Some people might say the International language is love. Others would venture to say it’s food or perhaps humor. The French game company Ankama has proven all these assumptions wrong however with its light-hearted contribution to the MMO arena. Its unique online offering cryptically entitled “Dofus” settles the argument. The International language isn’t Love or Humor -- it’s “Cute”.

Now what the heck’s a Dofus you ask? Well the Dofus, as Ankama’s Director of Products Thomas Bahon told me, are the rare dragon eggs that are at the heart of the struggle for power within the world of this quirky little game.

Dofus is an MMO featuring a bright, colorful manga look to it that’s been gaining ground in the European market ever since it went live in 2004. At 900,000 registered users and 90,000 subscribers in Europe and the U.S. and still growing, it’s looking to become a standout title in the MMO market. It’s unique from many another MMO in a number of ways: besides being much simpler and friendlier looking in terms of interface and art direction and having zero gore-factor, it’s all 2D, made entirely in Flash (the download is a mere 50MB so it can be played on low spec machines) and it’s compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

The first chunk of the game can be downloaded for free so players can get a taste of the gameplay before committing to a monthly subscription fee and thereafter, the game’s a steal at $7 a month – half the cost of most other MMO’s. Where the game returns to ground that’s familiar is in the idea of conflict. The many factions of the world of Akmana (yes, the name is an ever so slightly juggled version of “Ankama” ) are engaged in a rainbow-colored Lord of the Rings-like race to get ahold of the Dofus, a prize which once gained will allow the owners to wield unlimited power.

As mentioned, the look of the game hovers at the high end of the manga-style cute meter and the designers have gone to great lengths to make the game a veritable smorgasbord of whimsical, goofy fun. With its appealing, cartoony characters, and simplified UI/RPG elements, it’s the sort of game that holds great appeal for casual gamers. That’s not to say that it doesn’t appeal to more hardcore players. A separate game called "Dofus Arena" caters to the PvP player while the rich storyline, opportunities for exploration and strategy dependent turn-based combat in the core game give the more experienced MMO’er plenty to like.

The game in its simplicity looks to have broad appeal, encompassing all ages, genders and cultures. However, for hardcore MMO’ers, some of the game's features may lack the depth those players require. For instance, there are 12 varied character classes to choose from but at this time character creation is limited to choosing only the colors of your characters’ costume. For another, the camera is fixed in a top-down orthographic position and cannot be moved. Players can only zoom in one level closer to their characters from that fixed view so gameplay occurs at a far removed view and it is impossible, due to the inherent 2D nature of the game world, to play in first person. Thirdly, the RPG elements are not as deep as some others on the market.

Some gamers may see these things as unworkable limitations and so reject the idea of trying the game. Too bad for them because there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Dofus is a much-needed break from an increasingly homogenous MMO landscape overpopulated by dark, medieval fantasy themed games that all look and play very much alike. With a 2D cartoon look, unique character classes, funny and interesting quests, new content updates monthly, and a monthly fee of only $7, the game offers undeniable entertainment value.