Dune

Dune is a strategy-adventure hybrid set on the desert planet Arrakis. The player controls Paul Atreides, whose family has accepted a potentially treacherous imperial mandate to manage the extraction of the universe's most valuable substance, the Spice Melange.

Core gameplay involves contacting and allying with the native Fremen tribes, who reside in desert settlements called sietches. These alliances are necessary to harvest Spice, which functions as the primary resource. Spice is used to purchase equipment from smugglers and to satisfy the demands of the Emperor. Production can be increased by equipping Fremen with harvesters and defensive ornis to protect against the planet's giant sandworms.

Managing this operation presents a challenging logistical and strategic layer. Spice deposits are finite, requiring constant prospecting for new sietch locations to assign mining crews. Furthermore, the hostile Harkonnen house controls the northern territories and will actively attempt to seize control of the player's sietches. To counter this, Fremen can be trained for military purposes by Gurney Halleck, though this requires Paul to first establish sufficient reputation through control of Arrakis.

The narrative progresses as Paul interacts with key characters from the source material, including his family and Fremen leaders. A central long-term objective involves the ecological transformation plans for the planet. As the game advances, Paul also begins to awaken his latent supernatural abilities.