Dune: Awakeningis arguably a bit of a surprise, but a great one in any case. It’s not every day that a video game adaptation is as successful or as true-to-form as Funcom’s survival MMO has proven to be. By and large, it offers one of the most immersive takes on Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi world of Arrakis, with a planet that is just as harsh and unforgiving mechanically as it has been presented to be in the originalDunenovels. While there are multiple systems at play that help accomplish this, there is little doubt thatUnreal Engine 5had a lot to do with just how captivatingDune: Awakeningcan be.
It’s hard to believe that a desert could be beautiful, but that’s certainly the case inDune: Awakening. Somehow, the game ensures there is enough variety in its biomes that even different shades of brown and deep red can still be stunning to look at. The graphics are accompanied by some realistic visual effects as well, like sand blowing through the air or vehicles leaving noticeable tracks on the ground. All in all,Dune: Awakeningis a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, there is currently no integrated way to capture these visuals more permanently, but perhaps the game could add one eventually in a post-launch patch.
Dune: Awakening Needs a Dedicated Photo Mode to Match Its Visuals
A Visual Feast with No Way to Savor It
The simplest (and perhaps safest) way to answer that problem is to suggest players take a screenshot of theirgameplay inDune: Awakening. After all, the user interface is very minimal and can even be turned off by pressing F6 on a keyboard. However, while a screenshot might be considered “enough” by some, a dedicated photo mode would allow players to manually adjust the framing of their images in a way that a simple screenshot does not. It could also potentially give them a chance to customize their images in the same way that photo modes in other games allow.
Adjustable settings like field of view, exposure, film grain, and filters would all be great additions to a dedicated photo mode inDune: Awakening.
For example, perhaps players could adjust certain elements of the image like time of day, character pose,weather effects, character visibility, and much more. This would allow for more personalized images that theDune: Awakeningcommunity could even share with one another online, thereby promoting a sense of camaraderie as they continue to brave the desert land of Arrakis on their own time.
Immersion and Survival Don’t Have to Clash
It might seem strange to suggest that an always-online game should feature a dedicated photo mode, butDune: Awakeningwouldn’t be the first one to do so. There are plenty of other MMOs and onlinegames — likeFinal Fantasy 14,No Man’s Sky, andBlack Desert— that have a photo mode, and implementing one inDune: Awakeningjust feels like a no-brainer given how awe-inspiring it can be to behold. The only issue would be with how it balances immersion and survival, sinceDune: Awakeningis a far more demanding game than those mentioned.
That being said,Dune: Awakeningleaves survival in the hands of the player anyway, so the same would be expected of anyone who is brave enough to attempt a photo in the game’s unforgiving world. The only exception might be inDune: Awakening’s PvP, where the threat of danger increases and therefore the demand for the player’s attention with it. In these scenarios, a photo mode for the game could simply be disabled, and that could even apply to when players are in open combat in PvE zones as well.
There are plenty of other MMOs and online games — likeFinal Fantasy 14,No Man’s Sky, andBlack Desert— that have a photo mode, and implementing one inDune: Awakeningjust feels like a no-brainer given how awe-inspiring it can be to behold.
In any case, there is little reason whyDune: Awakeningwouldn’t have adedicated photo mode, so there is little reason why it shouldn’t eventually receive one. With a way to not only capture some breathtaking views in Arrakis but to personalize them, players would be able to immortalize their time in Funcom’s engaging survival MMO.
