MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz is currently having an incredible amount of fun with Dune: Awakening. Responsible for the good mood are frustration, pain, and fear of loss. Sounds strange, but it makes sense. Let our MMO enthusiast explain!
The freshly released Funcom MMO Dune: Awakening lives up to the name survival adventure especially in the first hours of gameplay. As soon as you set foot on Arrakis, you fight against the scorching sun and constant thirst.
Then there are the many slavers, bandits, and deserters who will attack your hero on sight, as well as the Sardaukar patrols that can fall on you from behind at night. But don’t forget the enormous sandworms that hunt you and your vehicles as soon as you set a foot or tire on the open desert.
In addition, there are deadly sandstorms, radioactively contaminated areas, poison gnawing at your health points, as well as fire and the constant uncertainty in the game’s PvP zones whether the character approaching you has peaceful or aggressive intentions.
Moreover, over the past years, he has regularly started a non-MMO from Funcom, of course, we’re talking about Conan Exiles, which resembles Dune: Awakening in certain areas, but not at all in others.
Anyone playing on a private server can customize their gameplay experience in Dune Awakening:
It must hurt, …
This mix can be quite frustrating at times. Especially when you underestimate the sandworm and suddenly all your belongings are gone. Or when you are caught off guard by enemies far from the next respawn point.
Maybe you just misjudged the situation and suddenly have more or stronger opponents on your tail than you’d like. Or you run out of ammunition at the worst moment or thirst takes away all your zest for life, which leads to a shrinking health bar. Especially at the beginning, premature death lurks around every corner.
In such moments, not only does frustration set in, but it’s also quite laborious to work your way out of this hole at first. The routes you need to take are sometimes very long, you need new equipment (and perhaps further resources for that), while having to maintain your water supply at a sufficient level, and so on.
Especially players who have previously avoided the survival genre but want to check out Dune: Awakening due to the exciting license might be surprised by the high frustration potential. Many modern games, trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, often avoid such hurdles whenever possible.
… so it feels rewarding
The thing is, at least from my perspective: These hurdles and stumbling blocks are absolutely necessary for progress to feel rewarding and motivating – and this is exactly where Dune: Awakening does a great job.
This starts with obtaining new tools and machines that noticeably ease and streamline the provision of water. When you build your first sandbike, you likely never want to trudge through Arrakis on foot again. The first buggy or ornithopter also feels like a significant upgrade.
The same goes for progressively improving your weapons and armor. Depending on the item built, the jumps are enormous in terms of your strength. Enemy groups that previously made you worry for your virtual life suddenly become one-shot victims.
At the same time, the awareness remains that you should never move too carelessly through unknown regions, as the dangers become increasingly deadly and every character death still feels punishing. This keeps the tension high.
At least I find it immensely fun and motivating to gradually unlock Arrakis in this way and to gain more and more opportunities to master the many challenges of this dangerous game world.
And part of it is also that the construction of certain upgrades is quite elaborate. Because even this invested effort ultimately increases the appreciation for the achievement as well as the feeling of loss when the hard-earned equipment suddenly is gone.
Do you remember your first mount in Vanilla WoW?
A comparison that occasionally came to mind is from 2005. I still remember how tedious I found the leveling phase in World of Warcraft at first. Man, how much I complained about the long travel routes and the design of certain quests that sent you through multiple regions or even to another continent.
I also know what an uplifting moment it was when I finally had the gold for the riding skill and my first mount together. What an improvement in quality of life it was not to have to trudge through Azeroth on foot anymore.
All modern MMORPGs that simply hand you a mount might feel more comfortable, but they also miss out on that feeling of achievement and progress that Vanilla WoW conveyed back then. And it’s exactly this feeling that I find in Dune: Awakening over and over again. Just for that, logging in is worth it.
Have you already played Dune: Awakening? Do you share my assessment or do you see it quite differently? And how do you like the new Funcom adventure? Let us know in the comments. You can find all important information about the game in our comprehensive overview: Dune: Awakening – Everything about the release on PS5, Xbox, and PC
