The typical massively multiplayer online game allows players to enter a fantastically imaginative world, exploring, crafting, battling monsters and other gamers in real time while taking on quests, leveling up characters …

Woah, wait a minute, real time? Suppose that a simple MMO steered away from the real-time concept and embraced turn-based combat that mirrors the traditional RPG mechanics of anime-style titles.

Enter Dofus, a tactical MMO that features turn-based combat. The combat itself is based on some of the more tradition RPGs (role-playing games).

There are a total of four servers for the game (available through electronic delivery) – one in English and the other three French based.

Amakna is a vast world, well over thousands of kamameters (game distance) in length. In the moors to the north lies the great city of Bonta, while Brakmar lays in the southern region. To the east lays the interior sea with many islands. As for the west … well, that is largely unexplored and beckons the brave.

There are 12 classes of characters, stretching from pet/mage class to warrior and several stops in-between. When you first enter the character creation screen, you will see the classes and get a feel for what they are capable of with the 20 class spells that are displayed. No one should enter this game blindly and unaware of the potential of a class. To say the animations and character classes are clever and cute is an understatement. Each character class has specific skills and you can see exactly what each class is capable of as you create them.

(Do not look for huge customization in the appearance of the characters; that will follow later as you level your characters and outfit them.)

Take the Pandawa, for example. They get their strength from fermented drinks and look like humanoid pandas. However, most of their power stems from fermented drinks and they must be in a state of drunkenness to utilize their power sets. The Enirpisa, on the other hand, are primarily healers in the world.

Dofus has three servers available for play – two in French and one in English. Characters created on one server cannot move over to another or interact cross-server.

Spells are broken down into five categories and you can activate the hotbar of them by clicking on the tab that contains them. As you level, you get Characteristic points that you can allocate and you will also attain professions as you move upwards in the game levels. There are two main job types in the game – collecting and crafting. The more you practice a skill, the better you will become at doing it. There are 15 crafting professions and five harvesting professions to choose from. To enter a profession, you need to speak with the right NPC (non-playing character) for your initial training.  

Combat in the game relies on a virtual dice system to determine damage. When you engage a monster (or fight another player) the level is overlaid with squares that indicate moveable options. Each character has a set number of movement points which they can use during their round or turn in combat. This is all very familiar territory to Japanese RPG gamers. Characteristics and weaponry, as well as armor, factor in to how much damage you will take as well. Because the combat is turn based, you use your turns and upon completion, you turn the game over to your opponent, either the AI or human, for their turn.

The game’s interface is extremely easy to navigate, and the graphics are somewhat two-dimensional, with each level of the game determined by the size you see on the screen. To go to a different area, you need to use the little swirl-circle icons on the edges to zone. This does mean load times for the different areas, and in some cases you may find yourself zoning more than you are actually doing much of anything else.

But the graphics are pleasant, and this game works well in a window. The audio is simplistic at best. There does not appear to be a lot of quests available at this time, and finding them can be a chore.

Dofus is a tough game to get into. It has a learning curve and it's not exactly friendly when you first start it. There are a lot of ideas thrown at the player and you will need to ease into the game before running off and getting into combat. Of course, combat is the only way to truly level your character, and thinking smart within that aspect of the game will help you succeed more often than not.

Gameplay: 6.5
There are an awful lot of loads in this game. Each segment of the game is on one screen and to move to the next place, you have to use one of the teleport nodes located on the edges. While the load times are somewhat fast, finding your way back can be difficult in the beginning

Graphics: 7.8
Colorful, 2D graphics that are cartoonish in nature and carry an easy feeling perpetuate this game. There is nothing here to get too worried about, but rather the mood of the game is kept light, in large part because of the graphical quality.

Sound: 6.5
Pleasant, but nothing exceptional is offered here. 

Difficulty: Medium
The game has a learning curve and for those who have cut their teeth on real-time battles, the turn-based combat takes getting used to, but provides a challenge.

Concept: 7.5
A turn-based MMO with charm is nice to find. The game has some ordinary elements and the load times grow tiresome, especially if you have to constantly zone to find the place for your quest. 

Multiplayer: 6.3
While there seems to be a fair number of people playing the game, finding someone to answer a simple question is rare.

Overall: 7.0
This may not capture the fancy of hard-core gamers who like to battle mobs in real time, but relaxing into the pacing of the game provides a lightly entertaining experience. There are a lot of load times in the game, and while the interface is simple to navigate, this game can be played in a window without too much trouble. The game throws in some nice ideas, and is diverse enough to make the experience challenging and enjoyable.