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I have a long history with Dune: Awakening's developer, Funcom, going all the way back to its sci-fi opus, the MMORPG Anarchy Online. Having played Dune on PC, I was keen to see how the developer handled Frank Herbert's classic on PlayStation 5.
The game's production style draws very much upon the recent movies, the third of which is coming out later this year. This makes the game familiar but a bit misleading, as the rather unique premise deviates considerably from the source, and the movies, in a rather inspired way.
In this version of Dune, as revealed by Paul Atreides in the introduction, the events leading up to the game divert from those of the book in that Paul Atreides was born. Instead of Paul, Lady Jessica gave birth to a girl, Ariste. The treachery of Dr Yueh is discovered, and Leto Atreides survives to wage war against House Harkonnen.
If you've played Funcom's Conan Exiles or, indeed, Ark Survival, Dune: Awakening has a similar mechanic. It's all about scavenging and crafting but set in a world full of lore and tales to discover.
The player takes on the role of an agent working for the sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. You've been sent to the planet of Arrakis to find the Fremen, the native people of Arrakis, supposedly wiped out by the emperor's army of Sardaukar.
The game can be played single-player or online. Characters created for single player cannot be played online, and vice versa. The game does a great job of introducing players to the game's vast crafting mechanic, allowing the creation of the tools needed to build vast fortresses and complex vehicles and machinery.
The use of Epic's Unreal Engine 5 makes the scenery almost photorealistic. Character models are, however, not quite so well detailed. This lets down the visuals somewhat. But with armour covering the comparatively cartoonish faces, the game still looks pretty good.
The PC version of the game has had a number of add-ons since its release last year. The Deluxe and Ultimate Editions of the console game include these add-ons, which can also be purchased separately.
The game eases players into the world of Dune, introducing unique mechanics such as hydration. The inhospitable surface of Arrakis is more likely to kill you than any hostile lifeforms on the planet. From a humble shelter, players can unlock blueprints to craft new equipment and new building components.
The grind associated with survival games is present. But the first time you mount your own ornithopter and soar across the desert, attacking and looting all those raiders seems worthwhile. You'll also never forget your first run across the desert, the shadow of a sandworm bearing down on you.
The world feels richer than other survival games. Puzzle sections and trials break up the usual resource collecting, researching and base-building mechanics common with the genre. The game has plotlines that give activities a bit more meaning.
Arguably, the game is best played online with friends, but I found the single player vs. environment to be equally rewarding. I was able to enjoy the various plotlines in my own time and adjust the game to my playstyle. The single-player game is, however, bit empty. I don't miss weird player-created structures, but the game still feels like an online game, the single-player game faking a populated MMO.
Of course, the multiplayer mode is still there and feels very much like the PC version I've been playing on and off for the past year. Funcom have done a great job of converting keyboard controls to a console controller, making the game accessible on PlayStation 5.
Dune: Awakening is well worth a look if you are a fan of the Dune book and especially if you like the new movies. It is a massive time sink, which is common for the survival game genre, and the grind is real. But the world, the lore and the depth of crafting, mining and living on Arrakis make for a great gaming experience.