It’d be useful for players to remember that fear is the mind-killer, as Funcom’s Dune: Awakening promises plenty of threats lurking in Arrakis. In a new announcement trailer for the upcoming massive multiplayer online (MMO) title, the Norwegian studio showcased more glimpses of its take on the beloved sci-fi world, alongside a 20 May release date.
“Few survive this world, but those who do awaken”, begins the video, before flashing to a quick-cut montage that includes a familiar hand-in-a-box scene. Survival mechanics are put into focus, as varying dangers — from deadly weather conditions and hostile enemies to the ever-iconic massive sandworms — are teased, with previously revealed elements like melee combat, shooting, and co-op play also getting their fair share of the spotlight.
“Rise from survival to greatness and challenge the power of an Imperium in Dune: Awakening, a multiplayer survival game on a massive scale. Survive the sandworm, craft your ornithopter, build a fortress, and ascend to power on an open-world Arrakis shared with hundreds of other players,” reads the game’s synopsis on Steam.
Funcom’s official description offers further details on customisation and player freedom, which stems from a desire for individuals to “be able to have an impact on the story,” as shared by producer Nils Ryborg in a previous interview:
“Prepare for your epic rise to greatness on Arrakis by taking the Gom Jabbar test and creating your character. Fine-tune every aspect of your looks, then choose your home planet, caste, and mentor, be it Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit, Mentat or Trooper. The final choice determines your starting abilities, but you will gain access to every School eventually, and can even mix and match abilities from any of them.”
Pre-orders are due to begin soon, and those who do so can expect to receive the Terrarium of Muad’dib, an in-house decoration that houses the desert mouse. As announced in the trailer, the game’s Character Creator & Benchmark Mode is now available, allowing desert dwellers to import their saved character at launch, and check their hardware performance and system compatibility. Downloading the tool also unlocks a code for the Frameblade Knife skin that can be redeemed at launch.
Inspired by Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi novels and Legendary Entertainment’s award-winning films helmed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Awakening marks the first MMO set in the universe and seems to be off to a strong start with a massive scope and style rivalling its Hollywood counterpart.
The spice will flow on 20 May.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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