Grounded is a game about a lot of things. It's about survival and mystery, it's about 90s nostalgia, and most intimidatingly, Grounded is a game about insects.
As per its Honey, I Shrunk The Kids inspiration, Grounded pits its shrunken teenage protagonists against a wilderness full of giant bugs. And, as expected, some of Grounded's most dangerous enemies are its spiders.
Obsidian Entertainment was aware arachnophobia was a common fear, and this could drive away players who would otherwise enjoy the game. To combat this, the team put in an arachnophobia-safe mode, which can transform the spiders into something a bit more abstract.
How to Turn On Arachnophobia Safe Mode
Players can activate arachnophobia safe mode from Grounded's options menu in the accessibility tab. It's at the top of the menu, above other accessibility features like subtitles, colorblind mode, and an assistive screen reader.
Players should note that it's not a binary setting but a slider. The higher the slider is set, the more abstract the spiders look. The effects are as follows:
- Level 1: The spiders only have four legs instead of eight.
- Level 2: The spiders have no legs. Instead, they just float above the ground.
- Level 3: The spiders have no mouth. Their faces only have eyes on them.
- Level 4: The spiders' facial features are further simplified, becoming smooth round orbs.
- Level 5: The spiders' bodies have the same smooth orb treatment.
Note that while the spiders look less scary, that doesn't mean they're any less dangerous. Unless creative mode is set on, where enemies don't actually pose a threat, the game's spiders will still send an unprepared player reeling.
Of course, even the most stringent arachnophobe can't avoid spiders forever. Not only do they patrol several important parts of the map, but spiders offer multiple important crafting ingredients, such as the silk ropes in Grounded's dew collector.
For players with only minor arachnophobia or who are just curious about what the mode looks like, it's thankfully easy to test. It can be altered at any point while playing, so there's no investment in setting it up. A player can, for example, turn it on whenever they encounter a spider, then turn it off while going through regular gameplay.
Grounded is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.