Dune: Spice Wars| Xbox Game Pass Review cloudgaming

December 14th, 2023

Dune, the critically acclaimed story based on the novel and released in theatres comes to Xbox Game Pass cloudgaming as Dune: Spice Wars. The game, like the novel and movie, follows a post apocalyptic futuristic world, where creatures and factions compete across a desert world for a coveted resource called ‘spice’. The desert is filled with dangerous challenges and patrolled by giant worms.

Dune: Spice Wars is available on Xbox Game Pass with cloudgaming. Giving players the ability to play the game without downloading it to their console.

The novel and movie versions of “Dune” are filled with action as the factions compete with each other. However, the Dune: Spice Wars takes a slightly different approach, focusing more on strategy than on action. This will be familiar territory for fans of real-time strategy games, as Dune: Spice Wars adopts the same style. Players must mobilise their armies and prepare for battle across the desert landscape, with the goal of capturing spice mining fields.

Dune: Spice Wars gives players the option to choose from an array of leaders who each possess unique abilities. Players then send their team into combat, competing with enemy factions for control over the desert. Dune: Spice Wars requires players to adopt a strategic mindset, as simply charging in without a plan is unlikely to end well.

Strategic considerations in the game involve choosing the right combatants for your team and deciding which battles to engage in. In addition to resources on the ground, Dune: Spice Wars also provides flying aircraft. These can be used to provide artillery support and to improve the speed at which players can traverse the desert.

Resources and soldiers in the game are scarce, which means that overextending yourself in combat can leave you exposed and unable to continue playing. The desert landscape is dotted with abandoned aircraft and other equipment, which players can salvage for resources to aid in their expansion efforts.

However, Dune: Spice Wars may not be to everyone’s taste. Those who are not fans of real-time strategy games may not find it an enjoyable experience. Fans of more action-oriented games may find the slower-paced combat frustrating. On the other hand, those who enjoy more strategic gameplay may find it very satisfying.

It seems that the creators of the Dune: Spice Wars game may have missed an opportunity to create a more immersive experience when it comes to operating the flying vehicles. There also appears to have been a missed opportunity to make the giant worms a key element of gameplay. For example, they could have provided a radar to alert players to the approach of the worms, and then provided a boss fight experience if the worms were encountered. This could have added an extra layer of excitement and challenge to the game.

Overall, wasn’t my cup of tea. But, more die hard fans of the Dune universe may enjoy being able to immerse themselves in the world.

Rating: 4/10