detects weather or not you have the items that you are required to have in a chest nearby and if you do, you can craft it. It’s the tiny little small details that, when added up, makes the game that much more enjoyable to play. It cuts the bs and lets you have constant fun. Spending less time flicking through menus and more time in the the actual game is a big ol' A+ from me.

This is on par with survival games like Subnautica and should be talked about way more than I see currently. And just like Subnautica, months after Grounded's release in late September last year, It is STILL getting substantial updates. Improvements to building, new enemy types, game-play improvement etc.

The combat is challenging and fun with a light parry system. Block at just the right time and the creepy crawly you were battling has a chance to get stunned. So your not just swinging for the fences, you have to think and time your attacks and blocks. Each enemy has different move sets, which keeps things relatively fresh, with each enemy type having different body parts to collect from the fallen insect. And not all them are push overs might I add. While I wont spoil too much as it is fun to stumble across new enemy types, some of them need a lot of planning to be done befor attempting to fight.

Now, while I could keep going I feel like its best to leave it here. I want everyone to experience this as blind as possible and bask in the child like wonder I too felt when I first booted up this masterpiece. I wholeheartedly recommended this game to everyone that is either new to the world of survival games or is a veteran to the genre and is looking for something new. A true breath of fresh air. Support this game. I implore you.