Today Funcom hosted an extensive livestream showing new footage and showcasing new gameplay details of its upcoming survival game Dune: Awakening.
We hear from game director Joel Bylos (whom you may know for directing Conan Exiles) about many of the main concepts that may help the game stand out in the increasingly crowded survival crafting genre.
Of course, this is especially relevant nowadays as the second Dune film has just been released in theaters and many may be very eager to relive its world in a game.
First of all, we get a new gameplay trailer, providing a good overall look at what we can expect from the game.
It features survival gameplay, powers, vehicles (including the popular Ornithopters), and the inevitable Sand Worms.
We also get a more extensive video in which Bylos and cinematographer Greig Fraser talk about the process of translating the world of Dune from the movies to the game.
You can watch it below.
During the livestream, which you can watch in its entirety below, Bylos provides quite a lot of interesting information about the game.
One of the most intriguing aspects is that you start by having to survive scrounging for water (which you can also extract from the blood of fallen enemies, or friends I imagine) and then you expand your horizon until you reach a point in which “political survival” becomes relevant.
We also hear extensively about crafting, which will let you create everything from basic tools to vehicles (including the aforementioned Ornithopters), building, and combat.
Speaking of combat, Funcom is taking a “combined arms” approach mixing weapons, abilities, and vehicles, both ground-based and flying.
We also hear about progression. Players will initially choose a mentor who will determine their initial skills. You will then have to find other mentors in the world and perform tasks for them to convince them to share their wisdom and unlock the skill trees they teach.
There is even an area entirely dedicated to PvP named “shifting sands” that is hit periodically by the Coriolis Storm and the whole environment is changed completely.
Dune: Awakening is coming for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It doesn’t yet have a release date. If you’d like to see more, you can enjoy another trailer.
