Review Vakil 2/5 · Jun 30, 2024
Games fine but....
when every otherwise unaligned faction decides that they will simultaneously attack the human controlled faction at the same time despite no history of conflict, that's enough Grand Strategy for me.
Dune: Spice Wars (2023)
PC (Microsoft Windows) · Xbox Series X|S
3.18 from 38 ratings
255 members have it in their collection · 4 playing now · 96 backlogged · 46 wish listed
How long? Main story 8h (from 1 logged playthrough)
Details
- Developers
- Shiro Games
- Publishers
- Funcom, Shiro Games
- Genres
- Real Time Strategy (RTS), Strategy, Tactical
- Themes
- 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate), Science fiction
- Franchises
- Frank Herbert's Dune
- Events
- Into the Infinite: A Level Infinite Showcase, PC Gaming Show 2022, The Game Awards 2021
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release dates
- Apr 26, 2022 (Early Access) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Sep 14, 2023 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Nov 28, 2023 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Xbox Series X|S
Related
DLC
- Dune: Spice Wars - House Vernius of Ix (Mar 2024) · PC
Rating distribution
5 stars
3
4 stars
9
3 stars
19
2 stars
6
1 star
1
Community All Reviews Statuses
Review kkpiter 2/5 · Oct 26, 2023
This was quite a dissapointment after it left EA. In early access I quite enjoyed it for a bit, even got 100% achievements for it (although there were not many back then). But the game got developed into this weird hybrid, they added some systems, and developed some more, but with no campgain, the game just falls flat to competition. …
This was quite a dissapointment after it left EA. In early access I quite enjoyed it for a bit, even got 100% achievements for it (although there were not many back then). But the game got developed into this weird hybrid, they added some systems, and developed some more, but with no campgain, the game just falls flat to competition.
The rts 4x mix is a good idea, but it's also extremly difficult, and to be done well it requires great scale in my opinion.
RTS elements here are rather minimal, there is just no turns so everything is rather slow for an RTS, but it could be easily a turn based strategy game. You can pause or 2x speed but it is still super slow for an RTS. Micro in fights is non existent, either non required or stupidly easy against AI.
In terms of 4x it has some nice ideas (stock market for CHOAM and spice management) but all the systems and options of replayability that 4X games excel at, are not enough here. 3 modes of play and they are all the same tbh. the promised "campgain" conquest mode is a bit of a joke. I get that might not have wanted to make a story for the game, but the system is an underdeveloped Dawn of War conquest campgain from Dark Crusade. Age of Wonders Planetfall, Stellaris, Endless Space and many other 4x space games overshadow this one greatly with complexity and replay value. Here after 1 game with every faction, you have seen it all. One game will be around 2 hours or less even. RTS here is basically "no turns".
I think they should not have pushed for RTS label here, and just make it a full fledged, turn based 4x game, with more focus on grand strategy. I wonder how big of an influence on this game was the old Dune RTS game. Did they not went for full turn based, cause they wanted to bait in old players?
