Game News Ankama’s new game (Dofus) is not at all as you imagine!
This is the surprise that Ankama had in store for us at the beginning of the week: the creators of the famous MMORPG Dofus are working on a new game, One More Gate: A Wakfu Legend. Head back to the World of Twelve to follow an adventure that seems well advanced in terms of development. So much so that the title even offers a demo as part of the Steam Neo Fest. We played it and we tell you about it!
Steam Neo Fest
All Steam Neo Fest demos are available from June 13 to 20 (7 p.m.). So there is still time to try out some games that intrigue you to build your own joystick / mouse opinion in hand.
Yet another Wakfu/Dofus game?
Did you miss the World of Twelve? Well that’s good because Ankama has decided to take us on a journey once again in the lands of its flagship game, Dofus. This time, we embody the young Oropo of whom we know little, except that he obviously knows how to fight. Throughout the dungeons, he will indeed use his fists to bring down enemies that Ankama fans know well (from the Gobball to the Arakne). If we know little about the history and the lore of the game, we still find some familiar silhouettes, like that of a merchant Eliatrope or an old Enutrof. You can also come across statues representing the Gods of the Krosmoz. One More Gate quickly sets the scene and it doesn’t seem out of place for Ankama fans.
But that does not mean that the French studio brings out the same soup. With this title, he seeks to get out of his comfort zone and this first requires an atypical artistic direction. Ankama abandons the fine lines of Dofus to offer us a more refined design. Not enough to revolutionize the video game genre or make a few jaws drop, but this new style works well. The bucolic aspect of the game fits well with this artistic direction as well as the game’s soundtrack. Whether through the fights, the village or the small scenes serving as the background of the dungeons, we take pleasure in discovering this brand new atmosphere.
On the gameplay side, Ankama has also decided to look into a new genre. Presented as a roguelite-deckbuilder, One More Gate has little to do with Dofus, except for the turn-based combat system. The game works with fairly standard dungeons, each “room” of which offers either combat or a little rest, and sometimes even some rewards. The choice will sometimes be left to you, in order to take the right path strategically speaking. If you plan to reach the end of the dungeon and its eight battles, you should not therefore rush headlong.
But these fights? How is it going? As we said, this is turn-based combat. Your actions are determined by cards that will allow you to either attack or defend. To use them, you must tap into your source of Wakfu, which refills each turn (before dropping back to the starting point and so on). Each card requires a certain amount of Wakfu and it is therefore necessary to think about the best strategy (use several small actions, strike a big blow…). To do this, you must also take into account the actions of your enemies, which are known before they are carried out.
As you will have understood, there are quite a few points to take into consideration. But that doesn’t make the game inaccessible. Apart from a few problems with the readability of the interface, the game is very easy to play. However, that doesn’t mean it lacks difficulty. You will do this several times before completing a dungeon and doing so will require a lot of strategy and a bit of luck. Everything seems fairly well balanced, despite some effects (notably the poison) already proving to be a little too strong. Nevertheless, we are not immune to seeing certain races of enemies insensitive to them to balance the gameplay.
A Slay the Spire roguelite, really?
By its structure, One More Gate is reminiscent of any roguelite. And yet, it doesn’t really fit into the usual definition of the genre. Of course, in the dungeons you will collect special cards and runes allowing you to obtain advantages in combat and which will disappear once you leave the dungeon. If the first are used like any of your cards, the second grants you certain liabilities that are triggered during combat (regaining life after a perfect, for example). Again, the balancing is pretty well done. In addition, you can improve said passives or choose new ones to stick to your strategy thanks to the resources collected.
And since we are talking about resources, know that unlike a classic roguelite, you keep them after your death. So, once out of the Force Dungeon, you can head to the store to upgrade your deck and come back stronger in battle. This is also how the game works. Knowledge is not your greatest strength, but rather perseverance and money. Like a good Enutrof, your goal during your first attempts is to accumulate as many kamas, experience and shards as possible. You can go to the village to permanently improve your cards, return to battle and so on.
This progression system is neither frustrating nor redundant in this demo. By rewarding the player quite significantly, One More Gate offers us a pleasant structure, coupled with a very good combat system. However, if you are a fan of very difficult roguelikes, the title of Ankama may leave you with a bitter taste. For the others, the experience is pleasant and accessible throughout this short hour of play. Ankama therefore has a game with great potential and a nice gateway to the roguelite-deckbuilder genre, but which still has to prove itself over time, particularly with regard to repetitiveness and balancing.
As a reminder, One More Gate: A Wakfu Legend is planned for PC and Nintendo Switch. It doesn’t have a release date yet.
