Funcom has recently launched the first installment of their new video series titled “Dune: Awakening Direct”. The premiere offers more than 24 minutes of exciting content, including a fresh game trailer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and an interview between our host Soe Gschwind and Joel Bylos, Chief Creative Officer at Funcom and Creative Director for Dune: Awakening.
In this article I will summarise the details that Joel Bylos revealed during the interview. The additional two clips from the Direct will be covered in separate articles.
Arrakis is a test – few survive it
Are you prepared to experience a world of adventure and survival in the universe of Dune? Funcom‘s latest project presents a multi-layered gameplay experience, set in the unforgiving environment of Arrakis. Be ready to confront some of the most challenging conditions you have ever faced, because this world will test your limits.
The planet Arrakis is a hostile world, where survival is a constant struggle. The sun relentlessly beats down on the planet’s sandy surface, making it a necessity to search for shelter in the black shade or to travel during the night. Water is scarce, and without a stillsuit, you will quickly succumb to dehydration. The only way to survive is to explore the dew fields and consume plant fibers.
Joel Bylos, the game’s Creative Director, suggests that over-consumption of plant fibers may even cause you to vomit, forcing you to find alternative methods of hydration. You can extract water from the blood of dead enemies and drink it, which sounds like good old Fremen tech.
The sandworm always comes
Sandworms are the heart and soul of Dune, the ultimate test of your survival skills. As you traverse the treacherous sands, you’ll need to be on high alert, for these natural forces are not to be underestimated.
Funcom has designed these behemoths as a tension mechanic, and you won’t be able to kill or ride them, at least not at launch. But don’t worry, you’ve got options: You can either try to avoid them altogether or distract them using a thumper. And if you’re lucky enough, you can use ornithopters or ground vehicles to escape their reach quickly and safely.
The many faces of the desert
The Shifting Sands system in the game is an exceptional feature that the Creative Director, Bylos, greatly values. The strictly PVP area in the game experiences a complete transformation every week due to Coriolis storms.
Consequently, players should expect the entire landscape to be altered, with old structures being obliterated and new ones being discovered. Ultimately, this presents an excellent opportunity for players to find new resources or areas.
Crafting and Building
Survival games are incomplete without loads of crafting opportunities. In Dune: Awakening, players have the freedom to craft and modify their entire arsenal, including clothing, weapons, vehicles, and even build massive bases. You can for example start with collecting basic items like stone, copper, and iron, and then move on to steel production and constructing larger machines in your base to upgrade your weapons.
Crafting and Building in Dune: Awakening has been designed with Funcom‘s expertise in mind, derived from their previous survival game Conan: Exiles. To facilitate cooperative building, players can now use holograms to communicate planned changes and where to finish them inside their base.
To make hours of base building even more rewarding, Dune: Awakening allows you to save your complex palace’s design as a blueprint. You can use the blueprint to replicate the design in another part of the game world, or even sell your architectural masterpiece to other players on the Exchange.
Fight with everything you got – The combined arms system
Funcom intends for Dune: Awakening to be a sandbox-style game that offers a lot of freedom in terms of gameplay. The game features the combined arms system that allows you to choose how you approach combat: whether you prefer melee, ranged attacks, skills, vehicles, or a combination of all these. The Great Schools of the Universe provide a wide range of skills that you can learn, allowing you to tailor your character to your liking.
In the video interview, Bylos explained that players can learn Bene Gesserit skills and use the Voice to control enemies, forcing them to approach before getting killed by your dagger. Alternatively, if you prefer to be a swordsman, you can stun enemies with a knee charge and then finish them off. If you want to keep your distance, you can play as a trooper and use the Shigawire Reel to climb to higher ground and take down enemies with your sniper rifle.
Although you start the game with a particular character class or background, the game world is designed to open up as you progress. You can mix and match skills as long as you find the right master in the game world who is willing to train you.
The more, the merrier – enjoying Arrakis with other players
Dune: Awakening provides a grouping system that allows you to team up with new friends and assign roles based on individual skills, such as healers. The Journey System is an exciting feature that lets players embark on a joint adventure to discover the universe’s mysteries. I personally hope it’s a combination of sightseeing and lore discovery. Additionally, multiplayer contracts are available at trade posts, offering another type of interactive gameplay.
Interstellar Politics
In the fierce struggle for survival on the planet Dune, the great houses are waging a war for control. In Dune: Awakening, you have the option to choose which side you want to take – either the Atreides or the Harkonnen.
The Landsraad, which is the council of the biggest houses, may ask something of you, which can either force the factions to work together or pit them against each other. By fighting for the big houses, you can gradually advance through the ranks of each faction. However, political engagements are not a requirement to enjoy this sandbox game.
Beta tests going well
Joel Bylos has stated that the beta tests for Dune: Awakening have been running smoothly for several months. At this point, there is no official release date, as the developers want to take their time to ensure the game is of the highest quality. Player feedback is crucial to the process, and more testers will continue to be added until launch.
