NINEROES VS. DUNE: AWAKENING

Ninetoes downloaded Dune: Awakening with his Xbox Game Pass. He has been looking forward to this game for a long time. The question is: will he be disappointed, or will the sleeper awaken?

Hey there, gamers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ with a look at Dune: Awakening. I’ve got my controller in hand, and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

Just a little backstory before we get into the meat of the matter. I first read Frank Herbert’s Dune in 1980. It was instant love at first read! I loved the characters, the world-building, and every aspect of this book. At the time, it was unlike anything I had read before, and it still is to this day. I am a fan of the 1984 movie. I am a fan of the current movies. I love Dune.

I would go as far as to say I am a fan of the games that have come out where you have to mine the spice and fight off all enemies in what I describe as “Eagle Vision”, looking down on all the action, much like the Diablo games. The only problem I had is that it has been done before. I want something new. I want to experience Arrakis as a player character rather than a miner.

Well, someone must have heard my pleas, because Funcom Games released Dune: Awakening, and I got exactly what I have been begging for! Oh, boy, I am so down for this one. If the first hour of gameplay is what the rest of the game will be like, then I am one happy camper! But it is not just the first hour that I am reporting on.

First thing to note in this is the story. It definitely splinters off from the Dune saga we all know and love by taking away one key feature…Paul Atreides. What if Paul was never born, and Lady Jessica gave birth to a girl first instead? THAT is the world you are playing in, and it is breathtaking. How can we have a Dune story without Paul? Oh, the setup you are given is wonderful. One bit of advice as you go into this game: DO NOT RUSH CUTSCENES OR DIALOGUES. You will definitely miss something if you do. Trust me on this. Just leave your thumb off the “A” button, because I found out the hard way that accidents happen and I missed a good bit of story!

The graphics are sublime. I am on Arrakis. I am fighting for survival. I am getting sand burned. I feel everything that this world has to offer. From rocky outcrops to flora and fauna, it is all there for the player to explore and enjoy. When night comes, it is a relief, and we will get to that in a moment. Arrakis is yours to explore, enjoy, love, and most of all, survive!

The controls and environment remind me of games like Ark: Survival Evolved or Conan Exiles. Your ship goes down ,and you wake up in a cave. The first thing you do is gather dew from a plant to take care of your thirst. Then you start to harvest materials: plants, metal, granite, copper, etc. Pick up everything you can.  As you go, you will have to research how to make certain things like a knife, clothing, a mining instrument, a gun, binoculars, and then build what you have researched. As you go to build something, make sure you highlight and press the appropriate button for that item; otherwise you will build several of the items before. I must have made eight hoods before I realized what I was doing. Yeah, that.

What really brought me into the game was what I call environmental dangers. Stay out in the sun too long, and you will suffer sunstroke. You can dehydrate and die. And then there is the ever-present fear of a sandworm coming under you because you walk/run with too much rhythm. Anything “Dune” related is in here, and I am quite sure fans of the franchise will be over the moon for this one!

One more thing to note: there are two modes for this game. Single-player and multiplayer. Everything noted here is from a single-player experience. I have not tried multiplayer, but when I do, I will report back!

Will I buy this game? Most definitely! This is one of the better all-around games I have played this year! If you are a fan of the Dune franchise, or a fan of survival games, then this is the perfect game for you!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.