
Obsidian Is Working on an Arachnophobia Mode for All Those Giant Spiders in Grounded
If you can't deal with eight-legged creepies, big or small, Obsidian understands.
In Obsidian's upcoming survival game Grounded, you'll play as a kid in a backyard. If you've got arachnophobia in real life, the sight of a normal-sized spider is scary enough—but in Grounded, your kid character's actually shrunk down to the size of a thumbtack, so any eight-legged creature crawling around the yard will be huge. If that's too terrifying for you, fear not: Obsidian's coming up with a comfort option for you.
In response to a fan tweet about the recently released Grounded trailer (and yeah, there's a creepy spider in it), Obsidian confirmed that the team "is implementing an arachnophobia mode to help with those who aren't fans of spiders and still want to enjoy the game[.]"
Right now, it's not clear how that mode will take shape—Obsidian says it is still doing research on how it should work and will demonstrate it when it's ready.
Arachnophobia can be a pretty big barrier to entry for folks to any game with spiders or spider-like creatures in it. Whether it's turkey-sized Headcrabs in Half-Life: Alyx or even the blocky, unrealistic spiders of Minecraft (there's a mod that removes them from the game altogether), folks with arachnophobia often have to power through or simply not play. For some, tarantula island in Animal Crossing would be a blessing of Bells—for others, it's just an instant nope-out.
When Grounded reveals its arachnophobia mode, it would be nice if it turns out to be a novel solution that could be applied across numerous games. There'll always be a time and place for including spiders in games to create tension and horror, but there should also be respect given to phobias as legitimate accessibility concerns.
Not only is Grounded a departure from Obsidian's RPGs, but it also leans into the idea of simulating an actual backyard ecosystem, adding a neat layer to its familiar survival and crafting mechanics. It's set to launch in early access for Xbox One and PC on July 28, 2020.
In other news
Vin Diesel Doesn't Just Appear in Ark 2, He's Also Its Executive Producer
Living life one development milestone at a time.
1
Minecraft’s Ray Tracing Update Is Now Available For All Windows 10 Players
Make those blocks look extra nice.
Minecraft’s New Star Wars Add-On Ignores the Prequels and Sequels, Just Like You
Steve isn't into diamonds anymore. He's all about Kyber crystals now.
1
Obsidian's Grounded Will Be "Next-Gen Ready" For Xbox Series X and S
The tiny odyssey will be ready for the big new consoles.
Need help?
Far Cry New Dawn Essential Tips - Controls, How to Play Far Cry New Dawn Co-Op
It’s back to Hope County for another round of action-packed debauchery, though this time it looks a little different. Here’s everything you’ll need to survive the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Far Cry New Dawn.
Resident Evil 2 Essential Tips - Surviving the Nightmare in Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City
Here's our complete list of tips you need to know going into Resident Evil 2, to help Claire and Leon make it through Raccoon City.
No Man's Sky Tips - How to Get Started in 2019
Here are some tips to help you get a strong start in No Man's Sky.
Newsletter
Subscribe to our weekly newsletters
Get the best of USG in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters.