Kameo: Elements of Power

"Mystical Forces..."

After being sold to Microsoft, Rare has had a quiet showing on the Xbox, and thus was labeled as a “has been”. Other phrases such as “Rare is only a shadow of their former self” were repeated constantly. These lines are what I continuously read or heard about from many gamers. Rare is perhaps the most criticized developer during the life span of the Xbox, GC, and PS2 era. Microsoft spent a great deal of money to acquire Rare, and the only thing that Microsoft got out of it was the sloppy mess known as Grab by the Ghoulies and a remake that lacked the charm of the original; until now of course. People who thought Rare was washed up, or a developer who was nothing without Nintendo can now start apologizing to Rare for their undeserved accusations. Because one thing is clear, Rare is back, and they are back with a fury. Kameo Elements of Power is the complete package, and it has risen above the competition and shown itself to be a launch day juggernaut for the 360. Years from now, Kameo will be remembered as one of the strong showings for the Xbox360's debut that propelled the system to stardom. Albeit a short quest, Kameo excels in many facets. While, Kameo should not take more than 10 hours to beat, Kameo's beautifully crafted fictitious world, dynamic mechanics, wittily designed puzzles, and most importantly its overall charm are more than enough to not only give you an incentive to play it a second time, but the game is so fundamentally sound that the game itself is just too fun to not play again. Even with some of its shortcomings, in the end, Kameo provides a marvelous adventure that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Right off the bat, Rare fills a gap that was sorely missing in the Xbox's life span. Sure, I love gore, exploding heads and tons of violence as much as the next guy, but the light-hearted, kid friendly type games were M.I.A. Kameo gets Microsoft's system off on the right foot. Not only is the game kid-friendly with its lush and vibrant colors, but the amount of depth in this game makes it a challenge, as well as sheer entertainment that not only satisfies the younger audience, but also the blood thirsty hardcore gamers who are craving for an excellent action adventure.

In Kameo Elements of Power, it follows the adventure of a young female named Kameo. She is part of the elfin royal family, along with her ambitious and power hungry sister, Kalus. In the Elfin kingdom, the heir to the throne will receive the elements of power, which allows that person to change into different elemental warrior forms. Inheriting the elements of power, Kameo has the ability to morph into a variety of different creatures. Kameo's special abilities allow her to use her abilities for the good of the world. With Kameo's power, it sparked Kalus with rage and anger, which split the two sisters into a daunting rivalry. With her jealousy clouding her judgment, Kalus awakens the troll king and his mighty armies. With their combined force, they have captured Kameo's family, and it is up to Kameo to rescue them. With the newly unleashed troll army, the elves must act quickly before their enchanted kingdom falls to the ruthlessness of evil. Is Kameo up to this daunting task?

Guess who's back?

First and foremost, the best thing about Kameo is the ability to utilize different forms to further expand the fighting engine and the way obstacles are passed in this game. Changing forms is not only useful, but also required for attacks and puzzle solving. With the ability to change into different forms, it allowed Rare to be creative and come up with some brilliantly and wittily designed puzzles and obstacles. What happens when there are gaps between ramps? Hmm…Major Ruin's ability to roll can be helpful. What happens when far reaching objectives need to be hit with a projectile? Have no fear, Ash and Rubble is here! Okay, so my attempt at amusement might have failed, but at least I tried. You get the picture though, as the elements play an integral part in making this game the beauty it is. Now back to the subject at hand. The puzzles comprises of subtle hints about the order in which certain statues have to be hit by a certain character. Other times, the player will be required to use certain elements to advance. Heck, the book (called Ortho, which is your guide) even tells you which element of power is useful in that situation, but you would stare at the television and wonder how to utilize your element in an affective way. Quite frankly Rare did a great job at disguising the puzzles. Only when you finally figure it out, you hit yourself in the head from the obvious solution.

The platforming in this game also requires plenty of help from your elements, and sometimes even a combination of them. Large gaps between mountains would ensure the death of anybody, but with the ability of your cute little elephant looking creature (Major Ruin), you can now sleep at night knowing you won't fall thousands of feet to your death. And in another instance that took place in the early parts of the game, you flew out of a high building with Major Ruin looking like you aren't going to make it, only to have Chilla save your butt with his ability to climb and cling on to the wall. Every little part of the game was carefully planned out by Rare to ensure that it flowed with grace and cohesion. And to be honest, every time you transformed into different elements to perform some sort of feat, that's what it felt like; graceful and cohesive.

The boss fights in the game, though a bit lacking in quantity makes up for it by providing an intense and dynamic fight each time. Again, Kameo's morphing abilities will come into play. And to prevent repetition, Rare was able to do a good job at making the player utilize certain elements to be affective against the bosses. Take the boss in the water temple for example, a combination of Major Ruin and Deep Blue would prove affective, but this combination might not work as well against another boss. Rare was able to successfully blend elements together to offer a unique perspective to combat these bosses. Consequently, everything felt fresh, cohesive, and intense. Each boss fight was a struggle of life and death in itself, as each boss not only forces you to strategize, but to have quick reflexes and patience. Kameo's boss fights, though limited provides a much appreciated spark that brings life to an already charming and unique game.

Everything felt smooth and slick, until the water temple with Deep Blue, which felt a bit clunky and disjointed. The level design for the water temple was nicely laid out, but the problem lies with the controls. The controls during the underwater sequences left a lot to be desired. For one, the camera angles didn't work very well, and had a hard time following Deep Blue's movements. Then the problem is worsen when Deep Blue's water attack is hard to aim, and lacks any precision. Furthermore, the controls for Deep Blue felt clunky, especially considering all the turns he has to perform, the controls felt sloppy and movements were hard to perform. But luckily, this level isn't too long, so the excruciating controls were over quickly.

The sheer beauty of it all!

To make things even better, the transformations allow for some crazy combos and some surprising depth. Since Kameo is only armed with a flip kick, the fighting is reliant on the elements. Each element will start off with a few moves, but as your journey deepens more techniques can be earned. Like the platforming elements in this game, the player can also interchange between elements in the heat of battle and perform different combos. Not to mention, certain enemies are more prone to certain elements, so the game feels balanced rather than overpowering a certain element. With plenty of elements and moves, Kameo's fighting engine is packing with depth.

The elements are certainly handy little creatures. But you don't start off the game with all of them. You start off with a few, but eventually lose them all due to Kameo's haste decision. Then it's a quest to find and acquire them because only then are you truly a match for your evil sister and the Troll King! Unfortunately for you, these cute little fellows are trapped within Shadow Trolls. Facing these Shadow Trolls require a different technique. The player must hit and then absorb these glowing enemies and use its energy and shoot it at the Shadow Trolls. Despite Kameo's lack of fighting techniques, Rare still found a way to utilize her without comprising the game in a way where it feels force. Kameo's not useless after all! More importantly, Rare was able to have a nice blend and offer different techniques in approaching the way the player combats the enemy. With each Shadow Troll, it will become harder to defeat them. As your journey deepens, each Shadow Troll will become more evasive and better at evading your energy blast. Not to mention different types of obstacles will pop up to block your success.

In the early stages of the game, the power of the 360 is put to the test. As you're riding downhill with your horse, an army of trolls awaits you. There were hundreds…no…there were thousands…hell I lost count. As I was plowing through these hoards of trolls, I thought to myself, man this is pretty sweet and the frame rate is holding up really well. As I move closer to my inevitable finish, I couldn't help but feel like I'm apart of a Pixar film. Kameo has plenty of lush and vibrant colors, with plenty of quirky characters that brought a smile to your face. The cartoon like graphics felt suitable for this game, and had plenty of charm.

Perhaps the reason why I felt Kameo was so charming is due to the incredibly well enacted voiceovers. Kameo has an amazing personality and truly feels like a young adult with huge responsibilities. Furthermore, some of the game's more unique characters provide plenty of well delivered and charming dialogue. Kameo's musical soundtrack also has a nice and soothing tone that matches the atmosphere of the game. With plenty of high production values in its sounds and appealing graphics, Kameo feels like a first rate Pixar film.

Rare's Redemption!

With each advancing level, the game felt more cohesive, more intense, and more strategic. Say what you will about Rare. Kameo Elements of Power is an absolute gem. Kameo will certainly quench that insatiable thirst of gamers that are looking for a charming adventure. Though the game is a bit on the short side, coupled with the clunky controls during the limited underwater portion, there really isn't anything much to complain about. The game is simply charming, full of life, and has plenty of wittily designed puzzles and platforming, which surely makes Kameo one of a kind. Kameo is an adventure that is packing with quality, and you would be a fool to miss out on this incredible experience. One thing is for sure, Rare is back, and they have given the Xbox360 a much needed breath of fresh air.

Pros
With plenty of brilliantly designed puzzles and a bunch of charming elements, Kameo is full of life with plenty of magical moments. The adventure is made better with a dynamic combat system that utilizes all form of your elements. The voice acting has plenty of allurement and charisma. The musical soundtrack sets the right tone. And the graphics feel like it has been ripped straight out of a Pixar film.

Cons
Kameo is a bit on the short side, and shouldn't take more than 10 hours to complete. The water segments felt clunky and unpolished.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/05, Updated 06/26/06