After the success of Denis Villeneuve's film, the Dune license is also back in video games with Funcom, which commissioned the Shiro Games studio for a strategy game that we were able to discover in preview.
Developed by Shiro Games, behind Evoland, Northguard or more recently WarTales, Dune: Spice Wars offers us to control up to four factions. Two to start early access, which starts in the spring, and two more before launch.
A desert, but not only
Each game starts with a base surrounded by a mist of sand in the middle of the desert. The goal is obviously to explore the surroundings to discover the map and thus determine where your enemies are, but also the resources that you can use.
Villages are also controllable, and allow you to unlock different features, including the creation of soldiers. Note that you can choose to seal an agreement with the leaders of the villages, but not all available races can do so, and this action takes much longer to undertake than the military solution.
On the resource side, we have a currency that comes from exchanges with other players or the AI, or simply from the sale of spices. You have a number of soldiers at your disposal, while keeping an eye on the overall stability of your possessions. For example, if you don't have enough water, your villages will start to rebel. On the spice side, when you find it, you have the option of keeping it, in particular to take into account the imperial tax that will be required of you each month, or you can resell it at a rate that changes regularly.
A real strategy and 4X game
Visually, Dune: Spice Wars seems to have understood what the universe imagined by Frank Herbert is, but above all, those who knew the franchise thanks to Denis Villeneuve's film will not be really out of place: after all, Dune remains Dune ( the developers explain that they were more inspired by the books). And even if the desert may seem empty at first sight, it must be admitted that it has its little effect. Especially since we find everything that makes the flavor of the license, and the developers of Shiro Games have not skimped on the details at the level of units or buildings.
Like any good strategy game with a 4X tendency, it is also possible to launch different developments, whose branches are based on categories such as Survival (to survive in the desert), Intelligence (to strengthen your military knowledge), or even the Dialect (to promote dialogue and better understand your opponents).
Survival, you will need it, because the terrain will not be easy. In the deep desert, your military units will have a much harder time staying alive. These areas are indeed populated by more formidable enemies, including sandworms, but not only. Dune being a universe where politics takes a preponderant place, the game of Shiro Games is no exception.
Politics at the heart of Dune: Spice Wars
This is why you must take into account the imperial spice tax, but also the resolutions that must be put in place, and which come from a Council. You can influence what is offered with points, as well as negotiate with the leaders of the different houses. This diplomacy is important and it requires making choices during your game.
In Dune: Spice Wars, for example, you may be the victim of a coup attempt. It is for this reason that you also have agents, whose missions vary and can have a significant impact on your game. In the event of a hard blow, you can outright eliminate one of your opponents. A solution presented by the developers as a last resort that should be used sparingly.
If you still needed proof that Shiro Games does not take lightly the license it holds thanks to Funcom, here is one. Dune : Spice Wars promises to be particularly promising with many possibilities for development and strategies, while being as close as possible to the universe on which it is based. If we have to settle for early access for the moment, the fact remains that the Spanish studio already offers something solid.
