Summary
Audiences got a good look atDune: Awakening, the upcoming open-world survival game from the same team behindConan Exiles, at this summer’s Gamescom Opening Night Live. Early impressions of the trailer are fairly positive, as it showcased gameplay, expanded on some core mechanics, andrevealedDune: Awakening’s release window.
But the future may not be entirely rosy forDune: Awakening, which will need to find novel ways to prove itself in today’s gaming market. WhileDunefans will no doubt be enticed by the prospect of roaming Arrakis and carving out a niche for themselves in its hostile world, there are also issues of competition and market saturation. The open-world survival MMO space is far from the cutting-edge arena that it was once touted as, as each year sees a host of new, similar titles all vying for the same crown, with only some managing to break through the din and establish themselves as something truly special. When it comes toDune: Awakeningbeing special, developer Funcom may need to address one issue typical in games of its kind.
Dune: Awakening Has an Acute Risk of Bland Open-World Fodder
Dune: Awakening’s Recent Trailer Depicts a Barren World
The most important planet in theDuneseries is Arrakis,a desert planet that serves as the setting ofDune: Awakening. Naturally, Arrakis is an iconic location for science-fiction fans, but not for its aesthetic or splendor: Arrakis is barren, arid, and vast, more interesting through its concepts and political circumstances than for its appearance. In other words, though it’s a cool planet, it’s not exactly one that most readers have wanted to visit themselves.
Generally speaking, desert settings are tough to get right in open-world games.Dune: Awakening’s narrative premisemakes Arrakis notably more interesting than a real-world, Earth desert, but it’s still characterized by the most common elements of the regional archetype: it’s big, sandy, and with little in the way of geographical variety or flora. This threatens to makeAwakeningnot only visually repetitive, but mechanically stale as well.
The best open-world gamesuse complex topography and fantastical locales to hide enticing secrets. The old ‘30-second rule’ and its variants are meant to keep exploration engaging by not letting players go too long without seeing a point of interest, and something like a vast desert planet may make it difficult to implement such a design philosophy. The landscape doesn’t offer many justifications for unique or dense level design.
How Dune: Awakening Might Overcome Potential Open-World Woes
Fortunately, there are a number of ways thatDune: Awakeningcan keep its open world interesting. Among the more promising features ofAwakeningis how Coriolis Storms work: this weather phenomenon causes the massive sand dunes of Arrakis to shift over time, revealing new outposts, caverns, and other locations to explore. While this could result in some underwhelming procedural generation, it could also go a long way toward making the vast expanses of desert more dynamic and surprising than they would be otherwise.
The rest ofDune’s science-fiction world-building has the chance to makeAwakening’s open world more exciting as well. Lore elements like the opposing Harkonnen and Atreides factions, or the bloody conflicts over spice, present unique opportunities for overworld encounters beyond simple enemy camps and random gunfights. And of course, it should be mentioned thatDune: Awakeningtakes place in an alternate timeline, one in which Paul Atreides was never born. This major change, along with others, will likely result in fundamental differences between this version of theDuneworld and the one presented in the books and films, which could translate to a more complex or multifaceted open-world design.
Dune: Awakening
WHERE TO PLAY
Rise from survival to dominance on the most dangerous planet in the universe. Dune: Awakening combines the grit and creativity of sandbox survival games with the social interactivity of a large, persistent multiplayer game to create a unique and ambitious Open World Survival MMO.Awaken The SleeperYour journey begins on Arrakis, with its vast deserts and colossal sandworms. Meet characters from the movies and books as you follow your story across Dune. Discover new allies and enemies and exploit your relationships to uncover the mystery that lies just beneath the surface of the sands.Choose Your IdentityCraft your identity and build your prowess, from deep character creation to skills and abilities taught by specialists like Mentats and Bene Gesserit. Declare your loyalties by what you wear and become known by what you do, whether you are a specialized master or multi-talented adept.Explore Arrakis Like Never BeforeDune: Awakening brings the epic landscapes of Arrakis to vivid life. Explore boundless rolling dunes, ancient underground Ecology Labs, and deep canyons pockmarked with caves, where bandits seek easy prey. Wander the bustling villages before braving the lawless and ever-changing deep desert.
