Dune: Awakening, the review for surviving on planet Arrakis

Dune: Awakening, plot and modes

Think about it: is there a narrative universe more suitable than Dune to serve as the backdrop for a survival MMO? Okay, maybe there are many that are suitable for the purpose, but if we think about Frank Herbert's novels, survival is undoubtedly one of the most fitting themes and literally becomes synonymous with the average way of life on Arrakis. The guys at the Funcom development team know all this very well, and after the launch of Dune: Awakening last year on PC, their creation is now also arriving on consoles, of which we tested the PlayStation 5 edition. Inhale some spice, which never hurts, and get ready to read our review of Dune: Awakening!

The concept behind Dune: Awakening is simple, but very functional: Paul Atreides was never born, and Lady Jessica gave birth to a girl. Duke Leto Atreides is still alive, and the war between his house and the dangerous Harkonnens rages. In all this, however, almost all the Fremen, the inhabitants of the desert of Arrakis, seem to have disappeared. The Fremen are exceptional warriors, they know Arrakis like no one else, and they are connected to the spice, the most important resource on the entire planet.

Our protagonist is a prisoner sent to Arrakis precisely to investigate what happened to the Fremen and, in all this, will find themselves in the midst of the conflict between Harkonnen and Atreides, as well as discovering many secrets related to the planet and information about their origins. It begins with the creation of your character, where we can use a fairly extensive and well-made editor, both from an aesthetic point of view and one related to abilities and background. Appearance, home planet, culture, faction, and skills allow us to create a unique character and exploit their peculiarities. The great novelty of this edition is the possibility of playing in MMO mode, with players from all over the world, or in single-player. The two types are separate, and for each save, you will have to decide which of the two ways to play.

Dune: Awakening, gameplay and mechanics

Naturally, both modes follow the same plot and are punctuated by missions that will lead us to evolve: initially, you must survive and learn to become familiar with the environment and the basic ways not to succumb and build necessary elements to resist Arrakis. After understanding how not to become food for sand worms, get killed by other characters, or, more simply, not completely dehydrate, you move on to the actual plot elements, get to know the various factions, and begin to decide how to navigate the intricate political situation of Dune: Awakening. The journey will lead us to discover secrets, improve our skills, and explore new areas of the map, so much so that there will be no shortage of the most iconic vehicles created by Herbert's imagination, to the delight of his fans. As you progress, you also reach the Deep Desert, the most dangerous and resource-rich area of Arrakis, where the most challenging activities of the game are concentrated and where I advise you not to go alone if you are playing in MMO mode. Meanwhile, there is a strong political component, which allows us to take sides and contribute to the struggle for influence among the great houses of the Dune universe.

Whether you want to play with others or alone, there are truly many things to do, and Arrakis proves to be a dangerous yet inviting playground for survival enthusiasts. But how does Dune: Awakening perform in the "controller test"? Well, but not great. Certainly, Funcom has made every effort to make the experience as user-friendly as possible, but it has not always proven to be streamlined or intuitive, with menus navigable via buttons or using analog controls to move on screen as if we were using a mouse. It was probably difficult to do better, given the amount of actions and screens that need to be accessed, but this does not negate the fact that, more than once, I had considerable problems executing what I wanted on the first try. Among other things, the smallness of the on-screen texts does not help, but at least they are all in Italian, which is always very welcome.

Among other things, the game mechanics require spending a lot of time in the menus managing resources, researching new technologies, and creating various types of objects and machinery: you research the recipe to create an object, you create it having the right tools and materials, and so on. The same cumbersomeness is reflected, but only to a certain extent, in our character's movements and in combat, where you get the distinct impression of not having perfect control over your avatar. If you think that Dune: Awakening, by gaining a PvE mode, has transformed into an action game, know that this is not the case, because it remains anchored to the game's original system, and the controls constantly remind us of this. The general approach must be reasoned, and when you find yourself fighting, the mechanics show the aforementioned limitations, certainly not insurmountable, but which cannot be ignored.

Dune: Awakening, how are the graphics and audio?

So, is it better to play in PvE or PvP? In reality, Dune: Awakening manages to be enjoyable in both modes, and PvE can be considered an excellent approach to calmly learn the basics of the game, perhaps taking advantage of the fact that the AI of CPU-controlled opponents is not particularly advanced, before then launching into the more dangerous PvP. Of course, it must be considered that Dune: Awakening has a different structure from many MMOs, and you might play for hours without encountering other gamers. However, this should not make you feel too safe, because danger could arrive at any moment, perhaps aboard a dangerous ornithopter. The variables are many, character evolution can take many paths, and its role relative to the various factions makes everything very lively.

Needless to say, Funcom also shows in this edition that it is extremely faithful to the original materials, even though we are living in an alternative timeline. Those who love Herbert's novels will find a high-quality reconstruction and will notice the geopolitical changes due, precisely, to the absence of Paul's figure. This choice has created a true "butterfly effect," and the behaviors of the main characters and factions are as realistic and plausible as possible. Immersion is greatly aided by the artistic direction, which draws heavily from the imagery reconstructed by the latest films dedicated to the saga, and the graphics, although with some flaws (animations first and foremost), hold up well. Sand worms, weather events, lighting, environments, and architectures manage to make us feel inside one of the most fascinating narrative universes ever. You can choose between the classic Performance and Quality modes, the first aiming for 60 FPS and the second moving around 30, offering higher quality in visual impact. The sound also plays its part and properly accompanies iconic situations like the appearance of the aforementioned sand worms which, personally, I loved to madness.

Dune: Awakening is also very enjoyable on consoles, and although there is some trade-off compared to the original PC edition, it will surely entertain both survival lovers and Dune enthusiasts; if these two factors should meet, then a great video game love could blossom, despite some improvable elements.