Dune: Spice Wars

Previews

- Mike Crewe

Publisher: Funcom

Developer: Shiro Games

Genre: Strategy

Release Date: Out Now (Steam Early Access)

Platform: PC

Developer Shiro Games knows a thing or two about creating strategy games, with fantastic titles such as Northgard already under its belt. With its latest title, Dune: Spice Wars, having just been released into Early Access, what can we expect when one of science fiction's greatest franchises meets 4X strategy? I've had the opportunity to play the game before its public release, so here's a brief overview of my roughly 10 hours spent with Dune: Spice Wars.

Upon starting a new game, you have the option of picking from four different factions: Atreides, Harkonnen, Fremen, and Smugglers. Each one provides different bonuses and passive abilities that will be put to good use depending on the path you want to take through a campaign. With this being a 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) title, players are able to choose how they want to develop their chosen faction; do you spy on others and sabotage them from within? Perhaps you prefer a more diplomatic approach and set up regular trades with opposing leaders? Or maybe, if you're anything like me, you want to amass a grand army of soldiers to crush anyone that dares stand in your way? Thankfully, you're never limited to just one option in Dune: Spice Wars, and throughout each of my campaigns I never stuck to a particular method of play, and it became an enjoyable balance of keeping some factions on my side, whilst sabotaging others before storming their territories to claim their precious spice fields.