Dune: Awakening's Steam reviews have done a complete 180, climbing the ranks to Very Positive just a day after a player pile-on: 'This game is great with friends, and lets me live out my fantasy of getting eaten by a sandworm'

Dune: Awakening promo image - sexy man with sword

(Image credit: Funcom)

Dune: Awakening’s early access players have gone from leaving spicy, heartburn-induced reviews, to thirsting for more within 24 hours. Can I offer you some antacids in this trying time?

Despite almost breaching 100,000 players on its first day, Dune: Awakening didn't get the best first-day reception: players quickly tanked its review score to Mostly Negative, complaining of crashes, server woes, and content balancing. What a difference a day makes: today, it's at an 81% positive rating on Steam ahead of its official launch on Tuesday, June 10.

With more than 2,600 positive reviews and just over 600 negative reviews at the time of writing, this is a significant turnaround. As an MMO enjoyer, those early complaints were about pretty common teething problems that flare up during major launches—especially with the sudden influx of players. While there are some genuine gripes, and fixes inbound, simply spending some more time with the game and surviving the day-one MMO gauntlet has—shockingly—switched up the sentiment. A little patience goes a long way, who knew?

Recent positive reviews look to combat the initial wave of hastily written frustrations and share their excitement at being immersed in the Dune-iverse. Steam User Eibwen said that “a lot of the bad reviews feel overblown,” and “Dune: Awakening is tons of fun. [...] The world feels alive, the mechanics are engaging, and there’s something seriously satisfying about surviving the harsh desert of Arrakis.”

A sandworm emerging from the sand as people run away and someone falls on their knees. — (Image credit: Funcom)

The real reason for all this positivity though, is perfectly summed up by TaliHazard: “This game is great with friends, and lets me live out my fantasy of getting eaten by a sandworm.” A common fantasy, I can’t argue with that logic. Time will tell if the sandworm induced upwards trajectory continues for Dune: Awakening, as it finds its feet in the shifting sands of launch. In the meantime, we’ll don our stillsuits and drink too much mouse blood.

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