Six years ago, Ankama Studios showed players that 2D graphics and turn-based combat could be the foundation of one of the largest communities in the world. Now they're back for more with publisher Square Enix!

In an industry that's filled to the brim with generic MMORPG buzz words like "casual friendly," "next-generation graphics," and "action-packed combat," Ankama Studios' incredibly successful turn-based 2D MMORPG, Dofus, has always stood out as a rare MMO that walks its own path. Now, six years after Dofus barrelled out of France and took the world by surprise, Ankama Studios and North American publisher Square Enix are getting ready to, once again, venture off the beaten path with their highly anticipated MMO sequel, Wakfu.

With Wakfu's open beta just around the corner (April 27 internationally, which doesn't include North America), I decided to grab my closed beta key to venture back into Ankama's beautiful world.

Right from the beginning, Wakfu is an incredible demonstration of the power of sprite and 2D graphics. While MMOs like Aion and Final Fantasy XIV clamor for the title of "most graphically demanding MMORPG" in the industry, the whimsical, hand-drawn artwork in Wakfu is a nostalgic reminder of why 2D animation will always have a special place in my heart.

In addition to Ankama Studios' signature graphics, Wakfu has also brought the turn-based tactical combat of Dofus, where players and enemies take turns positioning themselves on the battlefield while throwing out attacks. While only four classes are currently available, Ankama has said that they plan to bring back their 14 unique character classes from Dofus, like Ecaflip's Coin, a cat-like race that relies on chance to deal damage, or (my personal favorite), Xelor's Sandglass, the time wizards of Dofus that specialized in preventing enemy actions.

To move away from the similarities of Dofus, however, Wakfu has set itself up to take place around 1,000 years after the time of Dofus. The basic story here is that, at some point in those past 1,000 years, there was an all-out war between a super-powerful monster named Ogrest and the 12 Gods of the world. While the reasons behind the fight are a bit complicated, all you really need to know is that while Ogrest won the war, he also ended up losing the woman that he loved, and now he spends the rest of his days on top of the highest mountain the world, crying.

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