Denis Villeneuve's latest cinematic masterpiece, Dune, hit theatres a few months ago, and thankfully, this one actually made some money. It was only a matter of time, then, before Dune games started cropping up, and at the Game Awards 2021, fans got their first look at a brand new 4X strategy game titled Dune: Spice Wars.

The 4X (standing for Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) strategy genre is a perfect fit for a modern Dune game, with the genre's focus on empire building seamlessly meshing with the narrative and world of the grand sci-fi series. And while Dune is no stranger to the strategy game genre, being one of its first pioneers, there are a few lessons it could learn from contemporary 4X strategy games.

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Harkonnen Back To Its Roots

Dune II

Releasing in 1992, Dune II: Building a Dynasty/Battle For Arrakis is widely considered to be the grandfather of all real-time strategy games. While there were RTS games before it, Dune II introduced multiple mechanics that are now considered core to the RTS experience such as resource management, base-building, technology trees, and multiple factions. It's fair to say that without Dune II, some of the most beloved RTS franchises wouldn't exist, or at least not in same way.

As such, Dune: Spice Wars has a lot to live up to, but it doesn't look as though it's going to retread the same ground. This new Dune game is said to have "4X elements," setting it slightly apart from its 1992 predecessor. While the original game focused on military domination, Spice Wars will allow players to win via multiple other methods such as an economical, technological, or political victory. So while the groundwork is certainly there for the franchise, it wouldn't hurt to look to its current day competitors for some tips.

A True Civilization Revolution

Civilization 6 Settling Next To Two Tactical Resources

The Civilization series of games is one of the most successful modern day 4X titles, with even tens of thousands still playing the 2010 entry, Civilization V, every day on Steam. The series' success largely stems from its perfect balance between immediate accessibility, and deeper complexities, meaning that new players are eased in to the experience and experienced players are kept engaged with evolving gameplay mechanics. Dune: Spice Wars could take a few things from Civ, and if its Game Awards trailer is anything to go by, it looks as though it is.

In the Game Awards reveal trailer, Spice Wars appears to be using a tile-based map system, similar to the iconic hexagonal tiles used in the Civ series. Hopefully Spice Wars will take inspiration from Civ's sprawling and ever-changing maps, but bring a unique Dune flair to the map's visuals and events. For instance, rather than coming across Barbarian camps, the player could stumble into Fremen ambushes or Dune's iconic sandworms.

Similarly, Spice Wars should look to Civilization's vast array of branching technology trees and unique factions to keep its game replayable. One of the core reasons why players keep returning to a decade-old Civ game is that there's so much to explore and experiment with within the game. Every faction has their own unique quirks, advantages, and disadvantages, and experimenting with these helps to keep players coming back time and time again. Spice Wars is perfectly primed to capitalize on this, being based on a series known for its world-building and depth. It's clear, even from just watching the latest Dune movie, that the factions in Spice Wars have a lot of technological possibilities, from House Atreides and its Ornithropters, to the Harkonnen's Suspensor technology.

With Dune: Spice Wars releasing in early access, there's plenty of time for it to grow and adapt, using its current competitors as inspiration. When the game releases fully, hopefully it will manage to put its own unique spin on the 4X strategy genre, just as Dune II did all those years ago.

Dune: Spice Wars releases in early access in 2022 on PC.

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