Grounded Gets Giant, Terrifying Birds In New Update

Grounded has gotten its first monthly update with a number of changes including the addition of a giant bird. It's not clear if players will be able to fight the feathery friend or if it's only window dressing for the games' life-sized sandbox setting but it looks terrifying either way.

Obsidian announced the news, along with details about other changes to the game, in a post on the official Xbox Blog. Feathers can be collected from the bird and used to craft a bed and a new Marksman's Cap that will buff bow attacks. Feathers aren't collected from the bird directly but nearby one of the towers that fire lasers.

"The biggest creature in the backyard has arrived," the post read. "How will this play into the adventure of the backyard?" We don't know much about how the bird will impact the game but at the moment it doesn't seem to do much.

The update also added perks that add small mutations to your character like the ability to "cut grass faster, increase health, improve defenses," and more. Players can equip three perks at a time. New fences and tables, including the Sprig Fence, Acorn Picket Fence, Grass Table, and Clover Table, have been added so you can spice up the variety of furniture in your home base.

The update brought other changes to the game including dozens of bug fixes, buffs and nerfs to certain creatures, and quality of life changes. Grounded is still in early access, meaning there isn't an awful lot to do in the game, but Obsidian has promised more updates in the future.

"Grounded has the foundation needed to turn into a great survival game, but it has a long way to go yet. The titular term comes from aviation--when a pilot finds themselves, for whatever reason, unable to fly, they are Grounded," said Joab Gilroy in GameSpot's Grounded review. "It's a pretty apt name for the current state of Obsidian's foray into the co-op survival genre. But like a balsa wood airplane, Grounded sits at the outstretched tension point of a strong rubber band. It is pure, unadulterated potential energy, and all we can do is sit back and wait to see if that rubber band snaps or if the game achieves take off. I think it's gonna fly."