Overview

Dofus, a well-received flash-based MMORPG developed by Ankama Games, was released in September 2004. Since then the music for the series, composed by Guillaume Pladys, has been released in several different forms, though none as complete as the current offering of six well presented box sets. How does the third box set fare?

Body

Similar to the preceding release, this album is divided up into three acts, the latter two containing five tracks each and the first only containing four. These pieces blend seamlessly into one another. The main theme this time around is "Ignem Inferni," a piece that is a bit too lengthy perhaps, but is overall a captivating listen: cinematic in nature yet changing its tone throughout in creative and enjoyable ways, between menacing and lightheartedness. The rest of the first act, however, is not quite as fulfilling, comprised of moody, more atmospheric tracks that, while well composed, are rather tedious to listen to.

The second act starts off nicely with "L'île de Moon," an almost prehistoric, natural sounding piece with some neat instrumentation, and continues with a few more choice offerings, such as the adventurous "La Forêt des Abraknydes." One of the more diverse pieces in the album is the gothic "Les Cimetiéres," with its rousing, frantic harpsichord, and tense organ, and the following "Les Cryptes" is an enjoyable listen as well with its dramatic violin and string sections. "Ignem Inferni (Final)" is an enjoyable variation, more rousing and thrilling than its original version.

The bonus track this time around is "L'île du Minotoror (Dofus 1.29)" a pleasant little piece that doesn't quite mesh with the darker atmosphere of the rest of the soundtrack, though is perfectly enjoyable in spite of that. Unfortunately, it is the shortest and least impressive bonus offering yet on these box sets.

Summary

This box set isn't quite as enjoyable as its predecessors. While the pieces themselves are well composed, they're mostly slow moving dungeon tracks without enough variation to really provide a substantial listening experience. Between the albums already reviewed in this series, the greatest flaw lies with releasing similar pieces in themed sets, which doesn't allow for as much variation. If all the music from all three sets were mixed together, there would likely be appreciated more so. As it is though, this album suffers the most of the three for being grouped as a collection of dungeon tracks. I'm sure the addition of a few battle tracks wouldn't have harmed the presentation, and am eagerly awaiting a collection of those. Anyone who enjoyed the previous two offerings would enjoy this set as well, though I would recommend newcomers start with the second or even the first over this one.