Books

Published on June 29th, 2012 | by Mustafa Unal

2

Dofus 2.0 Artbook Review

think every core gamer has at some point declared that a game’s graphics are never the basis for their decision on whether or not to buy it. I agree, of course, but I recall many moments where I’ve seen a game’s art assets without knowing anything else about it and my adoration for the art style lead me to look into the rest of the game.

I cannot think of a better example than Dofus in this case. I remember seeing the game’s screenshots for the first time in a magazine, and although Ankama Games is a company based in France, you can clearly see that the visuals are inspired by Japanese anime.

Dofus is a two-dimensional fantasy MMORPG with turn-based combat taking place on a grid. Think Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea, except you control a single character whilst teams are still possible by joining a party of other human players.

Since the release of Dofus, Ankama Games have gone on to release Dofus Arena and Wakfu, they all share the same art direction and Wakfu basically takes what the company learned from Dofus and expands upon on it.

Anyway, I think that’s enough backstory on the game, let’s move onto the actual book. Dofus 2.0 is one of several artbooks for the game, it has 144 pages filled with character, creature, location, item and even some bonus art for good measure.

The Dofus 2.0 Artbook gets its name from the title of the major graphical update the game received, this artbook showcases the beautiful new visual style, which is impressive because the original art assets still look good.

The book’s hardcover exterior feels quite rubbery. Your attention is always drawn to the glossy logo in the centre as the rest of the cover is very plain, save for a texture effect to make it look like parchment or something. This effect also applies to the pages, which are lightly glossed and thick enough not to feel flimsy or cheap in your hands.

Aside from short foreword and acknowledgement pages, there’s basically no text, but for what’s it’s worth the text is in both Enlish and French. Some people like artist interviews and explanations on how the art department went about doing things, but non-English and French speakers will appreciate the fact there is more art and less moonspeak.

Artbooks from Ankama Games’ Dofus and Wakfu brands are special to me because everything is done with that awesome, two-dimensional art style. Many MMORPGs have great character and ceature artwork, but few are able to have me intently stare at the beauty of its towns and item sets.

I will eventually review all of the artbooks published by Ankama so watch this space!

Buying this book with any of the affiliate links below helps me earn commission at no extra cost to you. I pay for everything out of my own pocket and this commission money is used for buying new things to bring to your attention on this blog.

Click here to buy Dofus 2.0 Artbook on Amazon.co.uk
Click here to buy Dofus 2.0 Artbook on Amazon.com

Tags: Ankama Games, Dofus

About the Author

Mustafa Unal is a blogger and YouTube commentator living in London, UK. His distinguishing features are never shutting the fuck up and having a terrible sense of humour. Also, he runs this bitch.