Grounded's September update rolls out today, with the September update adding new buildings, new crafting items, and a few Halloween-themed additions. Grounded developer Obsidian Entertainment will support monthly updates to Grounded up to the game's full release.
The Grounded backyard is expanding with a new lab added in the dense branches of the Hedge biome. Players can climb the branches to discover the Hedge Lab and possibly find some creatures lurking in the halls. The Hedge Lab also has new ziplines that can be used to reach the places safely and with more speed. Ziplines can also be crafted and placed throughout the backyard once unlocked.
Players can also craft the Spinning Wheel, which can process various resources. The Grounded Developer Vlog details how the Spinning Wheel can be used to process plant fiber automatically over time, all while the player can be out doing other tasks. Signs are also new items that can be crafted and can be customized with different basic images and placed on walls to give players more ways to decorate a room.
A few of the creatures have also been tweaked to present more of a challenge to players. Bombardier Beetles now have deadlier acid attacks and Stink Bugs now have more dangerous poison damage. Ant soldiers have new and more damaging attacks, however, player armor now blocks a little more damage to balance the combat. A few items now have timers, such as food that spoils and ant eggs, which now can hatch even after being moved.
To get in the Halloween spirit, there are now new items and landmarks in the backyard. Candy corn is scattered around the map and can be eaten for a nice treat. A jack-o-lantern can be seen near the Hedge biome and provides a ton of light during the night, and the "Frankenline" landmark is an etch-a-sketch and can be explored in the backyard. Along with new content, the September update addresses bug fixes and also adds localization for French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
The September update adds a lot of content listed on the Grounded roadmap, while other content may be coming later. Ziplines and the Hedge expansion were listed on the roadmap and included in the update, however, new creatures like the bees, fireflies, and roly-polies have been left out of the update. Since Grounded is sticking to the monthly update, there is plenty of time for new additions with each coming update.
Grounded is in early access on PC and Xbox One.