Dune: Awakening – A Fresh Survival Saga on Arrakis
It’s always telling when you finish your time with a game, walk away, and you are still thinking about what you could do next when you return. Unfortunately, my preview time with Dune: Awakening has ended, and I will have to wait until June 10th to return to Arrakis.
Funcom has taken a new direction with the game versus the series. Not following the movie or novel storyline, Funcom were able to create their vision of how we would face the dry deserted landscape of Arrakis. Paul Atreides was never born, and Lady Jessica gave birth to a girl, and Duke Leto Atreides is alive. Funcom completely changed the story. Although some may not agree, it allows us to create our own character with the pressure of the Reverend Mother holding the needle at our throat and our hand in the box, don’t flinch!
My Creation
I made my character by selecting where I was born, a young girl growing up in the slums of Giedi Prime. A place that allowed me to earn the trait of the Harkonnen Curse. I was a lonely Pyon among the common wealth, just a peasant laborer that drives the Imperial engine. Working a tough life, I was able to earn the trust of my mentor, Bene Gesserit Acolyte. She trained me in the art of Physical Mastery and Manipulation, granting me the ability of the Voice Compel. Using my voice to force others in my direction and to do my bidding.
Exploration Is Key
Over the next few hours, I would learn my new talents and set out to explore my surroundings in search of the Freman and awaken the Sleeper. I was anything but close to completing my task, but my time in Arrakis was filled with the treacherous heat of the sun, the lack of water and the fear of the ever-imposing sandworm as it skates by just beneath the surface of the desert. A feeling of doom lingers, a sense of the unknown as I walk slowly across the desert, the thought of getting swallowed up by the massive sandworm is always present.
Something Is Missing
Searching for supplies, breaking down the larger containers, boulders, crafting, building my settlement. It’s all there and is everything you would expect from a survival game. Just like in movies, when you down an enemy, you can drain their fluids and then take the fluids back to your base of operations and purify them for clean water that will play a vital role in your survival. It has that Dune feeling. I felt like I was surviving in a world of power, the fight for controlling Spice. That power found me on the other side fighting for my life. The combat is where I feel the game falls short.
The combat doesn’t feel as tight and on point as I would like. Slashing away at the bandits doesn’t feel weighted with each swing. Shooting with the pistol feels to fall short, just missing the mark I would like to have it hit with each target. My voice talents were certainly a highlight. Drawing my opponent closer in a stumble as I eliminated them. I felt like I was growing with my abilities. With the help of the skill tree, I would become a legend one day. Creating my character and playstyle to how I see fit. I wasn’t locked into my early selection of skills. Bringing forth the opportunity to expand how I see fit in the future. Though with a few minor setbacks in the combat, Funcom has a solid foundation to build from.
Crafting always plays such an importance in survival games. They can make or break the experience. There were moments I felt it was unclear as I hovered over the item I thought would be crafted, only to have something else created because I didn’t come right out to select the item I hovered over. It would be something to get used to with more playtime. Often, hovering over an item and hitting the craft button is all that is needed, but not in this instance. Getting my bearings around the crafting and having gathered supplies, I was able to begin creating my own base of operations that would house everything from my water purifying system, to chests, power sources and more.
Dune: Awakening has something special at the end of the day that feels exciting and fresh among the survival genre. Though the endgame will be telling of how long Dune: Awakening will be able to hold players, it’s the early stages of learning the systems I faced exploring Arrakis that has me excited for the launch. Playing with friends, joining guilds, fighting off other players while avoiding the lurking sandworm sets the stage for possibilities and opportunities. It was an early look at Dune: Awakening. Though my time has come to a close, it’s one I’m excited to jump back into and keep exploring as I craft, loot and build to better things in Arrakis. If you like survival games, Dune: Awakening is one you should keep an eye out for on June 10th for Steam. The game is also confirmed for the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at a later date.
Let us know in the comments below if you are looking forward to searching for the Freman in Arrakis next month!
