Dune Spice Wars is a real-time strategy game set in the famous literary universe created by Frank Herbert. It’s a real little gem that skilfully dusts off a genre that has fallen into disuse and is a favorite for the Phonandroid editorial team. Our test.
A true pillar of science fiction, the Dune saga makes its return to the world of video games with Dune Spice Wars. Developed by the Bordeaux studio Shiro Games (Wartales, Northgard), it seeks to give a facelift to the RTS genre, while paying homage to the cult Dune 2 (1992).
For this, the French studio chose to mix genres. Her baby is an RTS with a big pinch of 4X, all wrapped in a fascinating universe. We played it at length and here are our impressions. No doubt, we have a title here that will delight fans of the genre as well as novices.
A dive in the sands of Arrakis
The first thing to know about Dune Spice Wars, is that it has no link with Denis Villeneuve’s film. We have a direct adaptation of Herbert’s writings with original artistic direction. Rest assured, there is no need to know the books to understand everything, Spice Wars only provides context so you can create your own story. As a reminder, Dune takes place in a very distant future where a feudal Empire rules the galaxy. Arrakis, or Dune, cradle of spice, is the nerve center of a fragile balance and many families are fighting for its control.
Three game modes are available to us, Battle against several AI, Duel or even a Conquest mode. The latter is clearly the most interesting since he proposes to establish his domination through several successive parts with varied objectives. Five factions are available (Atreides, Harkonnen, Corrino, Fremen, Smugglers), all offering units and a clean, but balanced style. We like to juggle from one to the other in each new game as their differences change the way we play.
When you launch the game, we are immediately charmed by the almost dreamlike atmosphere of Arrakis. Shiro Games has opted for an artistic direction that leans towards cartoons, with large areas of color and an accentuation of contrasts in the landscapes. If the sand planet is the only one that can be explored, it is in no way boring as it is full of reliefs, secrets or infinite deserts which are a feast for the eyes. A hostile, deadly environment that translates into play. Every resource, water or spice, must be spent sparingly.
A gaming system that skillfully mixes RTS and 4X
Dune Spice Wars presents itself as a clever mix of genres, halfway between RTS and 4X, style that Shiro Games had already explored with Northgard. At the head of your house, you start the game with a unique city, in the center of a map hidden by a fog of war. The progression takes place like a classic 4X: you must explore the planet, subdue the surrounding cities, exploit the resources, manage your cities by constructing suitable buildings, fill a technology tree and practice diplomacy thanks to a voting and exchange system. We are on familiar ground. Victory does not only depend on your military power, as in any good 4X, it can also be economic, political… but also strategic by having all your opponents assassinated by spies.
Added to this is an RTS dimension: create units and use them, whether soldiers for brawling, reapers for harvesting or ornithopters for exploration. No turn by turn, everything is done in real time like in Warcraft or Age of Empires.
For this mixture to work, Shiro Games has chosen to focus on small-scale gameplay. The maps (randomly generated) are not huge, the resources are scarce and the units are limited. It is unthinkable to build an army of 50 sardaukars in order to settle scores with the adversary; you have to be cunning.
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In fact, the gameplay relies on strategy, but also at a sustained pace. The player must always have an eye on everything, know where his units are and what they are doing, and protect his villages from enemy attacks. Harvesting units need to be constantly scrutinized: a spice harvester will inevitably be at the mercy of a sandworm after a certain time, and nothing will prevent it from being swallowed up if it is not taken into account. don’t evacuate. Even the movements of soldiers must be carefully thought out. Water is a rare commodity on Arrakis and you should always have a small reserve before embarking on a raid or an exploration mission towards a stellar wreck. We really feel the hostility of Arrakis and we never get bored.
There’s always something to do in Dune Spice Wars. No downtime like you can have in Civilization, which is played turn-based. Thirty seconds never go by without an emergency to deal with and we quickly get caught up in the game. Obviously, the games don’t drag on forever, since each session is completed in six hours max, which is little if we compare to other 4Xs on the market. Spice Wars favors quality over quantity, and that’s a good thing.
Don’t panic if you don’t know anything about the genre. Dune Spice Wars begins with a tutorial that is as clear as it is concise. With the advice of Shadout Mapes, you quickly learn the basics. Not enough to grasp all the subtleties of the gameplay, but that’s also part of the charm of discovering them on the job.
So, should we buy?
Dune Spice Wars is an excellent game that will appeal to 4X fans and laymen alike. Shiro Games is coming to skillfully mix genres for an exhilarating result. We quickly get caught up in the game, absorbed both by the hellish management of our house and by the almost surreal atmosphere of Arrakis. Of course, we could criticize Spice Wars for its limited game modes (only 3), its frozen camera or even its lack of depth compared to other stars of the genre which leads to always playing the same way, but This is little compared to the overall quality of the title. Best of all, it has a quality multiplayer mode to compete against your friends.
So, should you give in? If you’re a fan of the universe, you have to give it a chance. If you like strategy games, you should definitely go for it. If you are impervious to this type of gameplay, you will remain so. A real breath of fresh air, Spice Wars shows that it is still possible to innovate in the highly codified RTS genre. A genre whose foundations were laid by a certain Dune 2 in 1992. The circle has come full circle.
