Frank Herbert’s Dune holds a particular place within the gaming group, offering the premise for one of many first true real-time technique titles, Dune 2: The Constructing of a Dynasty. Shiro Video games is treading on hallowed floor with its newest title, Dune: Spice Wars, and the studio appears to realize it. The sport’s latest 1.0 launch nonetheless has some ache factors after a yr in early entry, however it’s clear that Spice Wars was developed with a transparent ardour and understanding of the project.
Dune: Spice Wars is a 4X recreation, performed fully in actual time, set towards the backdrop of Herbert’s novel. Whereas the sport clearly makes use of established 4X titles like Civilization 6 as a framework, massaging that very same system into an RTS flavored with the Dune universe offers Spice Wars an edge.
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom
At launch, Spice Wars options the Atreides, Harkonnen, and Fremen factions, along with Smugglers, Home Corrino, and Home Ecaz. Every faction operates on the identical primary rules however has some distinctive wrinkles that lend them to a selected play model. For instance, whereas Home Atreides can’t pillage settlements, they will peacefully annex them, which is costlier however yields long-term bonuses. The Fremen, alternatively, aren’t topic to the identical penalties for failing to pay the Emperor’s ever-present spice tax.
![A screenshot of the faction select screen in Dune: Spice Wars](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2qwqBKwatqgUHt6cjNRy91rUUeA=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921504/ss_400303121f0a80a12f805b30a48503356f77925f.1920x1080__1_.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom
The usual recreation mode, Battle for Arrakis, is supplemented by the protracted two-player Kanly Duel and the extra prolonged Conquest Marketing campaign. The gameplay can be acquainted sufficient to seasoned gamers of the 4X style, however a sequence of useful tooltips and tutorials are additionally current to fill you in on the fundamentals.
Every procedurally generated map consists of areas managed by a single settlement (assume city-states from Civ 6). These might be annexed, turning them into extensions of your regime, or pillaged for a fast money infusion. Every settlement additionally has randomly assigned traits that will affect the way you specialize its infrastructure.
![A screenshot of the main Fremen base in Dune Spice Wars](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Npptwk6b_NHXuRZtVlhkMGlBawM=/0x0:2564x1442/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2564x1442):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921419/Screenshot_2023_09_13_163731_copy.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom by way of Polygon
The tough atmosphere of Dune performs into your technique, too — models deteriorate when outdoors of your territory too lengthy, which has the added impact of curbing rushes as a viable technique. The random look of sandstorms and sandworms may also successfully shut down operations for giant areas of the map.
Increasing, conquering, and researching all in actual time might sound overwhelming, however the motion on the map happens at a leisurely tempo, and you may pause the motion at any time. Issues can nonetheless get often chaotic, although, often if you’re making an attempt to combat wars on a number of fronts.
![A screenshot of the map overview in Dune: Spice Wars](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/auWQWFTnJhxqOY3dtK-AFW8-LPk=/0x0:2564x1442/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2564x1442):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921418/Screenshot_2023_09_13_162722_copy.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom by way of Polygon
The minute-to-minute fight in Spice Wars is serviceable however lacks precision. Your ranged models make a nasty behavior of participating in melee, whereas your melee models will chase the enemy into their very own territory from a defensive place. Past your models’ occasional ineptitude, what’s much more irritating is making an attempt to determine why you’ve misplaced. You’re supplied with stats for all your models, however these numbers lack transparency and context. In contrast to with a recreation of Civ, which gives an in depth comparability and breakdown of the mathematics concerned, I can’t let you know why having a unit with extra armor is sweet, or what impact hearth fee has on the result of an engagement.
![A screenshot of combat in Dune: Spice Wars](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8IgaSEzm54iqY42Ht9-9ckKJLlc=/0x0:2091x1176/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2091x1176):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921427/Screenshot_2023_09_11_153622_copy.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom by way of Polygon
Whereas the martial fight is a bit forgettable, Shiro Video games has performed an amazing job turning espionage and coverage conferences, the weather that I’d sometimes ignore in a recreation of Civ, into participating metagames inside themselves. This really makes a recreation of Spice Wars really feel like a battle of assassins, the place having the proper brokers in place and getting on the proper poll might be the distinction between victory and defeat.
![A screenshot of Dune: Spice Wars displaying the Landsraad council voting screen](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9iFsmfjDL5B4ndUBWtWVmIpSJZk=/0x0:1876x1055/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1876x1055):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921423/Screenshot_2023_09_13_160429_copy.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom by way of Polygon
Aesthetically, Spice Wars seems nice, leveraging visible themes impressed by the latest Denis Villeneuve adaptation, and the soundtrack looks like a mashup of the groovy 1984 film soundtrack paired with the suspenseful rock anthems from the unique RTS titles from Westwood Studios. The voice work, sadly, lacks the identical distinction, with the unit acknowledgments, particularly, ranging in high quality from satisfactory to comical.
![A screenshot of the main Smuggler faction base at night in Dune: Spice Wars](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Uy5N1Fkyy_Tj95YMWW0_-fhNppo=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921526/ss_00849fe5b8fc621f6eed3f1395cb65f796219cc4.1920x1080.jpg)
Picture: Shiro Video games/Funcom
In its present state, Dune: Spice Wars is novel and entertaining, if altogether imperfect. Whereas the core gameplay received’t shatter anybody’s expectations of the 4X or RTS genres, Spice Wars completely nails the texture and aesthetics of open warfare over the sands of Dune. Like Paul Atreides, this recreation didn’t roll off the bed able to topple an empire, but when Shiro Video games continues to assist Spice Wars with the identical stage of dedication we’ve seen all through early entry, it has the potential to attain greatness.
The 1.0 launch of Dune: Spice Wars was launched on Sep. 14 for Home windows PC. The ultimate launch of the sport was reviewed utilizing a pre-release obtain code offered by Funcom. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These don’t affect editorial content material, although Vox Media might earn commissions for merchandise bought by way of affiliate hyperlinks. You could find further details about Polygon’s ethics coverage right here.