PARKS AND EXPLORATION

Where do the shrunken environs of Grounded 2 fit into Obsidian’s masterplan?

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As we step out into Brookhollow Park for the first time, we get goosebumps. The sound of synthesisers swells as we take in enormous grass stalks and mushrooms towering over us, while ladybirds rumble across the soil like carapaced giants. It's a moment reminiscent of Sam Neill and Laura Dern's iconic introduction to Jurassic Park, but merely serves as the first of many wonders we encounter during our demo of Grounded 2.

Just as in the first game, we take on the role of a teenager shrunk to diminutive proportions by tech corporation Omnient — this time we're exploring the park in the aftermath of an explosion. We make our way through dense jungles of suburban flora as confident teenager Hoops, stumbling across supersized artefacts of the early '90s such as an upended news camera, a milk carton and a waste bin towering impossibly high above like a skyscraper. Such pleasures were manifold in the first game, but the scope has been substantially expanded this time. Indeed, the large area we explore represents just one of several environments our chipper protagonists have to traverse. We catch a tantalising glimpse of the ice-cream tundra promised in promotional materials, for example, but are not yet able to undertake an expedition to this frozen landscape.

We appreciate the change of scenery, but a question lingers. Where does a cartoony survival game such as