Dual Universe review - A clunky but open voxel MMORPG

Dual Universe is a really fascinating concept in MMOs. Instead of having a variety of servers, there’s one vast universe where all players come together and play in one shared sandbox. It’s also a Voxel MMO, in the shade of something like Trove, but unlike that particular MMO, you can build anything from a house to a space station.

Frankly, I respect what this MMO is doing, and it’s a very interesting idea. However, it does kind of fall flat for me in several places. Whether it’s the lack of NPCs, the world feeling ‌empty, and feeling unoptimized, there are some hurdles to overcome.

I can see where people can find a lot of fun in it. The voxel building system is unique and pretty detailed. The possibilities are endless in Dual Universe.

What is Dual Universe, anyway?

Back in 2016, Dual Universe was revealed by Novaquark’s then-CEO in the pre-alpha state. It is supposed to be a one-shard universe, a voxel MMO where players can do whatever they want. They can PVP, they can build spaceships, travel to other planets, and own plots of land where they can build homes, become titans of industry, and much more.

It’s not a game where you can immediately begin succeeding. It’s a game in which you have to invest time and patience. There are players already doing amazing things in the game, and it’s really awe-inspiring to see. The downside is that there is no actual story. It’s an open world, where you make your own story.

That would be much easier if you had NPCs, or even robots to interact with, but you don’t. You can only interact with other players. Otherwise, these worlds are barren. Dual Universe can certainly feel empty, but it’s clear that it doesn’t bother everyone.

One thing I appreciate about that is you can be whatever you want to be in Dual Universe. If you want to just farm minerals and sell them while relaxing on your property, that’s entirely possible.

Other players choose to work together to create industries where they sell weapons and starships. It allows players to do whatever they see fit, and that’s a really great idea. And while it is a great idea, it falls short in some very glaring ways.

The game has no story to it, but it has some PVE missions. However, these are primarily delivery missions to other places, and frankly, can be very tedious.

Beginning in Dual Universe

One of the nice things about Dual Universe is that there are several styles of home base you can decide on. They all have their own default storage space and aesthetic. Whether you want a military compound or a casual house, you can start with this.

Vehicular movement definitely made me feel dizzy, but the controls were still solid (Image via Novaquark)

You can also pick a style of speeder, choose the colors that go with your space suit, and from there, you descend to the planet. The tutorial is sufficient. It teaches you everything about getting started and informs you of how you can go through even more tutorials.

Your base’s PC has a number of virtual reality tutorials you can take part in, including more complicated topics like building structures. At first, I was a little confused, but once I spent some time with the additional tutorials, I was ready to build with the best of them.

However, I’m personally not really into building in voxel games. Minecraft never really interested me, and Dragon Quest Builders only does because it’s Dragon Quest, and it has a lengthy story to take part in.

Dual Universe gives players everything they need to get started though. You have a base, a speeder, a mining rig, and all of the tools to explore and gather minerals off of the ground. Your minerals replenish on the first world, Haven, but from what I understand, this is not the case on other planets.

The early part of the game also shows you how to pilot and fly, but this was one of the worst parts of the game for me. The vehicles fly fine, but as someone who gets pretty bad motion sickness, the way the speeder moves plays havoc on me. It is not enjoyable.

The trouble with markets

When it comes to markets, this is something I wish the tutorial would have explained better.

You pick a hexagon on the world of Haven, and that’s where you live until you decide to try and claim more space on the map. Additional spots on the map are taxed weekly, however, so bear in mind it won't be free. If you want to buy things at the Market, you have to visit the market in person. Hop in your speeder or ship, and head there. If you decide to live out in the wilderness, just be aware of this anytime you want to purchase materials.

Materials, from containers to metals, can also be quite heavy, and your amount of storage space is limited. You might have to make multiple trips, depending on how badly you need things you don’t have on hand.

In the early access version, I was so far away from a market, it wasn’t viable to go shopping. In the official launch, however, I made sure I was much closer to a market. When I did, I also noticed that the market that I shopped at had nearly nothing in it. That’s a whole other issue. The market system in this game was one of the most frustrating things about it.

You can also buy starships, blueprints, and more via the DU Creators website. It allows players to sell their creations for in-game currency (Quanta). It lists their in-game name (if they wish), as well as Discord, so you can connect and make a deal.

Inventory space is limited, so you might have to make more than one trip to the market (Image via Novaquark)

This is a perfectly fine solution, but it is so frustrating to have to travel to a market anytime you want to purchase or sell something.

A complex game that isn’t for everyone

The crafting system is pretty in-depth, that’s for sure. You mine materials, refine them, craft them into smaller parts, and use them to build progressively bigger things. For more complex items, like the Cores that are used in creating structures, you create a Schematic first. These cost Quanta, as well as time.

Dual Universe uses a real-time system to craft and unlock skills. You can immediately unlock skills, which come in a variety of categories, from Industry, Piloting, Weapons, Mining, and more. This costs Quanta, or you can Invest Points (use skill points you already have), or Queue Talents.

Skills take real-time to unlock, unless you have the skill points to immediately use (Image via Novaquark)

It feels weird and wrong to lock progression behind these skills. I feel like I have to spend so much time just waiting on talents, so I can make something that isn’t XS or S (Extra Small or Small) in Dual Universe.

This will also put into a queue any pre-requisite skills you need for the one you chose. As time ticks over in real life, your skill points slowly tick up, so you can just queue talents up to unlock. This can be a short few minutes, or it can take 5 or 6 days for some of them.

Herein lies the biggest problem for me: Time. My time is pretty limited, and I don’t want to wait hours to craft something or days to unlock a particular set of skills. Dual Universe also has a unique voxel crafting system that takes time to get used to.

You should be able to build structures anywhere on your base, but that’s not how it works. Start building a structure while connected to your base and use the directional arrows on your keyboard to move away, and then start crafting.

While I appreciate and respect what the game does to give players freedom, it just feels like it takes so much time to get started or get anywhere. I could invest time into weapons and ammo to PVP, but I’ve seen ‌three other players in my couple of weeks exploring this, both pre and post-launch.

The world of Haven is fairly mundane to look at

While my PC is no slouch, I have to say, Dual Universe looks dated. Dual Universe’s skyline, sun, moon, and stars look terrific. However, the rest of the world looks muted. The lack of flora makes the world look empty, which is only enhanced by a lack of NPCs and players.

I enjoy the audio for Dual Universe, though. The music, the sound of my lasers mining into the crust of the planet, that’s all quite satisfying. But the visuals for the actual world leave much to be desired. Perhaps it’s for the best. The voxels I used to craft and create structures stand out far more by comparison.

I’ve seen some remarkable designs for starships, for example. I’ve seen TIE Fighters and X-Wings, and several remarkable homes, mining platforms, and starship landing platforms. You can do so much in the game if you’re willing to invest time, patience, and more patience.

In Conclusion

I want it to be clear that I like the concept of Dual Universe a great deal. It’s personally not a game for me, but I respect what it’s trying to do. In the future, I think it could be a great MMO when further updates and content come to the game.

It’s not a game for people who want to immediately take to the stars. You’re going to likely spend a great deal of time alone, mining, and crafting, slowly. While I have several complaints and gripes about Dual Universe, I have enjoyed my time in it. I take pleasure in working slowly, on my own, and figuring out my next steps.

I would probably have more fun with friends playing it with me, if we all, say, had connected plots of land near each other, but that’s not the case here. It’s a unique MMO, and while it has a lot to offer, it simply takes so much time to get to any of that deep, detailed game content. I just do not have the time to invest to become a master of Dual Universe.

Fans of more open space MMOs will likely enjoy this, as will fans of voxel crafting games. The game does what it sets out to do, but it does take a great deal of time to get anywhere, and that could turn off unaware players.

Dual Universe

Reviewed On: PC

Platforms: PC

Developer: Novaquark

Publisher: Novaquark

Release Date: September 27, 2022