Dune Awakening Review: Should you buy it?

Unlike typical survival games bogged down by hunger or sleep meters, Dune Awakening keeps it simple yet thematic: water is your lifeline. On a desert planet, thirst is a constant threat, and managing your hydration meter is critical. Early on, you'll scavenge dew from plants or extract blood from enemies (yes, it's as grim as it sounds) to purify into water. StillSuit's recycle bodily fluids to keep you hydrated, staying true to Dune's lore while adding a strategic layer to exploration.

Resource gathering is streamlined compared to other survival games. Rocks for base-building are plentiful, and the game highlights resource nodes on the map, sparing you hours of aimless grinding. Excursions are the heart of the gameplay loop—load up your vehicle, venture into the desert, and return with loot before a sandstorm or sandworm wipes you out. Base-building is intuitive, requiring power for shields to protect against storms and space for vehicle storage. While not overly complex, it strikes a balance between accessibility and depth, letting you focus on exploration rather than micromanagement.

Combat in Dune Awakening is a tale of two experiences. Melee combat, while functional, feels clunky with stiff animations that don't quite match the fluidity of dedicated action games. Piercing an enemy's Holtzman shield with a slow, deliberate stab is satisfying, but the overall feel lacks polish. Ranged combat, however, shines with punchy gunplay and solid sound design that makes every shot feel impactful. Depending on your class—options include Bene Gesserit, Trooper, or Swordmaster—you'll unlock abilities like grappling hooks or the Voice, adding flair to battles. These powers, while fun, can feel lore-breaking when every player wields what should be rare abilities, a common MMO trope.

Raiding bandit camps, crashed ships, or faction checkpoints is essential for resources and water, making combat unavoidable. The game leans into this, encouraging you to plan your attacks carefully, especially in PvP zones like the Deep Desert, where hundreds of players can clash over spice. While we haven't dived into endgame PvP, early impressions suggest it's where the game's scale truly comes alive.

Arrakis might be endless sand, but Funcom makes exploration a rewarding experience. The map boasts verticality with towering cliffs, deep ravines, and hidden bunkers that evoke Fallout's vault-like storytelling. Audio logs and quests flesh out the world, introducing planetologists and researchers alongside the usual Great Houses. While some voice acting feels placeholder, the lore integration is a treat for Dune fans, filling in gaps that other games in the franchise haven't touched.

Dynamic events, such as Coriolis storms, reshape the Deep Desert on a weekly basis, introducing new locations and challenges. Sandworms are a constant menace, with a physical presence that makes them more than a scripted hazard—they chase you based on sound, creating heart-pounding moments as you scramble for rocky outcrops. However, the MMO structure can break immersion. Abandoned player bases litter the starting zones, making Arrakis feel like an overcrowded ghost town rather than a desolate wasteland. Encounters with other players in shared areas, like crashed ships, can also ruin narrative buildup if someone's already cleared the enemies.