I played Dune: Awakening and in just two minutes I pissed off a sandworm, nearly died of thirst, and got killed by pits.

Dune: The Awakening it feels familiar yet overwhelmingly specific. It’s a real treat for Dune fans, I think to myself as I sit through the 45-minute demo at Gamescom, even if its survival-meets-MMO formula gives me flashes of Minecraft, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria and even Lego Fortnite.

In Dune: Awakening, however, the world’s hostility functions as a character trait. Arrakis is an arid desert planet, where dehydration, sunstroke, and being swallowed whole by insidious sandworms are a near-constant risk. Even night offers no solace as searchlights will try to illuminate you for the kill squads on your tail. In short, Dune: Awakening sets a curious but brilliant stage for creating a game where survival is not only difficult, but intentionally complicated – as I find out almost immediately.

Take off never to land

A shootout in Dune: Awakening — (Image credit: Funcom)

As I emerge from my shipwreck, I am warned to quickly find shelter and water. This proves much easier said than done: a vast desert wasteland stretches before me in all directions, a gaping mouth of sandy wilderness ready to swallow me whole. I mean that both figuratively and literally, because as soon as I start sprinting over the dunes (geddit), the ground beneath me starts shaking. Enter the sandworm.

It’s a short introduction, and a terrifying one at that. The sandworm’s presence immediately turns me on my head, and as I nervously head for the welcoming shade of a nearby rocky outcropping, I vow to avoid it at all costs.

After speaking with Joel Bylos, Studio CCO and Creative Designer of Dune: Awakening, it seems I’m experiencing the desired reaction. “I’ve always described the sandworm as a tension mechanic for players. Every time you step on that sand, you feel like the Jaws music starts, and we don’t want that feeling to really go away.”

In addition to keeping players on their toes, the sandworm injects a clear sense of Arrakis’ lore, stakes, and potential dangers. “And then the other side of it, of course, is because we’re badass,” laughs Bylos. “It’s like we get you nice and cozy and we understand that you’re safe on the rock, and then we’re like, now you have to get out here on the sand to get this thing that you need right now. You have to go. there to get flowers too (for hydration), so the tension should never go away for players, even when they have flying vehicles, they have to land them on the sand to pick things up, right?”

Flying in Dune: Awakening

(Image credit: Funcom)

On that note, the flying vehicles in Dune: Awakening are a godsend. The kind developer watching my every move during the demo implements a few tricks so I can experience flying an Ornithopter for myself, though I’m told the ability to do so is usually locked after a high level of about 10 hours of play . He talks about the sheer scope of Dune: Awakening and the systems it has, from the basics of crafting, scavenging and base building, to a quest-driven story and travel system meant to develop smaller areas of lore akin to side quests . or step-by-step instructions.

Dealing with each system would take far too long, especially considering how closely each ties into the lore and world-building of the Dune franchise. Still, the taste we’ve had so far bodes well for Dune superfans everywhere. These clever system integrations are part of what makes Dune: Awakening another survival feather in developer Funcom’s cap, and if there’s anyone who can do a Dune MMO justice, I think it’s safely in the hands of studio Conan Exiles.

GamesRadar+ is in Cologne playing the most anticipated new games from 2024and talking to developers bringing them to life. For more of our hands-on previews and exclusive interviews, visit Gamescom 2024 coverage hub.

Weidheiden

I played Dune: Awakening and in just two minutes I pissed off a sandworm, nearly died of thirst, and got killed by pits.

Take off never to land

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