Dune: Awakening Has Sold Me On The Series - Summer Game Fest 2024

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I have to be completely honest here: I am not the biggest Dune fan. It isn't because it doesn't interest me; it actually really does, but I just never had the time or willpower to invest in it compared to all the other worlds and stories I was reading and experiencing. Initially, I wanted to check out the upcoming Dune: Awakening due to my enjoyment of Conan Exiles (another game that the Dune Awakening devs, Funcom, created). But after I saw the gameplay and heard about the story that is taking place here, it excited me and convinced me to order the book so I could start diving into the world.

As a game, Dune: Awakening is extremely exciting, and fans of the series will enjoy it. The story behind the game is extremely unique too, making it quite a new way to experience the world of Dune. Instead of the normal story, where Paul Atredes' parents have a son, they have a daughter like they were supposed to. The game plays out these altered events, and it's one of the coolest things. I love it when games tell other stories in the same world, and changing it up to be a completely different set of events that could have happened in an alternate reality is great. However, it was the gameplay that sold me.

At Summer Game Fest, I had a chance to check out Dune: Awakening's gameplay, and I loved everything I saw. If you have played Conan Exiles, it will be relatively similar, but there have been a lot of visual and mechanical changes that make the experience feel more unique and elevated. The game still takes place from a third-person view, and it is a survival crafting game, so you will be gathering resources and crafting buildings and equipment, but there are a lot of really unique components to make it feel like it stands out.

First, we have the world, which is gorgeous. I thought the desert landscapes would be a little boring to trek through, but the use of air and land vehicles made it a bit more enjoyable. There are a lot of spots to uncover as well, and an entire underground section seems to expand the areas you can explore exponentially. I also like how you can utilize abilities to help you traverse the world or to fight in combat. I didn't see much combat in my gameplay demonstration, but I do have high hopes for it after what I did see.

There were two moments during the demo that stood out to me: The Buildings and Factions. Almost every single building in the game is made from the same materials and building pieces you have to create your own base. This means that almost every building you see can be re-created by yourself, and that is just so cool.

As for factions, you can align yourself with different houses in the game, and by working with them, you can unlock specific perks. The one that stood out to me was the ability to get house-specific vehicles. It's cool to see and it gives us something to work for, and I really can't wait to see what other benefits you can get from pledging your allegiance.

The multiplayer is quite intriguing, too. We will have our own section of the world where a smaller amount of players can populate, and once you can fly, you can fly outside of the area and travel to new maps. The biggest one is the large desert on the outskirts, which can have more players and dangers but could have better rewards. It's a nice way to balance going in and out of your home area to try gathering new materials and equipment.

If you are a fan of Dune or open-world survival games, this is not one you will want to miss. From what I have seen and heard, it looks like this is going to be a phenomenal game, and I can't wait to experience the full release.

Dune: Awakening will be releasing soon on Steam and you can wishlist it now!

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