Epic World-Buliding and Compelling Storytelling
Wakfu’s World of Twelve and all its inhabitants are creative, cohesive, and feel truly alive. The world is large and populated by numerous races (all of whom are classes in the game) with their own cultures and tons of unique characteristics, and every episode feels like it pieces the whole scope of the world together a little bit more. From entertainment to religion, to beliefs and prejudices, every race in Wakfu feels like a distinct entity from every other, and the world as a whole is more believable because of it. Every location feels like it has a history, and secrets within that history, and that makes the act of traveling through this world throughout the story entertaining on its own (if the three-part Gobbowl arc doesn’t impress, then we can’t be friends).
On the storytelling front, it’s really not terribly complicated. Wakfu is a show that is accessible to children, but it can also be easily appreciated by older viewers, and that’s where the French origins of the company get their chance to shine through. As a kids show Wakfu has a great deal of comedy both subtle and overt, but as a French show it isn’t held to the same standards for children that an American one might be, and actually presents intelligent and challenging concepts and themes that help make it entertaining and engrossing for kids and grown-ups alike. There are tons of layered jokes for adults, and there is some seriously dark and serious subject matter that is treated with straight-faced respect, ranging from love and death, to the ethics of imprisonment and gaps between cultures. The show is very good at balancing various tones at once, and it can alternate between body humor and a genuinely oppressive sense of threat in an instant.
The setup may be familiar, but the character relationships, unraveling mysteries of the world, and the constant creativity and surprises found within are what elevate it to something more than the sum of its parts. It also doesn’t hurt that when they aren’t building the world or progressing the story through dialogue, they’re humping around fighting each other with magic, swords, shovels, and god like powers whenever they get the chance.
