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After a flurry of Dune games in the 1990s and early 2000s, fans of the franchise endured a painful wait of roughly two decades for a new one. With the 2021 movie reinvigorating the Dune universe, the responsibility of delivering a new Dune videogame landed on the shoulders of Shiro Games. The studio delivered, with 4X game Dune Spice Wars transporting PC players back to Arrakis once again. Just over a year on from its full launch, Spice Wars has been blessed with a tasty discount that both Dune and strategy game fans will want to take note of.
While not the most boundary-pushing 4X game of recent times, Dune Spice Wars is still an incredibly solid strategy experience. The typical core gameplay loop found in series like Civilization and Age of Wonders is here – deploy various units which have different functions, build and defend structures, and harvest resources all in the name of expanding your control of the battlefield. It’s nothing too revolutionary for the genre, but it still hits a high bar with you’re playing solo or getting competitive in 2v2 multiplayer bouts.
However, it’s all encased in a delightful, sandy shell. The barren but captivating world of Arrakis looks stunning, and natural barriers such as water in other strategy games are replaced with deep, impassable deserts instead. Spice is of course the most valuable resource that you fight over. Units are aligned with various factions from the Dune universe, including House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and the Fremen. Unpredictable disasters take the form of sandworm attacks. Ornithopters can scout ahead to get you intel on resource hotspots.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s absolutely soaked in authentic Dune-isms and lore. It is a real treat for franchise fans – especially if you favor Frank Herbert’s books over the more recent movies. While I know strategy games aren’t always the most accessible and attractive genre to those with little prior experience, if you’re a fan of the Dune universe, it’s definitely worth diving into and will get the fires burning for the incredibly ambitious, upcoming MMO survival game Dune Awakening.
After spending a long while in early access, Dune Spice Wars fully launched last year and continues to attract a modest but dedicated audience of strategy fans. With a 79% ‘mostly positive’ rating on Steam, it resonated well with the majority of players, and now’s the perfect time to jump in.
That’s because Dune Spice Wars is currently 50% off on Steam, bringing it down to its lowest ever price on the platform of $17.49 / £14.75. This offer ends on Wednesday, November 27. To take advantage, or to simply learn more about the game, head over to its Steam page here.
For more titles like Dune Spice Wars, check out our best RTS games list where you’ll find loads of tactical experiences. Or if you want to see when Dune Awakening and some of the other big games of the future are dropping, head to our upcoming PC games guide.
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