Dune: Spice Wars — Feel of the Game
3rd of The Magnificent 7 and The Feel of the Game Series
Early Vibes Badge
This one is still fresh and below the 100 hour badge criteria but it’s already warmed my heart enough to make the cut, plus, I’ll admit, not only am I a huge fan of the original title from the previous century but I’m also fully steeped in the Dune universe. I’ve been reading the Dune saga savoring every word, re-watched Villeneuve’s film several times, dissecting the scenes, and then this little game popped up to complete the immersion trifecta. I expected it to be just a standard film companion, trying to capitalize on the hype of the moving picture but this is not the case here. It’s still early access but it already stands firm on its own many little legs, wait… worms don’t have legs.
My eyes watered upon seeing the beauty of the Arrakis sand in the morning. It was graceful, glowing, warm, and somehow, despite all its peril, inviting. The oozing soft warmth of the zoomed-in dune map combined with the atmospheric music gives it a “fireplace and pretzels” kind of vibe. You can sit back and turn into the noble Leto Artreidis, the spice-eating Fremen, the always scheming Harkonnen Baron, or the Padishah Emperor himself. What a joy to have such power at the touch of a finger — “My Desert. My Arrakis. My Dune.”
I was sold on the “smell” of spice melange, the beautifully captured desert ambiance, and the sparkly clean UI, as I often am, when the interface fails, nothing can save the game for me, (unless it’s a mind-bending, deep WW2 wargame), I will abandon it and never think about it twice.
Spice Wars is pretty, clean, and oozing with atmosphere.
The music, and isn’t that a common thread in this series, sometimes it just plays in the background and I sit there and sip its chords. Makes me want to grab that beautiful deluxe blue edge-stained edition of Dune sitting on the bookcase beside me and sink into a page of some best science-fiction writing ever for just a minute or two… and port over.
There are a few things that typically sway me over, sometimes it’s the subject matter and the UI, the art can do it too. If the game has any of these I will be compelled to spend some time with it and give it a fair shake down. After all, I strongly believe gaming is a most worthwhile hobby — <link to Why am I Gaming and You Should be too>.
Being in early access the game is still going through some teething problems, especially with combat which feels a little too RTS-y “all units blob vs all units blob” kind of action.
I always crave more micromanagement and complexity in combat mechanics but conquest is not the only way to conduct your campaign. Even though I won my first game by achieving Hegemony I was neck in neck against the Emperor who was going for a win by acquiring a majority stake in the CHOAM conglomerate shares. This comes with a share price graph and all, so if you’ve ever traded stocks you’ll feel right at home, and if you haven’t here is your chance. Another way to win is to hunker down, use diplomacy to turn your foes into allies, and work on acquiring enough favor from the Spacing and Landsraad Guilds.
Depth is also still work in progress with story-driven Conquest mode having been recently announced, but do not not be put off by these small misgivings as there plenty of juice to be squeezed out of this Dune.
There aren’t many strategy games out there that can claim they have atmosphere, but Dune Spice Wars most definitely does. Whether you’re a die hard Dune fan or just a passerby, there is a high chance this title will at least grab your attention if not fully satisfy. Personally, I’m standing by for the game to go gold so I can push another hundred Sardaukar hours into it.
This is the third of the Magnificent 7 Strategy Games worth playing featured in this series.
It’s all about the feeling and I will be showcasing more Feel of the Game in an ongoing series.
