We learned in April that Grounded, the new miniature survival game from Obsidian Entertainment, would include an “arachnophobia mode” for players with aversion to spiders. Let’s take a look at how this accessibility option works now that the game is released.
When starting Grounded For the first time, the game will immediately inform you about the slider it included for arachnophobes. Spiders represent the biggest challenge in the game right now, after all, so it’s great that developers are immediately at the forefront of coming face to face with these eight-legged monsters.
However, instead of a separate mode, Grounded Manage your spider problem with a slider. At one end of the scale, you have what we would call a “normal” spider: segmented body, fangs, lots of legs and eyes. But as you go to the opposite extreme, spiders start to lose the things that make them, well, like spiders.
As you move the slider to the right, spiders begin to lose some of their legs, and then the rest of their appendages also disappear. The tusks are then removed. Then some of the eyes are removed, the body acquires different proportions and the texture disappears. In the end, what you are left with is essentially a floating bubble, probably one of the least threatening 3D objects you’ll find in a video game.
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Despite its terrifying premise, Grounded It is a very happy game in its essence. Building a base and learning to survive in a new ecosystem is the main attraction, with spider battles representing only a small portion of the overall adventure. With that in mind, I think it’s great that Obsidian has done everything possible to make sure that as many people as possible can play.
Although generally considered a matter of physical limitations, accessibility can and should encompass psychological and emotional challenges as well. It would be great to see more games follow GroundedThe example of.
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