Islands of Wakfu

Though the combat is thin soup at times, and Islands commits that cardinal gaming sin of repeating a boss with a new sprite and more hit points, there's a lot to like about this surprisingly lengthy prequel.

At $15, Islands of Wakfu is a fine (but only fine) addition to a brawler fan's library.

Islands of Wakfu's plot is interesting, though abstract, and the art and music are fantastic but the gameplay really holds it back. It's not an experience that really lasts either. Fans of similar games are encouraged to give it a try, but there are better ways of spending your money on XBLA. It's not bad, but it just isn't as good as it should be.

While I can't recommend playing the game solo, I offer a hesitant thumbs-up to a pair of players looking for something unusual and off the beaten track.

To paraphrase its own introduction, Wakfu is an enigma wrapped in a blanket wrapped in a tortilla. But it very well could be the best-looking tortilla on XBLA. A fun game with lots to offer those with an open mind, Islands of Wakfu is worth a look for those with a sense of adventure.

Islands of Wakfu features a good variety in gameplay with some exploration, fast combat and lot of puzzles to solve, but each of these individual aspects has some flaws that disrupt the final result.

Islands of Wakfu has a hand-made, nutty charm that generally eases even the sharpest of aggravations. As a standalone it may not be as measured or as involving as its MMO big brother, but it retains enough character and spectacle to overcome the handful of rough spots.

A curious and pretty action RPG from Ankama, some nice ideas, but gameplay can't match entirely its gorgeous visuals.

It's got a lot going for it in the graphical and sound department, and while the gameplay suffers initially from an unfair difficulty spike, if the player can tough it out and stick with it long enough to get some upgrades he or she will be smiling for the rest of the journey.

At the end, Islands of Wakfu doesn't offer enough gameplay to keep the experienced player interested. If you haven't heard of Wakfu or Dofus, you won't like this one either.

This is a very different game compared to Dofus, as action and combat are prominent here and RPG elements are the least. Those who are looking for an adventure game should consider more options before buying it, although it shines visually.

Not entirely welcoming, but worth exploring. [July 2011, p.101]

It's just hard to shake the feeling that Islands of Wakfu is, at its heart, something of a promotional item for its bigger brother. [Issue#109, p.103]

Ankama Play managed to create a colorful setting, filled with wonderfully designed characters. Unfortunately, the lack of information concerning this setting, along with the repetitive nature of the gameplay mechanics, lower Islands of Wakfu's overall value.

Clunky combat makes this visually appealing role-playing outing one for a rainy day only. When it's raining dragon spit, obviously. [Issue#71, p.103]

Islands of Wakfu offers beautiful trees in boring forests. It's filled with good ideas but none of them has in the end turned out really well in the game.

Unfortunately Islands of Wakfu only currently supports two difficulty settings, Initiate and Goddess Mode – the latter of which removes the threat of death altogether.

Looks and sounds better than it plays.

Though being visually marvellous, Islands of Wakfu fails to engage and entertain as we hoped. The clunky gameplay mechanics and its slow paced progression will in fact bore most gamers long before the adventure reaches its narrative climax.

You'll have a fun time during the six hours this game will last, but it's too simple to be the action RPG many gamers expected it to be.

Whereas Super Meat Boy accounted for its punishing difficulty by creating micro levels, most of which could be traversed successfully in just a minute or two, Wakfu frequently commits the cardinal sin of using extended sections of grind to raise the stakes during its seismic and vaguely arbitrary difficulty spikes.

Islands of Wakfu, for a first game of Ankama Play, doesn't lack generosity, nor qualities. Its richness encompasses several gameplay mechanics, a lot of old school 2D games references, fresh ideas, and high production values with superb 2D visuals. Sadly, its gameplay is also far to rough on the edges, and more importantly hurt by a difficulty level that is poorly balanced. A lot of gamers will probably surrender before completing it because of that, a few will love to overcome those challenges, but all of them would have gained much by discovering such a title, if only it could have gotten rid of those shortcomings.

We pined for more varied gameplay sequences, like the chase segment that forced us to teleport ahead of obstacles to avoid a giant monster bearing down on us, but they're too few and far between. [June 201188]

Islands of Wakfu presents an enticing fantasy world, but dull combat and an unengaging story squelch its potential.

Quotation forthcoming.