“You will never truly control, Dune.” A sentiment made absolutely clear in the newly released gameplay trailer for Dune: Spice Wars. So, how does one make an impact in the mysterious spice enthralled universe? Well, here’s a glimpse of what Shiro Games—the developers behind the interactive property—has envisioned.
Send forth your forces to discover the mysteries and face the dangers of Arrakis, so that you may gain hold of the Spice Melange. This valuable resource will enable players to leave their imprint on the Dune universe. As we see in the gameplay trailer, spice is the key component to maintaining a foothold on the desert planet. Whether it is used in diplomacy, as a means to fund your chosen faction’s expanding territory, or to strengthen the grip of your military power, one will have to search the world and harvest spice to secure victory.
Before players can begin collecting spice however, the gameplay trailer showcases other obstacles that one must overcome. First and foremost—an element that I was personally impressed with—the enigma that is planet Arrakis. Among the mysterious and atmospheric score, the narrator tells of an unknown world waiting to be discovered… Those immersing themselves into this interactive version of Dune will face a myriad of dangers.
Survival is thus paramount in embarking on a conquest in Dune: Spice Wars. The desert planet does not allow for ease of settlement, as those who are familiar to Frank Herbert’s novel will surely understand. The hybrid 4X/real-time strategy mechanics include base building and region control aspects.
Those wishing to take control of the map via military dominance of the map, will command their troops in the game’s battle system. Of course, with Dune sharing political and subterfuge components alongside its armed conflicts, diplomacy/cunning is also a factor. And that’s not just with your opponent—you’ll have opportunities to interact with Fremen settlements, the Landsraad houses, CHOAM representatives, or the spacing guild.
Together with the reveal of Dune: Spice Wars past December, it was announced that the video game was coming to PC, via Steam, in 2022. Today we learned that it’s already set for release in early access sometime this spring. A first preview of the game has also been published by IGN (five minutes), offering glimpses of some aforementioned mechanics in action:
You can also get an overview of both the Atreides (here) and Harkonnen (here) sides on the game’s Steam page. The final game will also feature two other, yet to be revealed, factions. I can’t wait to get my hands on the game when it first releases. Be sure to stay tuned to Dune News Net for all the upcoming news on Dune: Spice Wars and other Dune games.
