Dune: Awakening, the upcoming game based on Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction work, looks to be a faithful adaptation of the universe. It’s a massively multiplayer online game centered around industry, survival on the desert planet of Arrakis, and obtaining the most important resource in the universe — the spice melange.
But after developer Funcom showed an in-depth look at the game’s moment-to-moment action, some fans of the books were not pleased with its reliance on third-person shooting as a core part of its combat. Many of these fans took to social media websites like X and Reddit to share their concerns that Dune: Awakening wasn’t being faithful to the book’s emphasis on close-quarters, hand-to-hand.
Funcom’s Joel Bylos, Creative Director on Dune: Awakening, tells Inverse that the team is well aware of the fans' concerns, and reassures that the game isn’t straying from source material.
“The fans’ reaction to the videos we have put out around combat is fair considering that they had a high emphasis on the ranged elements,” Bylos said. “However, I think the impression will shift when we show more of the melee combat. We chose not to show much melee now as it’s currently going through focused development.”
In the 27-minute gameplay presentation that kicked off fan skepticism, Bylos mentions that melee is a skill that will become important in the late game as enemies gain access to shields. What players saw was a fairly limited slice of what melee combat will look like compared to the gunplay. Abilities include a basic parry and using a grappling hook to close distances and deliver flying knee attacks.
While what was shown was nowhere near what Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya pulled off in the recent films, it seemed fairly comparable to most combat in other MMOs. Dune: Awakening also has a little while to go before it releases into early access in the first half of 2025.
In defense of the team’s choice to relegate melee combat to late game, Bylos referenced context from the books to reassure people that the elements aren’t implemented without consideration. While the books do explain the universal use of the Holtzman Shield, which prevents fast-moving projectiles from harming users (leading to the development of more up close and personal fighting styles), Bylos reminds players that their use is somewhat limited on Arrakis.
“Shields on Arrakis are less utilized due to the fact that they enrage the sandworm,” Bylos explained. “I would also argue that in every major battle on Arrakis in Dune (the original book) except the duels, ranged combat was involved. From the Fremen shooting Maula Pistols at Paul in Tuono Basin to the use of artillery during the Battle Of Arrakeen, we see that many fights on Arrakis entail some combination of projectile and melee weapons.”
“I don’t think it is unreasonable to extrapolate that the factions would have developed tactics that take advantage of the reduced emphasis on shields on Arrakis,” Bylos continued.
Still, the developer said that he and his team are still deeply considering everything they’re hearing from fans, and are taking it into account as development continues.
“We take the feedback seriously and are still working on melee, as mentioned,” he concluded. “There is a lot that was not shown and we hope to provide more deep dives into melee combat well before launch.”
Dune: Awakening marks one of the few times the classic series is being adapted into a game outside the real-time strategy genre. It takes place in an alternate version of the Dune timeline, one where Lady Jessica gives birth to a girl (as ordered by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood) instead of the Paul Atriedes. In this timeline where Paul’s alliance with the local Freman doesn’t result in a galaxy-spanning holy battle, players are put in the middle of the ongoing feud between the Harkonnon and the Atriedes on Arrakis.
