Great Game, Great UI, Great Dev Support
Mon Apr 01 2024 htg2931Picked up Dune: Imperium for my phone a few weekends ago, having heard great things about the board game. And wow, does this game absolutely deserves the accolades it has received.
First, the game itself is a perfect of a blend of tactics (adapt to your hand and the opponent’s worker placement), strategy (plan multiple turns ahead due to limited moves and resources), and luck mitigation (build your deck to accommodate your play style).
Then, variable point system places all the elements of the game on even footing: you gain points from deck building, worker placement, and the conflict system. What seems like an easy-to-learn victory path blossoms into a complex web of options.
The system is utterly brilliant.
Then you throw in the static 26 (!) challenges that drastically modify the gameplay… the rotating skirmish gameplay features which do the same… and the promise to release Rise of Ix midsummer, which is believable after a short early access period… This game has dev supported variety coming out its ears!
Finally if you’re worried about the UI on a phone, don’t be. I’ve played over 30 games on my phone at this point. The UI is seamless on a small screen.
This app is completely worth your $12. It is mobile board gaming at its finest. Great mechanics, great variety, great UI, great support. I can’t wait for Rise of Ix.
What is going on…?
Fri Mar 29 2024 spankster22You can say whatever you want about me not being an expert player and whatnot, but I feel like the AI gets exactly what they need- like every time. It seems very difficult to battle them: when I go for the combat win- they mysteriously always get the bonus plus 5 intrigue card to eek out my victory- or if I am trying to go up the faction ladders they always seem to have the right counter card to go higher. I’m just frustrated because I feel like I have to play 10 games to win one. (That’s even on easy…who wants that?) Because it is digital I feel like I’m playing poker on a computer where the computer is getting just what it needs to beat you. And not by a landslide- just enough to squeak by for the win and throw a sand pie in your face. And then when you are marauding them and the game is over, then all the sudden the triple faction bonus intrigue card pops of their hand and I loose by one as well. It’s not fun plain and simple. I feel like the AI is cheating or getting exactly what it needs. At least if I was playing the cardboard game I’d be able to verify they had been holding some junk intrigue cards or the real ones that led to victory. Lord knows when I get the intrigue cards they are situationally good or I have to pay some kind of price to use them…
Wanted to like the game but oh well- you got my 11$. Good for you.
No pass and play?
Sat Oct 12 2024 Frodo is phishyI already own this on steam and I just spent $21 on this for my iPad so I could play with my wife only, there is no pass and play. Why?? I feel like it would be the easiest thing in the world to take your turn, hit done which would hide all your cards, hand it to the next person, who would tap a button to start their turn. Doesn’t seem like a hard implementation….
That said, I do love the game itself which is why I gave 3 stars, but I’m dumbfounded as to why they wouldn’t have this feature. For steam I can fully understand why they wouldn’t have it. But this is an iPad! Just as easy to hide a screen as a hand of cards!
Great Digital Version of a Modern Classic!
Thu Mar 14 2024 WyrmholeWarriorDune: Imperium is a modern classic in the world of board games and this digital implementation is excellent. There are a few bug issues that need ironing out but nothing game breaking or issues that can’t be fixed in the coming days or weeks. The UI is intuitive and the sound and visual effects really elevate the experience. Fun to play with friends online and really hits the board gaming itch in a pinch or right before bed. Dire Wold Digital continues to produce great digital board games and I hope they continue to in the future because so far I haven’t played a game produced by them that isn’t anything but amazing.
Amazing game, convinced me to buy the tabletop version
Fri Jul 12 2024 EyefisherI love when board games get released on iPad. I have bought as many as I see on here, and 25% of the time it leads to me buying the tabletop. After playing this a few times, buying the board game was a no-brainer. It’s excellent. I actually got Dune Imperium Uprising, since it is the same game but seems to have more features. I will be playing it tonight with family and friends for the first time, and thanks to this app, I am confident I can teach the rules and gameplay to them in no time!
Good game but UI is confusing.
Wed Mar 05 2025 musiclvr58Don’t get me wrong. The UI is beautiful, however when you have tech tiles actions available, the only way to know is if there’s a green mist coming out of your deck/avatar area. You have to tap on your tech tiles to bring them all lined up, and then the available will be glowing gold. Also the cards that allows you to take another immediate turn is glitchy. Sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t.
Overall I love this game, and anyone that owns, and has played the board games should try this. Despite the ui, which also has weird window size limitations on the mac, it’s an amazing game. I know it’s only going to get better.
Great Game, Annoying Quirks
Wed Jul 16 2025 louninetynineFirst, let me start by saying it pains me to leave this review. The board game itself is wonderful, but the app has too many bugs for the price tag.
anytime you bring the app to the foreground, you have to completely reload the state. 9 times out of 10, that looks like seeing an error screen, being spit back to the main menu, go to lobby, select your game, and wait another 15sec to 30sec while the game replays about the last round worth of activity.
something keeps login credentials from caching for very long, because every tenth or so time you're forced to log back in again.
notifications don't work at all, they force you through the same path as above.
I wish the game stored your last viewed state and only played you the changes since you last loaded. I've spent hours at this point rewatching things I've already seen
there's a setting to speed up board game moves, but ultimately it's a hack - it impacts your ability to take in what's happening when you actually care.
I've written a kind and lengthy email with feedback and never heard back. me and a few friends have been playing this game for over a year now - I'd say we tolerate the quirks.
my favorite boardgame implementation on the iPad
Sat Mar 23 2024 vg6vyukvyukI’m running this on an iPad Pro 11-inch. It is a pleasure to play and I love the way the interface works. I don’t win every game and that’s fine! I sometimes enjoy the cardboard version solo, but most of my solo play is with the app. If you’re into Dune, and you already know this game, it’s a no-brainer, grab it. In my opinion, this is the gold standard for how to implement a tabletop game into digital. It echoes the actual cardboard version just enough and takes advantage of the interface when it needs to. Bravo!
Best standalone boardgame implementation ever?
Fri Jun 27 2025 LiminalSyzygyNot only is Dune: Imperium physical version an incredibly deep and compelling game (even more so if you’re a fan of the Dune IP) but Dire Wolf Digital have outdone themselves by creating an incredibly deep metagame within the app. There are many challenges that create special rules, something that doesn’t exist in the base game. I also greatly appreciate that the achievements are thoughtful and not lazy throw away options like many board game apps. Finally, there is much appreciated cross-buy with the Steam version for the DLC. Great stuff.
Barely scratching the surface
Sun Jul 07 2024 JFC1976Finally got my first win on EASY and I feel like I have so much more to learn.
This game is fascinatingly complex and well-balanced and after every game I’m thinking about things that I probably should have done differently. I’m watching strategy videos on YT and figuring out how to be more efficient with my agents and reveal phase. Just an amazing strategy game and I’m so appreciative to have it digitally because the board game would likely take too long to play for my instant-gratification family. :)
