Summary
The desert has made for an evocative setting across all kinds of media, from the expansive, mesmerizing desert environments ofLawrence Of Arabia, to the often-visited sands of Tatooine inStar Wars. However, it could be argued that no desert is quite as iconic - and as memorable - as that ofFrank Herbert’sDune.
Deserts don’t have to be based on pre-existing IPs to be successful, however, with indie developers such as Lo-Fi Games creating their own desert wasteland world with their game,Kenshi. From digital board games likeDune: Imperiumto the desert planet of Kharak in the lesser-knownHomeworldtitle, strategy fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to desert settings.
6Desert Kingdoms
A Minimalist Indie RTS Set In The Desert
This minimalistindie strategy gamefeatures charming pixel art and a desert setting that tasks players with skirmishing in procedurally generated maps. The game’s mechanics are as minimal as the visuals, making its systems easy to learn and friendly to newcomers, though there is room to strategize throughout each match.
Desert Kingdomsis a low-budget affair and, despite its use of procedural generation, it features little in the way of replay value. However, it’s a great low-effort strategy game for lunch breaks and short play sessions.
5Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Immersive Desert Warfare With A Mobile Base
AlthoughHomeworld: Deserts Of Kharaklacks thedeep space combatthatHomeworldis known for, its desert warfare is surprisingly intense and often strategic. The game’s dusty environments and open-field combat encounters are frequently tactical and offer a solid challenge, with a mobile base that gives the gameplay a unique twist.
If the aforementioned mobile base is destroyed, the mission is lost, and this presents a unique challenge because the mobile base is also the player’s main source of power. What’s more, players also have to worry about the temperature of their base, as overheating can be dangerous and even lead to the base’s destruction. It may not be as timeless as Relic Entertainment’s flagship title,Homeworld, butDeserts Of Kharakoffers immersive desert battles for fans of more grounded combat.
This strategic sandbox gives players complete freedom to explore its unique, utterly strange, and wholly unforgiving world.Kenshiis a brutal game that’s unafraid to treat the player unfairly and, as a result, it’s a relatively inaccessible experience. However, this also works in the game’s favor, offering a deeply immersive world that feels genuine.
In the game, players control one or several adventurers attempting to make their way in a world that mostly comprises desert wastelands.Combat can be avoided, but players will often find themselves in fight-or-flight situations. Encounters make use of auto-attacks, but players are able to micromanage their squad members to increase their effectiveness, and the real-time-with-pause gameplay makes this relatively painless.
3Starship Troopers: Terran Command
Fighting Alien Arachnids On A Desert Planet
Lacking the deepbase-building mechanicsand economic management that real-time strategy games are known for,Starship Troopers: Terran Commandmakes up for its simplicity with high-octane combat encounters that have players commanding large squads of zealous marines against hordes of alien arachnids. The game takes place in the iconic setting of Paul Verhoeven’s film,Starship Troopers, and manages to stay relatively loyal to the source material.
For fans of action-orientated strategy games that enjoy fussing over the positioning of their units,Starship Troopers: Terran Commandis likely to please. However, veteran RTS players may be somewhat disappointed by the game’s lack of deeper systems.
2Dune: Imperium
A Digital Board Game Set In The Dune Universe
This digitaladaptation of the tabletop gameof the same name is a turn-based strategy game with solid AI opponents and a great deal of variety.Dune: Imperiumcombines elements of popular board game mechanics such as worker placement and deck-building, offering a truly unique gameplay loop that tickles the brain in a number of ways.
Dune: Imperiumis dense with strategic options, but its tutorial does an admirable job of easing players into the experience. The game’s community may be relatively small, but players who can’t find a game easily can always battle against competent AI opponents.Dune: Imperiumalso features a variety of leaders that encourage their own play-styles, and the game’s recently released DLC,Dune: Imperium - Rise Of Ix, adds even more replay value to the game.
Developed by Shiro Games, the very same team behind the Viking-themed RTS,Northgard,Dune: Spice Warsis a real-time 4X gameset in Frank Herbert’s iconicDuneuniverse. More specifically,Dune: Spice Warstakes place on Arrakis and features a slew of thematic mechanics and systems that take full advantage of the source material.
Dune: Spice Warsis an incredibly methodical and slow-burning strategy game that takes patience to learn and play, with a focus on tactical timing and positioning. The game also features a great deal of faction variety, allowing players to command everyone from the Fremen and the Atreides, all the way to a band of organized smugglers. Furthermore,Dune: Spice Warsfeatures an array of victory conditions that allow for diverse play, offering plenty of opportunities for comebacks along the way.
