REVIEW: Dune Spice Wars is ideal for fans of RTS and the literary saga

I start this REVIEW with a confession: I have little experience with games RTS (real-time strategy, real-time strategy, in free translation), but I played Dune Spice Wars with some expectation for being a fan of the book series that inspired the game. And before going into the technical aspects of the game, I would like to highlight its main asset: it introduces the Dune universe to RTS players, as well as bringing the genre closer to fans of the literary series.

The game

Without a grand narrative, we started by going straight to the door. At first, we have to choose one of the four available factions, each with unique benefits associated with it. Unsurprisingly, the four factions are: Atreides, harkonnen, the Smugglers and the fremen. Each of them forces us to adapt the way we play to make the most of their skills. The object of the game is to manage the desert planet of Arrakis from the perspective of your chosen group, simple as that.

And it is from this choice that the game gives players the characteristics of their characters, the objective and the way of acting of each of these factions. For example, the Atreides, led by Leto, seek to act, even with the possibility of conflict, peacefully and with diplomacy. The Harkonnens, on the other hand, are more warlike, but no less strategic.

factions

But to understand and help you choose, if you don't know the base material, we'll explain you better about the main characteristics of the four factions of the game.

Atreides

A Atreides House it is ruled by Duke Leto Atreides, one of the few benevolent rulers of a galaxy where wealth and power are everything. When the original book is opened, House Atreides has been given control of Arrakis by Emperor Padishah, replacing their rivals from earlier generations, House Harkonnen.

harkonnen

A Harkonnen house is one of the richest members of the Landsraad and a bitter rival of the Atreides. This family is ruled by the cruel, sadistic and hedonistic baron Vladimir Harkonnen. While Baron Harkonnen pretends to be outraged at losing control of Arrakis to his rival, Duke Leto actually hopes to use the situation as an opportunity to destroy his enemy once and for all.

Smugglers

Manipulators of the Arrakis economy, the Smugglers they are in the middle and in the atmosphere of war between families. In both the book series and the game, the faction's goal is to accumulate natural resources to expand its stealth operation across the deserts of Arrakis. In other words, infiltration between factions is fundamental for smugglers.

fremen

Last but not least, we have the fremen, the only people native to the Arrakis region. They will do anything to protect their land. Its special ability is forming alliances outside the territory. They also have a lower supply consumption on troops.

arrakis

As important as the four factions is the planet arrakis, which, as in the books - and film adaptations -, is treated as a character apart. The features of the desert surface in the game are well represented with mechanical gameplay elements. From the sandstorms that remove visibility and effectiveness to our villages and buildings, in addition to, of course, sandworms, which devour the units that cross the portions of desert where they are.

Gameplay

This, without a doubt, is the most sensitive point for non-initiated in RTS games. the producer Shiro Games is quite experienced in this genre and it is obvious that he had a lot to draw from. But those who are new to the genre and want to embark on this adventure because they are a fan of the Duna universe, will suffer a little. This is because the game relies on a similar mechanic to allude to the “politics” of the literary series, in which each faction has points of influence and, from time to time, they are called to vote on important laws - some of a general nature and others focused only in a faction.

Unfortunately, the game does a poor job of explaining how basic mechanics work. In the beginning you will be able to use voting and influence points to pass or veto laws, but it is not explained how these votes are gained. Some factions, for example, already start with voting amounts, while others can only use influence to pass laws. As the game progresses, these factions without voting power end up acquiring such a right and this is where the game gets interesting. The problem is that many players can give up before they even get to that part.

Apart from the political scheme, the espionage game also greatly interferes with the fate of the factions of Dune Spice Wars. Each agent can be assigned to a different faction or area, granting bonuses or, in the case of factions, allowing special missions. We are not going to detail all the missions available, but know that they work as a special card that can be used once and grants some advantage to you or disadvantage to the enemy. It is possible, for example, to incite rebellions in enemy settlements, generating a distraction that allows you to attack them by exploiting this vulnerability. The possibilities are huge and, for me, it's one of the most fun parts of the game.

Battles

Although he prefers political procedures, as in the books, it is practically inevitable to come into open conflict. For this, we generate combat groups, between close attack soldiers, ranged combat soldiers, saboteurs and even drones. Creating this army or increasing it can happen even in the midst of political proceedings.

There is no bet here on more robust military units. The ones we have only serve to defend our units or attack whoever dares to invade them. It is strongly recommended not to brave the desert, with the high possibility of losing many soldiers on the way. Also, having a large army is expensive. That is, everything in the game is strategic and I particularly find it a good headache.

Still talking about the war wing of the game, it's interesting how much you can have your army weakened by laws and reforms passed by other factions that feel threatened. However, without armies we will be easy prey for these factions. It's all about balance. Always knowing that behind the scenes we can generate much more damage than directly attacking an opposing city.

Business

Another important element, but that the game's production limited – perhaps by nullifying any possibility of facilitation – and even left it quite random. Apparently, neither front is economically advantageous. We can always bet on buying and selling resources, dealing with Honnête Ober Advancer Mecantiles Consortium (CHOAM) and even lower construction and defense costs. But suddenly, the Empire decides to charge a higher percentage of spice which, if we don't have it available, incurs a loss of political influence. Which, in particular, I believe diminishes part of the fun of the game, especially if the player chooses to play with smugglers.

In fact, something that I consider quite negative is that we do not have a practical dimension of the spice's power, although it is the center of all conflicts and, at the same time, what unites these factions in shared public policies. It would be in the economic factor, within the game, that we should feel the power of the spice.

Sound and art direction

I believe that the book fans who will play Dune: Spice Wars will also really like the game's soundtrack, which is extra fuel and gives a much greater sense of immersion. It is worth mentioning that the track repetitions in this type of game are many, but Shiro's work shows a lot of dedication and affection with the work. If you want to compare it with the soundtracks of the film versions, it is much closer to the current version, by Hans Zimmer, but I also noticed some strange sounds that the band Toto did in the 1984 version.

As for the art direction, the washed colors and designs are beautiful, something similar to what we see in Disco Elysium. However, I believe that this artistic choice does not go so well with the soundtrack, especially during the day. Part of the immersion of being on Arrakis is “feeling the heat” and the more washed out colors only stand out against the night scene.

After all, is it worth it?

Dune: Spice Wars is no spice, but it is a new approach to RTS, which takes the risk of prioritizing strategic thinking over reflexes, which may alienate fans of the genre, but, on the other hand, can bring legion fans of Dune's books and movies.

Its breadth of gameplay makes for a complex title, a bit too dense for those who prefer something more action-oriented, but it creates a very unique game in its approach to politics and politics itself. Just like in the book, the player must be patient, because there is indeed something very precious to be harvested in this game.

See also other features

If you want to stay in the Arrakis mood, check out our review of Dune by Denis Villenueve and then watch on HBO Max.