Presented at the opening of Live Opening Night at Gamescom 2022, Dune: Awakening gave the idea of being a really big project, which pushes us to put a headline on the situation in this interesting game from Funcom. The Norwegian company, on the other hand, has been hinting at this project for a while, making clear its importance in the label’s complex economy and increasingly turning to MMO and survival. As it stands, these two genres represent the founding elements of the new Dune, which seem to be in direct continuity with Conan Exiles in terms of design and build, showing a linear evolution of the game concept by Funcom. an important and well-established licensed fictional universe.
But in this case, one almost touches a religion: using a burning material like Dune is not an easy thing, especially for an experience that cannot be built on a fixed and dominant narrative but should offer a certain freedom of movement and more. the resulting less rigorous narrative structure.
On the other hand, the appeal offered by the big comeback of the series due to Denis Villeneuve’s new movie is a golden opportunity to build a big game in Dune, and indeed the main inspiration is undoubtedly the new movie. more than the entire extended universe of the series Frank Herbert1 book and its successors. Thus, we can imagine that a middle ground emerges, with the visual suggestions given by the wonderful settings of the new film, and perhaps a deeper reconstruction of Arrakis’ social, political and economic dynamics that will probably have to resort to literary material. with a mixed approach that looks really interesting.
Let’s try to summarize Everything we know about Dune: The Awakening.
First impact on Dune
As is now a tradition in the video game market, teaser trailer in computer graphics With Dune: Awakening announced during Gamescom 2022’s Opening Night Live, it showed almost nothing about the gameplay and limited itself to providing a strongly evocative but very vague introduction to what the actual game would be.
In the video we see a character as a kind of ideal. hero of the story (obviously not going to be Paul Atreides, but certainly resembling him as a general physiognomy). With its brevity and ambiguity regarding the game’s content, the trailer is perfect for immediately immersing us in the world of reference, starting with The Litany Against the Bene Gesserit that accompanies the video sequence (“It shouldn’t be me. Fear kills the mind. Fear is little death that brings with it total annihilation.” “etc.).
For the rest, all contents What to expect from an adaptation of Dune: the distant storm Coriolis, flying ornithopterans, the blue-eyed hero of the long exposure in La Spezia, the stillsuit, and of course the giant sandworm visible below. desert.
The final stage of the video also suggests the possibility of worm riding according to the typical Fremen initiation ceremony, which can offer effective game dynamics for managing movements on the desert open world map. Beyond the game links, in any case, Funcom seems to have done a great job. reconfiguring the settings and features of the game world based on the Dune tradition that has already emerged with the release of the first illustrations.
Survival MMO open world
It’s hard not to find touchpoints with Conan Exiles in this Dune: Awakening, which looks like a true evolution of the ongoing game. This genre, as in the construction of the wide and open map, in this case concentrates primarily on the desert biome, but it also seems to represent an important part in the famous barbarian game. dynamics survival on the other hand, they are in perfect relationship with the most uninhabitable and dangerous planet in the universe, which will push us to face various environmental threats, human enemies (Harkonnens) and various creatures. Likewise, the widespread availability of valuable material like La Spezia is already a central element in the survival-management dynamic, as was the case with the old Dune II: Battle of Arrakis, which actually shaped the fate of the game. RTS modern way in 1992. This sets the double dynamic for collecting and managing resources, as well as for protection from external threats or key elements of the survival sandbox to which additional game mechanics are added.
These are also key points highlighted by Funcom as key elements of Dune: Awakening, at least according to the press release and materials available around this time. new MMO It allows players to explore the dangerous yet fascinating surface of Arrakis, sietch, settlements, abandoned wrecks and more in an ever-changing environment that also changes with the weather. After establishing your own base, you need to start a spice harvest using your own harvester and try to protect it from attacks by creatures, NPCs or other players.
It is possible to develop and advance our character by acquiring it. new skills Includes direct consumption of spice to increase stats and special abilities in different, various aspects. At a higher level it will also be about tapping into the social fabric of the game and asserting one’s power within the Landsraad, which will have consequences in the shared and lasting world.
We still know very little about him, however, first information spread Dune from Funcom could be a really great foundation for a survival MMO. Putting the pieces together, the rendered picture surprisingly shows that while the universe created by Frank Herbert already contains within it the seeds of a possible reinterpretation in this video game key, the medium relied on an extraordinary appeal and sedimented over the decades. science fiction common imagination. The facility is truly excellent, all that remains is to see it in action: by the way, it is possible to register on the official website of Dune: Awakening. betawhich should start in the near future.
Source: Multiplayer
