I like Dune. I also think it works better as a RTS game. I never thought it could work as a card battler video game. It is a board game; from what I’ve seen, it looks fun.
I think this would be more fun to play as a board game. Having a group of friends to joke with would’ve made this a lot better. As the video game stands now, I think it is too busy for me.
I wasn’t able to get into this game. It is early access so that I might revisit it in the future. With the way the game currently is, I think it lacks some of the features I would expect from a game like this.
I feel the same about Dune: Imperium as I felt about Dune: Spice Wars. It has the potential to be a good game, but it is unfinished. If it had a story mode, I would have more of a reason to keep playing.
TLDR: An Overly Complicated Card Battler. Better as a Board Game
Narrative
There is no story in the game. It is a little disappointing, especially since the story of the books is right there. Something could’ve been done to make one for the game.
This is a similar complaint to the other Dune game I’ve played. They didn’t make up a story for the game. At least Dune 2 created something for the player.
As it stands now, it is lacking a lot on the narrative side of things. It would be nice if there were a story in here. Maybe something will be added in at some point.
Gameplay
I wouldn’t say I like the gameplay. It seems simple at first, but there is a lot you need to remember. The game tries to help you with this, but I found the user interface overly cluttered and complex.
It looks like the board game, but that might not have been the best idea for this. For a simple game, it is very confusing to new players. There is also something odd with the tutorial.
While I’m glad there is one because I would’ve had no idea what was going on without it, it doesn’t help as much as you might think. It seems to set up a story, but that doesn’t happen. It also doesn’t tell you how to win a game. I feel like that should’ve been in the tutorial. I might have missed it, but the first time I remember it being mentioned was when I started a new game.
To win the game, you need to collect 10 victory points. The game doesn’t automatically end when this happens. Instead, it plays out the rest of the turn. I found this out when I lost a game by a score of 11 to 10.
Even after the Tutorial, I was still confused about what some things did. It is tough to keep track of everything in the game. It makes this game overly complex for a video game.
So, you need to get victory points to win. It sounds simple, but there is so much more that goes into it. Here is a list of all the things you need to keep track of:
- Spice
- Troops Deployed
- Combat Scores
- Agents and Mentats
- Water
- Intrigue
- Influence (Used to acquire more cards)
- Influence with the four different factions
- Solari (Money in the game)
The game can be played with up to four players online or one player and three AI offline. I should also expand on the four factions in the game. These represent neutral groups that give you bonuses. If you gain enough influence, you can also get victory points from them.
I should probably bring up the cards. There are a lot of them, and they each do different things during the turns. I should also mention that there are three turns in the game (unless I’m missing something, which is entirely possible):
- Agent
- Combat
- Reveal
During the Agent phase, you play one card. This can be used to gather resources, sell spice, gain influence with one of the four neutral factions, draw more cards, and deploy troops. Some cards can only be used on color-coded spaces. The game does an excellent job of letting you know what you can and cannot do.
That is the one thing I can say about the game. It keeps trying to teach you how to play. You’re given reminders on what moves are legal. I’m unsure if it does this in Online play, as I skipped that part.
Overall, I don’t think the board game translates to a good video game; at least, it didn’t for me. Playing a card or board game online doesn’t feel the same as sitting around a table with a group of people. I think this could be a good board game, but its gameplay isn’t something I enjoy.
Visuals
The developers tried to make this game look good. Unfortunately, so much stuff was on the screen that it took me a while to tell what was happening. I spent a lot of time staring at the screen as I tried to figure out what was happening.
The player is given visual clues about where to click, what cards to play, and what to do on a given turn. That gets lost sometimes, as you’ll mess up a few times before you understand what to do.
This is where the Tutorial does a good job. The game slowly introduces features in the Tutorial. If they didn’t, the screen would get way too cluttered. As it is now, the playfield is visually confusing.
Playing the cards doesn’t feel satisfying. You don’t get a cutscene; you get a flash of light, and some numbers on the bottom of the screen change. The battles are equally anti-climactic. You see a leaderboard where the first, second, and third-place players are shown, and the rewards are dealt out. It is boring.
Overall, the visuals don’t help you as much as possible. I could get used to what is happening with more time, but I’m not sure I would want to play more of this in its current form. The game doesn’t do much to make the game visually appealing.
6.5/10, but with an asterisk. Because it is early access, the developers could add more to the game at some point. Take this rating with a grain of salt.
Pros
- They tried to teach you how to play
- Online play
Cons
- No story mode
- Confusing Visuals
- Boring gameplay
- Overly complex
Conclusion
I like Dune. I like the books, the setting, and the RTS games. I’m not a fan of the board game.
This didn’t translate to a fun video game. It tries like hell to teach you how to play, but there is so much you need to know that it gets overwhelming. I think this game should’ve stayed as a board game.
Over time, I think I could start to like the game. If more content is added, it could be worth revisiting. However, I don’t think I’ll ever want to return to this one. The developers tried very hard to translate a board game into a video game, and it didn’t work for me.