My Played Video Games Review: Dune: The Battle for Arrakis for the Sega Genesis

Dune: The Battle for Arrakis is a real-time strategy video game developed by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Games for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in late 1992. It is based upon the 1984 movie Dune which is an adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel.

This is the father of most modern PC strategy games today. Now that the surprise hit Dune (2021) movie is now out in theaters, it is now a good time to be playing anything nice related to the highly underrated Dune sci-fi franchise.

The Story

As the commander of your House, you must defeat both human and inhuman forces in fierce battles to secure the future of your dynasty. With deadly weaponry, a skilled army, and nothing but your fear to stop you, how far will you go to control the planet Dune and the galaxy?

The Graphics and Sound

The graphics are not impressive and they are simple in design. It kind of works for this type of game. The buildings are just square boxes with simplistic designs for that particular building. Most of the vehicles look exactly the same for each faction/House. The only difference is a different color, though. Towards the end of the game, each faction/House will get its own unique vehicle.

There is really not much variety in the terrain, it is just sand and rock. You will not even have time to notice how boring the backdrops are with all the combat going on. You will leave a lot of big and tiny holes in the ground as effects of a war-torn battlefield.

The music is good at capturing the mood of the game. Whether it is building your base and suspense if the enemy's going to attack, engaged in combat, or just simply expecting what's gonna happen next, the music is dramatic and got a tense vibe.

The Gameplay

You choose one of the 3 factions called "Houses" to control the desert planet called Dune. The noble Atreides, the tricky Ordos, and the brutal Harkonnen. Each House has a different difficulty level to start with

When you begin a mission, you got a construction yard, a couple of vehicles or troops, and just the right amount of money/credits. Obviously, you'll start making more buildings like a refinery. With this, a harvester will be collecting spice from the sand for credits. So then you'll be able to build more things to beat your enemies.

There are many things you have to worry about. One of the first hurdles you have to deal with are the big sandworms. Thankfully, they can only travel on the sand, and not the solid rock formations where your base is on. But your vehicles are at a great risk when they move on the sandy terrain. If you are not watching over them or if you are too slow to guide them to safety, the sandworms will eat up your harvesters. And if you got only a few credits to purchase another harvester, then, consider that your base is doomed.

As you progress further into the game, the mission objectives will change from simply collecting credits, to fighting an opposing House and destroying their base. This is where the game starts to get fun. There are so many things going on at once, that you lose track of what's going on at times. From making more things, defending your base from the enemy, watching out for sandworms, etc. Then there's the surprise attack from behind your base as the enemy drops off forces at you. And sooner or later, you gotta to strike back.

Executing your strategy is what makes it is so great about this game. You have to think things through. Unfortunately, with all this action happening on screen at once, slowdown often appears and it will screw you sometimes over in the process.

With 27 missions total (9 for each House), and battles spanning longer than you think, you will really get a lot of replay out of this one.

My Verdict

Dune: The Battle for Arrakis is a good real-time strategy (RTS) video game for beginners of the genre. It is easy to get into right from the start. So, if you are a fan of RTS games or just a game that will put your mind and reflexes to the test during gaming, then I recommend testing this one. It will be a great addition to your RTS gaming collection.

Play it on the mighty Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console or play it cheap on your favorite emulator.

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!