When director Denis Villeneuve brought Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel to the big screen, he did something many believed to be impossible. Dune has long been considered one of the most unfilmable books ever written. Herbert’s story is a sci-fi odyssey; a dense and complex combination of political thriller, war film, and exploration of power that, as David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation demonstrated, does not easily translate to the medium of film.
But Villeneuve proved otherwise. Not only did the two-part Dune series successfully convey the story beats, tone, and themes of the novel, but it also depicted the titular Dune just as Herbert described. Arakkis is a planet defined by contradictions. It is as beautiful and alluring as it is dangerous and unwelcoming. It’s a world where you’re able to at once be at the whims of the harsh elements while simultaneously controlling the fate of the entire universe. Villeneuve turned a desolate desert into the setting for one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time.
Funcom’s survival gameDune: Awakeningfollows Villeneuve’s lead and succeeds in capturing the spirit of Dune in a lot of the same ways. Though set in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born, Funcom worked closely with Legendary Pictures to ensure that their world aligned with Villeneuve’s vision, and it shows. Awakening offers a profoundly immersive experience, particularly in its opening hours, that transports you into the world of Dune in a way no other licensed game has managed before.
Beginnings Are Such Delicate Times
I haven’t had a drop of water in two days. So far, I’ve been surviving exclusively on the morning dew of primrose flowers, but I overexerted myself collecting scrap metal around an ornithopter crash site, and if I don’t find something to drink soon, I’ll surely die.
From the top of a nearby spire, I use my binoculars to survey the area. In the distance I catch the faintest glimpse of a flickering flame of a scavenger camp some 400 meters away. A camp means resources. Scavengers have water.
I use up the last few drops of moisture collected in my stillsuit and climb down the spire. It’s not much, but it will be enough to get me to the camp. I start the quarter-mile trek across the desert, clinging closely to the shadow to ensure I don’t overheat. I’m only 100 meters away when I finally spot the scavengers patrolling their camp. There are only two of them, so sneaking up behind them and stabbing them in the back is the easiest thing in the world.
Moments later, my blood sack is filled with warm, fresh blood. I need to bring it back to my purifier to turn it into water, but I’m too dehydrated to make it back. I take a nice long sip. It makes me sick, but it keeps me alive - for now.
Life Isn’t A Problem To Solve, But A Reality To Experience
Like a lot of sci-fi, the world of Dune is built on iconography. Stillsuits, Holtzman shields, ornithopters, and sandworms are essential parts of Dune, but they don’t define what Dune is. Dune: Awakening has all of those things, but what makes it such a compelling experience isn’t the spice trances and lasguns, it’s the way it captures life on Arakkis. Awakening’s survival gameplay provides the perfect framework to experience the world of Dune authentically, just as it was described by Herbert and depicted by Villeneuve.
Awakening offers a level of immersion that other games can’t achieve, including ones considered to be highly immersive. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a stunning game that is the closest you can get to visiting Pandora, but it doesn’t make you feel like you’re experiencing the world as a Na’vi, nor the spiritual connection to Eywa that’s at the core of their culture and identity.
Star Wars Squadrons is a fantastic space shooter and one of the most authentic Star Wars games out there, but it’s just a small slice of the Star Wars universe. As much as Spider-Man 2 makes you feel like Spider-Man when you’re web-swinging through New York City, that fantasy ends where every triple-A designated repeatable side mission begins. These games have immersive elements, they have immersive moments, but Dune: Awakening is the only one that truly transports you to another world.
Like most survival games, Awakening is an extended power fantasy. You start with nothing but the rags on your back and a will to survive, and you develop your skills and resources until you’re waging war against rival factions with coordinated atomic strikes in the deep desert. It seems like Awakening’s end-game and PvP experience is significantly more game-y than its opening hours, and, unsurprisingly, causes a lot of players to drop off.
But those first few hours, when you’re just trying to survive to see the next sunrise. When traveling by foot always takes longer than expected because you dare not step too far out into open sand and attract a hungry sandworm. When a hard day of mining copper to upgrade your base is rewarded with the most awe-inspiring aurora under Arakkis’ twin moons. This is when Awakening brings Dune to life.
