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- With the taste of Arrakis: Russians filled out the game based on the legendary "Dune"
With the taste of Arrakis: Russians filled out the game based on the legendary "Dune"
A large Russian-speaking guild appeared in the video game Dune: Awakening even before its full release, scheduled for June 10. Early premium access to the game started on June 5, on the same day the guild Darkness Community was registered, which now has almost 300 members. The game is available to users from Russia and is freely available on Steam. What is interesting about the new chapter of the saga of the Dune universe and why Russian virtual "tourists" fell in love with it — in the Izvestia article.
What are gamblers fighting for?
A new multiplayer game based on the universe created by science fiction writer Frank Herbert, appeared in early access on June 5. For the purchase of such access, gamers had to pay an amount from 4,090 rubles for the deluxe version, up to 5,190 rubles for the ultimate version. The full-fledged release of the game is scheduled for June 10, on which day buyers of the basic edition will receive access to it for 2,990 rubles. There are no restrictions for Russian users, although some have been temporarily blocked.
A shot from the game "Dune: Awakening"
In Dune: Awakening, there are custom guilds, which are analogous to clans from other competitive games. The largest Russian-speaking guild has become the Darkness Community, it has more than 280 active members and has been operating since the very first day of access to the game. The faction has its own clear hierarchy with the top leaders and administrators, coordination takes place through Discord and other messengers. Moreover, this community did not arise in connection with the "Dune", but much earlier. The guild was created back in 2008 for a competitive game under the Russian flag in the multiplayer game R2 Online, then switched to other popular mass (MMO) projects: New World, Black Desert Online, ArcheAge and many others.
The Darkness Community has chosen the House of Harkonnen as its faction — this participant in the conflict on the sandy planet Arrakis has its own Eastern European roots, as it has been believed since the novel was published 60 years ago. In addition, the House of Atreides, Bene Gesserit, and Fremen, also known as Fremen, are available to choose from in the game.
A shot from the game "Dune: Awakening"
The main rivals of the faction are other Russians from the Nova Pax (20 participants) and Other Guys (more than 15 participants) guilds, who also chose Russian as their main language of communication. Russian russians are competing for members, and the Darkness Community plans to create the most powerful Russian faction in Dune, which would command the respect of competitors regardless of their attitude to Russian culture and language.
What is remarkable about Dune: Awakening
Unexpectedly, this multiplayer game has already become a leader on the Steam platform at the early access stage. It can be purchased from Russia, and there are a lot of domestic users on the servers — the game has no official restrictions on the regions of purchase, however, some users from the LPR, DPR and Crimea complained about the blocking of their accounts without a valid argument. The accounts were subsequently unblocked, but users from the Russian Federation nevertheless suspected the Norwegian company Funcom of political motives, which caused some users to be blocked. At the time of submitting the text, the company had not responded to Izvestia's request.
The peak number of players for owners of premium editions was almost 106 thousand simultaneous players on Steam. Considering the genre and the cost of the game, this is a high indicator. Analysts believe that Dune: Awakening will become one of the most popular PC games in 2025 if developers can provide the game with regular content support and fix bugs and technical problems that users encountered in the early days.
A shot from the game "Dune: Awakening"
In terms of genre, Dune: Awakening goes beyond the standard multiplayer game. The authors from Funcom have relied on immersion in the Dune universe, where the mechanics of survival are subordinated to the local world order. From an interview with the main developer, it became known that the entire team prioritizes organically fitting the project into the world of Frank Herbert, rather than fitting it to the templates of survival games.
The plot base departs from the classics: Paul Atreides is never born here. Instead, Lady Jessica, following Bene Gesserit orders, gives birth to a daughter with the gift of truth-telling, preventing Dr. Yue's betrayal and saving Duke Leto's life and home. The Houses of Atreides and Harkonnen are plunging into a protracted war on Arrakis. The player assumes the role of a hand-crafted character whose traits (home planet, caste) influence the dialogues, and the choice of mentor (Mentat, Bene Gesserit, Swordsman or Infantryman) determines the initial development. The main goal is to get to Arrakis, find the Fremen, and "awaken the sleeper."
The gameplay really stands out with unique mechanics. After the ship falls on the sands of the Hagg Basin, the player is faced with an open world where encounters with other players are rare at the initial stage. Instead of the standard survival type of mining materials for base construction, the project pushes for exploration: plundering dungeons, fighting and searching for resources.
A shot from the game "Dune: Awakening"
The key resource is water — its reserves are critical. The sources are diverse: the blood of enemies (convertible at the base), dew from plants, moisture in the stilsuit-water pockets, as well as Fremen moisture traps available after leveling technology. The developers tried to create tangible difficulties without going overboard: for example, the lack of water is noticeable, but it does not stop the process.
The graphics on Unreal Engine 5 look amazing: the dunes are moving, the sand flows like water, the day is hot until the air trembles, sunsets turn the desert purple, and at night two moons illuminate a fantastic landscape. However, you will have to pay for the beauty with the configuration of a PC with a modern graphics card and other accessories.
Even during the beta testing phase, Dune: Awakening shows its identity, loyalty to Herbert's world, and emphasis on creating a unique user experience in a world that many zoomers first came to love thanks to the films of Dani Villeneuve. Funcom turned out no worse than the famous visionary. The atmosphere is addictive, and the game mechanics surprise with their freshness and unlike what people are used to seeing in other projects of the genre with the unpronounceable name MMORPG.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
