Image: Bohemia Interactive

Silica is a game with deep, undeniable ambitions. A small studio (specifically a small experimental team within Arma developers Bohemia Interactive) is attempting to make both a spiritual successor to Dune 2 and also conquer a mountain that many developers have tried to climb, but few have survived - the FPS/RTS hybrid. After more than three years in early access, the final launch version rolled out yesterday, although not without some sand grinding away in its gears.

Silica is a strategy game set on an arid, dusty planet, fought between three playable factions. Two human groups (one more specialized and high-tech, one more crude and industrial), plus a faction of hive-dwelling insectoid aliens (well, natives) that would appreciate it if these humans stopped digging up their turf planet for resources. Alone or in co-op, players hop between the roles of commander - building units and bases and ordering them around - and front-line fighter, able to pilot tanks, dropships, or just lead infantry squads.

The mixture of styles gives the game a very distinct, weightier, more 'realistic' feel despite its sci-fi leanings. Units can't behave as they do in a standard RTS, turning on a dime and only shooting within spitting distance of the enemy. As this is a Bohemia-linked project, there's an expectation for long-range combat, with valleys, dunes, and desert spires breaking up sightlines. Tanks feel truly heavy, wheeled vehicles have bounding, shaking suspension, and bigger alien bugs have some real heft to them. Infantry, while potentially powerful, are truly dwarfed by most of the hardware involved.

There's obviously real passion behind this game, and it feels like it's paying tribute to some of my favourite games of all time too, including the seldom-talked-of but impressively remastered Battlezone 2: Combat Commander. Unfortunately, despite the time in early access, it seems that more could have been done to make the core experience sing.

While the v1.0 update (full patch notes here) brings a lot of new stuff to the table, including a single-player campaign mode to help players learn the ropes (ideally before diving into competitive or skirmish play), some key issues that plagued the game during early access remain, with the first wave of launch reviews quick to point them out.

The biggest sin brought up by players is that the harvesters - the backbone of your resource operation - are impressive to look at (they are GIGANTIC industrial earth-moving machines), but cumbersome and plagued by wonky AI that gets frequently stuck on pieces of terrain, or unable to path their way around allied units. This can completely grind your economy to a halt and lead to a fail-state unless frequently micromanaged, which is something no strategy player ever wants to deal with.

Beyond that, there's criticism that the campaign feels like an extended tutorial rather than the meat-and-potatoes of the game. Which does seem to be its intent, but many players these days are looking for a meaty, scripted side to their RTS - it's why the likes of the C&C-esque Tempest Rising has seen so much success.

Still, the game's competitive aspirations are clear, with competitive 1v1 matchmaking being another key launch feature. Though with only 200 players online at the time of writing, that may struggle unless fortunes change. Which I hope they do. There hasn't been a game like this that really nails the fusion of genres in years, and I could do with a new one.

Silica is out now for £22.49/$25, although it might be best to wait until the dust settles and for some initial patches to roll out.