Dune: Spice Wars

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 12,632 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Dune: Spice Wars Game Cover
Dune: Spice Wars is a clever, multilayered, challenging RTS that skillfully translates so much of what is cool about Frank Herbert's universe in its interesting mechanics.
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"Dune: Spice Wars" is a real-time strategy game set in the Dune universe. Players choose a faction, gather spice, build armies, and engage in political intrigue to gain control of the desert planet Arrakis. The game features 4X elements, including economic management, technology research, and diplomacy, with a focus on fast-paced, competitive gameplay. Online multiplayer and AI opponents add to the replayability and challenge.

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  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 12,632 reviews
gameplay792 positive mentions
story164 negative mentions
  • gameplay2,721 mentions

    The gameplay of "Dune: Spice Wars" is a blend of real-time strategy and 4X elements, offering a unique experience that emphasizes resource management, political maneuvering, and strategic depth. While many players appreciate the intricate mechanics and thematic integration of the Dune universe, some criticize the slow pacing, lack of clear tutorials, and repetitive gameplay loops that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows promise with its engaging mechanics and potential for future updates, but it currently requires patience to fully grasp its complexities.

    • “The strategic gameplay is a highlight, as you must balance your resources, navigate complex political landscapes, and engage in fierce battles to secure your dominance.”
    • “With its blend of strategic depth and immersive sci-fi elements, 'Dune: Spice Wars' offers a compelling and varied gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay is deep and takes time to learn.”
    • “The gameplay is dull and gray; it is always the same.”
    • “Boring gameplay where it's mostly waiting and other factions win randomly without any warning.”
    • “The gameplay loop quickly becomes repetitive, with little variation or innovation to keep players engaged.”
  • story1,256 mentions

    The game's story aspect has received significant criticism, with many players noting the absence of a traditional narrative or campaign mode. While the game incorporates elements from the Dune universe, it lacks a cohesive storyline, leaving players feeling disconnected and unengaged. The gameplay primarily revolves around skirmishes and conquest without the depth of character-driven plots or meaningful lore, leading to a repetitive experience that many fans of the franchise find disappointing.

    • “The story is enriched by the diverse factions vying for power, each with their own motivations and tactics.”
    • “Players' decisions impact the unfolding story, adding layers of depth and complexity to the gameplay.”
    • “For fans of the Dune series, 'Dune: Spice Wars' is a treasure trove of lore and storytelling.”
    • “For such a story-rich universe, there is no story.”
    • “There is no overarching story to keep you engaged in a campaign.”
    • “The campaign is basically a rip of the Industries of Titan campaign but with less story, if that is possible.”
  • graphics932 mentions

    The graphics of "Dune: Spice Wars" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style and atmospheric visuals that capture the essence of the Dune universe. However, some players criticize the cartoonish aesthetic and simplistic unit designs, feeling they detract from the overall immersion. While the game showcases impressive visuals and runs smoothly on decent hardware, performance issues and a lack of depth in graphical detail have also been noted.

    • “The graphics are stunning, with the harsh beauty of Arrakis brought to life in vivid detail.”
    • “The visuals are breathtaking, showcasing the harsh beauty of the desert planet.”
    • “The art style perfectly captures the essence of the Dune universe, creating an atmosphere that is both alien and familiar.”
    • “What a disappointment, first this game is only 1 GB lol the graphics are a joke for a game being released in 2024.”
    • “Graphics look like they were made for a mobile game.”
    • “The graphics are terrible and look like they're from a game from 20 years ago.”
  • music482 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to complement the game's setting, particularly noting the contributions of composers Jesper Kyd and Quentin Malapel. While some players find the soundtrack immersive and fitting for the Dune universe, others criticize it for being sparse, lacking memorable tracks, and not providing enough emotional impact during gameplay. Overall, the music enhances the game's ambiance but could benefit from more variety and stronger thematic elements.

    • “Kudos for the ambience and the music, Jesper Kyd and Quentin Malapel deliver the soundtrack of a groovy and ominous 80's sci-fi movie.”
    • “The atmosphere is fantastic, and the soundtrack, while nothing bombastic, is appropriate and a very enjoyable listen.”
    • “The game's soundtrack is also impressive, capturing the epic and mystical feel of the 'Dune' universe.”
    • “The music/ambience is extremely weak.”
    • “I feel like the game is lacking a decent amount of content, and the soundtrack leaves quite a bit to be desired.”
    • “The ost is something I have to remind myself exists; however, while a subtle soundtrack that seems to fade in the desert wind might work for peacetime, it does make the game feel emotionally lacking when combat begins.”
  • replayability290 mentions

    The game offers a mixed bag of replayability, with many players appreciating the unique playstyles of different factions and the multiple victory conditions that enhance replay value. However, some reviewers note that the single-player experience can become repetitive, and the lack of multiplayer options currently limits long-term engagement. Overall, while there is potential for replayability, especially with future updates and additional content, many feel it falls short compared to more established titles in the genre.

    • “The game offers multiple victory paths, which add layers of complexity and replayability, and the diverse factions ensure a uniquely asymmetrical experience every time you play.”
    • “The strategic complexity and variety of factions ensure that no two matches are the same, providing endless replayability.”
    • “Each faction has its own strengths, weaknesses, and specialty units, a different strategy is needed for each which gives excellent replayability.”
    • “As such, the game has a real lack of replayability for singleplayer and I'm not tempted to buy DLC factions because of this.”
    • “Currently only lacking some replayability; once you've tested all the different factions, there really isn't much more to explore in terms of mechanics.”
    • “Very low replayability, lower than most RTS games, not even close to any 4X.”
  • atmosphere278 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive representation of the Dune universe, effectively capturing the harsh desert environment of Arrakis through detailed visuals, evocative sound design, and a fitting soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke the lore and themes of the Dune series, creating a sense of urgency and engagement that enhances the overall experience. While some critiques mention a lack of depth in certain gameplay mechanics, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature that resonates with fans of the franchise.

    • “The atmospheric design immerses you in the world, making each victory and setback feel monumental.”
    • “Incredible atmosphere, perfect depiction of the Dune universe, really makes you feel like you're commanding a technofeudal empire on the harsh deserts of Arrakis.”
    • “The atmosphere, the gameplay, the art style... all of it comes together to provide an experience that I feel is representative of the books and captivates that unique feeling.”
    • “There is no storytelling, no real atmosphere, all personality is reduced to a 10% bonus to some random stat.”
    • “If you are here for the Dune game or atmosphere of that specific universe - then I have bad news for you.”
    • “I think the game is too plain, missing the atmosphere and the big difference between factions.”
  • optimization206 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly in mid to late game scenarios, including frame drops and stuttering. While some users noted smooth performance and minimal technical issues, others highlighted the need for better support for higher resolutions and optimization for lower-end systems. Despite these challenges, there are indications that ongoing patches may improve performance over time.

    • “And the art is great, the game design is elegant and coherent, the soundtrack is really good, and I haven't seen any bugs... it is such a polished game and very light, very optimized, will run on nearly any computer.”
    • “Optimization: I've never played an early access game that ran so finished.”
    • “The visuals and performance are stellar with a score that's extremely on point.”
    • “Mid-game, the FPS are pretty rough, dropping to 25-12 FPS even though my CPU (i7 13700K) and GPU (3070) are well above what's needed, so it definitely needs some optimization.”
    • “The performance and optimization are terrible after mid-game.”
    • “In longer games, performance takes a significant hit, with frame stuttering, screen freezes, and input lag.”
  • grinding148 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively slow, tedious, and repetitive, leading to player frustration and loss of interest. Many reviewers noted that the gameplay often feels like busywork, with a lack of engaging mechanics and a cumbersome resource management system that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, players feel that the game requires an unreasonable time investment for minimal reward, making it difficult to recommend.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Game play was boring, repetitive, and grindy.”
    • “The mechanics could have been developed better; the game feels really grindy a lot of the time, like you're waiting to accumulate resources to do anything.”
    • “Overall it feels more tedious than exciting.”
  • stability134 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in campaign mode and during late-game scenarios. While some users have noted improvements and a generally playable experience, others have experienced severe glitches that hinder gameplay, including freezing and screen issues. Overall, the game is considered to be in a relatively unstable state, especially for an early access title, with a need for further optimization and bug fixes.

    • “After the long early access period, d:sw is very polished and basically bug free.”
    • “The game is very polished and not buggy at all.”
    • “Game engine: I’ve encountered no glitches, no bugs, no crashes, everything runs smoothly.”
    • “I played this game on Xbox and liked it, but when I bought it and tried playing on PC, I can't even open the multiplayer menu or single player menu because the screen glitches out and I can't see or click any of the buttons.”
    • “However, this game in the late campaign is incredibly buggy; it will crash every time you start a mission, and you have to keep swapping your councilors to see what is triggering the crash.”
    • “Sadly, it gets much worse... each time I continued playing the level after achieving victory, roughly within 5-10 minutes the whole system freezes, and only restarting the computer helps.”
  • humor44 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of absurdity and irony, with players finding amusement in the ridiculous scenarios and unexpected victories, such as winning through meme stocks. Voice acting and certain gameplay elements, like the humorous interactions with sandworms, add to the comedic experience, although some players feel the game can be slow and tedious, detracting from the overall fun. Overall, while there are moments of genuine humor, opinions vary on the game's ability to consistently deliver laughs.

    • “The voice acting is hilarious.”
    • “For those who wonder what this game might be like if you speed it up and don't pause ever and don't pay attention to all the auto-alerts, it will probably be somewhat unfortunate (or worse) but quite possibly hilarious!”
    • “I think it is hilarious reading Steam reviews and seeing people simultaneously complaining that a 'non-canon' faction was added to the game but also that these characters were changed from their 'well established' character descriptions.”
    • “It's not a bad game if it would still be in early access (and lack some content), but it's not. One should just stay away from these early access games; the odds of them slapping a 1.0 on it and calling it a day is not funny.”
  • monetization38 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, leveraging the Dune franchise to maximize profits with minimal effort. Many reviewers express disappointment, feeling that the game lacks depth and quality, and is primarily designed to capitalize on the hype surrounding the movie rather than offering a meaningful gaming experience. Overall, players are discouraged from supporting what they perceive as a low-budget, soulless product.

    • “It feels like the hype of the movie was used to dish out a cash grab, one that looks enticing but was never really finished.”
    • “This is a laughable excuse for a game, it is clearly a shameless cash grab trying to capitalize on the success of the books and movie.”
    • “Spice Wars feels like a low budget, low effort cash grab made by people with some loose affinity for the Dune franchise -- except for whoever worked on the sound or the map textures.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    The game effectively captures the emotional essence of the source material, resonating deeply with fans, particularly those of the original book. However, the subtle soundtrack may detract from the emotional intensity during combat, leading to a sense of emotional flatness compared to more dynamic titles. Overall, it is recommended for its heartfelt tribute to a rich world, despite some rough edges in its early access state.

    • “Been playing this game since the beginning of early access, and I will say this game completely nails how the first book made me feel.”
    • “Heartwarmingly recommended, especially for Dune fans.”
    • “[i]"A heartfelt tribute to a truly magical world filled with intrigue, diplomacy, warfare, and empire management... albeit in a bit of a rough around the edges state at the moment of early access launch"[/i]”
  • character development12 mentions

    Character development in "Easily Spice Wars" is highlighted as a strong point, with players appreciating the elegant design and immersive experience. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the lack of adherence to Dune lore and the absence of a compelling story, which detracts from the overall character depth. While there is potential for future expansion packs to enhance narrative elements, current character design has received negative feedback, impacting recommendations for the game.

    • “Easily Spice Wars' strongest point, Shiro Games drips an elegant layer of cream over Arrakis, immersing the player in stunning vistas, a clean UI, and fabulous character design.”
    • “As well as the character development while leaving room for expansion packs to add story/mission content in the future after everyone learns their city development system.”
    • “From character design to sector organization.”
    • “Your character designer knows nothing of Dune; the lore is lost since there is no story and training.”
    • “Her character design is so bad I can't in good faith recommend a game that includes her current form in it.”
    • “As well as the character development, there is a lack of story and mission content, which leaves room for expansion packs in the future.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

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Play time

11hMedian play time
39hAverage play time
5-35hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 112 analyzed playthroughs

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