Grounded 2's starter area is the size of the entire first game, and you can get around by riding ants and spiders—this might end up being my new favourite survival game

When Obsidian unveiled Grounded 2 during today's Xbox Showcase, all my cynicism washed away. I don't want to spend my weekend watching trailers, but a tease for the sequel to my all-time favourite survival game? And the announcement that we'll be able to play it next month? Yeah, even I'm excited.

After the showcase, Obsidian went ahead and spilled the shrunken beans, giving us all the details about the imminent sequel, and honestly it sounds like everything I could have wanted. There was a lot to digest, but it's the new environment I'm most excited about.

Instead of a suburban garden, the quartet of teens now have to contend with a whole community park. And it's frickin' massive.

Obsidian, which has partnered with Eidos Montreal for the sequel, explained that it's a whopping three times larger than the backyard, which was already massive. Indeed, the starting area alone is the same size as the entire first game.

Now, I'm not normally one to get hyped about this kinda stuff: a bigger game space doesn't mean it's going to be a more interesting place to explore. But Obsidian did such a great job filling the garden with novelties that I've got faith it's gonna pull it off again. And from what we've seen so far, the team's off to a good start.

Before the teens were shrunk down, the park was evacuated, leaving it in disarray. This is not a tidy place. A filled-to-the-brim bin full of rubbish and rotting food is one of the locations you'll need to root around in—possibly with the assistance of a gas mask. And there's a toppled ice cream cart, which has effectively created an Arctic zone for the adventurous teens to get lost in. One that, unfortunately, appears to have enticed some scorpions.

All sorts of mundane detritus has been left behind, from food left on picnic tables, to discarded guitar amps. And naturally this stuff becomes a lot more interesting when you're the size of an ant.

Ziplines will help you get around again, but Obsidian won't be introducing them straight away. The good news is that you'll have another mode of transport available when it launches in early access: bugs! Ants and spiders can be turned into mounts. Lethal mounts.

Ants can help you transport supplies, and they'll even help you dig. What's even cooler is that you can use a red ant soldier to enlist up to two red ant workers to follow you around and help you out. A wee ant party!

Orb weaver spider mounts, meanwhile, will be particularly handy in combat. They hit like a tonne of bricks, they're terrifyingly fast, and they can belt out a shriek that can stun other critters. As someone who struggles with arachnophobia, this might be just what I need: killer spider friends.

Ants and spiders can be turned into mounts. Lethal mounts.

We saw a bunch of bugs in the Grounded 2 direct, from cockroaches to scorpions to caterpillars, and even a preying mantis, but I'm hoping to see some properly weird shit at launch.

My current bug obsession are treehoppers. They come in all sorts of bizarre shapes. You've got leafy little guys, mushroom-looking-dudes, and indescribably odd fellas that look like they've got big fleshy antenna arrays sticking out of their heads. The variety is genuinely incredible.

They could maybe even replace the adorable aphid, as some treehoppers produce honeydew, just like the first Grounded's cutest little guy.

At the very least, I'm assuming the size of the park will mean a lot more variety when it comes to our buggy friends and foes. And maybe even some more non-bug critters. Look, your boy just wants to fly on a friendly bat, OK?

Grounded 2 early access will kick off on July 29, and after that I will be sending Obsidian my critter wish list.