Grounded, the first major “Xbox exclusive” to make the leap to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch will get a huge, albeit final content update on launch day.
Grounded – Fully Yolked, which is version 1.4 will bring to an end content development for the game that first appeared as barely anything more than a demo in Early Access, bringing with it no more than 20& of the content of the final game. Since those days back in the middle of the pandemic the game has blossomed into one of the best examples of survival gameplay, copied by many, coupled with a great storyline and just being a pleasure to play all around.
It’s a sad day now that its effective end has been announced just as it arrives on new platforms but with such a lot added to the game by Obsidian in the last four years, it will remain a lot of fun to play for a lot of time to come.
April 16th is the date penciled in for the update to go live on all platforms, tying in with the PlayStation and Switch release on the same day.
New Game +
If you have maxed out your time in the Backyard and think you have done all there is to be done, the New Game + mode in the patch will stop and make you think again.
Once you have conquered the Broodmother, Mantis, and Wasp Queen, and emerged victorious in the Javamatic fight, you will get the option to travel to another dimension with Wendell’s new Remix.R device where you will face “different creature spawns, tougher bosses, and a host of eerie anomalies and hidden secrets in these otherworldly dimensions.”
New weapon upgrades will help you deal with these tougher enemies and you will be able to upgrade to become much more powerful than ever before.
Ant Queens
If you aren’t quite at New Game + level yet the main new content in 1.4 brings three new Ant Queens, ruling over each of the three ant colonies in the game.
You will face a crucial decision with each queen: to befriend or betray her with a delectable offering. The path you choose determines not only the unique rewards you’ll receive but will also shape how the entire colony reacts to you. But tread carefully – some decisions have ripple effects that might not be immediately obvious.
Other new features in Grounded 1.4
- Hosts can now load a save while in the middle of a multiplayer session and all connected players will seamlessly transition into the new game world.
- Full Japanese Voice Overs: Immerse yourself completely with full Japanese voice-overs, covering everything from the teen characters to BURG.L, cutscenes, and audio logs. Simply enable this feature from the Game Options menu.
- The 1.4 update adds four new achievements, one new mutation, twelve Ant Queen-related buildings, new baby ant pets, and so much more we can’t list here!
- Cross-play will be supported across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Grounded’s 20 million-plus player community will be hugely excited and yet a little bit sad at today’s announcement, but it is still great to see the development of Grounded going out with a bang.
