Now that Obsidian’sGroundedis out of early access and past version 1.0, there is much the studio could still do to its charmingly fresh spin onHoney, I Shrunk The Kids, not least of which would be adding the mind-controlling Cordyceps fungus from Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usfranchise. While swarming ants and hulking spiders are terrifying in their own right within the game, zombified versions of those and other insects could pushGroundedfrom a survival game into a full-blown survival horror.
Originally released in the summer of 2020,Groundedfinally hit its version 1.0 releasein September 2022. The survival game, which has players navigate the backyard of a suburban home as they attempt to uncover the mystery surrounding how they were miniaturized, is a new look for Obsidian, which is typically known for its story-driven RPGs.Groundedremains a well-polished title that flexes a range that few imagined the studio possessed. One of Xbox Game Pass’s early success stories, consistent content updates from Obsidian grewGroundedfrom a small passion project into one of the studio’s premier titles. Fans are eager for more, as Obsidian has pledged that version 1.0 would not spell the end of meaningful content additions toGrounded.
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Grounded is Like The Last of Us, Only Smaller
Throwing the Cordyceps virus into the formula forGroundedhas incredible potential. The catalyst for the apocalypse inThe Last of Us, the hit franchise featured a version of the fungus which mutated, enabling it to infect people. The real-life Cordyceps can only take insects as hosts, which would still be a horrifying twist tothe gameplay inGrounded. The denizens of Dr. Wendell Tully’s backyard are imposing enough on their own, but turned to mushroom-sprouting thralls, lurching mindlessly on to hunt and attempt to infect players could be brilliantly nightmarish.
While an officially-licensed crossover with Naughty Dog would be great, its inspiration from reality makes the brain-hijacking fungus fair game for Obsidian to implement in its first foray into the survival genre. Introducing the relentless fungus toGroundedfeels like an organic evolution to the game, which has finished implementing its feature campaign, and will likely look to in-game events and side objectives to bolster its content. A horde mode where Cordyceps-infected bugs storm the player’s base could add a zombie flavor to the invasions released with the Bugs Strike Back update to the game.
Obsidian might consider retooling the entire map, letting players choose the regular backyard or one infested with Cordyceps, perhaps as a hard mode for vetted fans looking for a greater challenge. If Obsidian really wanted to go deep into the concept, it could add a quest chain surrounding the impending apocalypse, trying to stem the tide from the ground floor of an emergent outbreak. There are plenty of avenuesGroundedcould explore with Cordyceps, especially if done in conjunction with Naughty Dog. A seasonal event could coincide withThe Last of Usseason 2 premiere on HBO or theupcoming multiplayer sequel toThe Last of Us Factionsfor cross-promotion.
The additional content could have deep enough of an impact on the gameplay that Obsidian could turn it into a paid expansion if it were so inclined, although a team-up between studios to such an extent would be fairly unprecedented. While the two California-based teams have never collaborated in the past, and Naughty Dog is owned by Sony while Microsoft owns Obsidian, in this current landscape of PlayStation exclusives getting ported to PC andNintendo’s 10-year deal with Microsoft, one should never say never.
Obsidian could build outGroundedin a number of intriguing ways, from continuing to hone its initial entry to beginning work on a sequel. Whatever it decides to do, Obsidian has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt from previously skeptical fans who felt like the survival genre was too outside the studio’s wheelhouse.
Groundedis available on Pc, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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