We already knew that Norwegian recreation developer Funcom is engaged on an open-world survival MMO recreation set in the Dune universe. And at this time, the developer has supplied a brand new have a look at Dune: Awakening, together with a glimpse into Arrakis together with some gameplay footage.
As half of Dune Direct, a virtually 25-minute digital showcase to supply new particulars on Dune: Awakening, Funcom concluded the presentation with a brand new gameplay trailer subtitled “Survive Arrakis.” The trailer, which you’ll be able to try under, is visually gorgeous.
Powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine 5, the most recent trailer for Dune: Awakening exhibits the intense circumstances on planet Arrakis, from the tough local weather to gigantic sandworms rising from the sand and evading hostile enemies. The gameplay trailer additionally leans into the survival facets of Awakening, displaying snippets of your playable character gathering supplies and discovering numerous methods of traversing the large open world.
Along with the trailer, IGN can solely reveal two new screenshots. The primary exhibits some of the sport’s particle results in motion.
The second exhibits off its lighting and different facets of Dune: Awakening’s character design.
Funcom additionally launched a number of different screenshots displaying off Dune: Awakening’s world in addition to a featurette titled Creating Worlds, which chronicles its journey from “ebook to film to recreation.” It contains interviews with its improvement workforce interspersed with the film that reveals how Funcom introduced the forbidding world of Arrakis to life.
The remaining of the Dune Direct particulars Dune: Awakening’s survival mechanics and different parts, with inventive director Joel Bylos explaining the way it takes the base-building from Conan Exiles and builds on it, with a particular emphasis on sharing blueprints between completely different gamers. He additionally discusses the methods in which gamers will be capable to study skills from the “nice faculties of the universe,” together with turning into a Bene Gesserit and with the ability to “compel enemies to return nearer so you’ll be able to stab them with a knife.”
As for sandworms, Bylos says they’re extra of a “pressure mechanic.” There is no strategy to kill them; they’ll solely be prevented. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to lure them into your enemies (or pals), or just keep away from them with an ornithopter.
Bylos says that Funcom has been working betas for Dune: Awakening for a number of months now, with the intention of bringing in extra gamers over time. Nevertheless, he says that Funcom has no intention of “dashing it out the door,” saying that it “takes so long as it takes.” Gamers hoping to join one of the closed betas can accomplish that on the game’s official website.
Surviving Arrakis
Dune: Awakening was first introduced in 2022 at The Sport Awards. Set on the sandworm-filled planet Arrakis, Dune: Awakening “is about on Arrakis and takes inspiration from each Frank Herbert’s novels and Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning movie whereas exploring thrilling new potentialities in the franchise.”
Whereas no launch date was introduced for Dune: Awakening, we beforehand discovered that will probably be out there on PC, PS5, and Xbox Sequence X/S.
The announcement comes following the discharge of Dune: Half 2, which hit theatres final Friday. In our evaluation of Dune: Half 2, my colleague Tom Jorgenson wrote: “That includes completely staggering visuals, Dune: Half Two is an arresting, transportive center entry in Denis Villeneuve’s tough sci-fi saga.”
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You may comply with her on Twitter @TayNixster.