Kameo: Elements of Power

By Teljam

Kameo: Elements of Power is one of those wonderful and relatively rare games which the whole family can enjoy.

The designers, Rare, are well known for making original and entertaining family-friendly games, and in Kameo, they’ve done it again. The story revolves around the main heroine, Kameo (who reminds me of Pocahontas) and her ability to morph into different creatures called Elemental Warriors who each have different abilities which you need to use to navigate the various levels in the game. The back-story is about Kameo and her search for her family which has been taken by the self-appointed King of the Trolls, Thorn.

Let's now have a closer look at some key aspects in Kameo...

Game play
Kameo essentially is a puzzle-solving/exploration/combat game.

From the first moment, you are in possession of 3 ‘Elementals’, and you are immediately thrust into the action where you learn to use all of the different abilities of each elemental.

Changing between them is a breeze as they are mapped to the B,Y, and X keys. Once you assumed an elemental then you can use their different abilities to get past he levels and enemies within. In order to get past the levels, you need to assume multiple elementals, and in the game there are a total of 10 to choose from over the course of the game, although you can only use 3 at a time for each level.

Combat is fun, and you are free to try a number of different strategies using different elementals to destroy them. There are also numerous relatively easy puzzles to solve in which you again use the different abilities of your elementals to get past.

Throughout the game you unlock new elementals, collect money (Runes), health (hearts), Elixirs to increase you energy bar, Elemental fruits to upgrade fighting techniques, and Crystal Eyes to boost Kameo’s combat prowess.

Even the first levels require good use of all of your elementals – Towards the end of a level I used Pummel Weed (who has an awesome move in which he travels underground, and the whips up a great uppercut), then changed to Major Ruin (Looks like an Armadillo with spikes who can roll into a ball and can rocket ahead over jumps) to get across a ramp, and then change to Chilla (Like a crazy Polar Bear, who can make ice storms, throw ice spears, and climb) in mid-air to cling to a castle wall and climb up to safety.

Overall the gameplay is really fun and quite varied throughout each level.

Graphics and Atmosphere
The graphics in Kameo are stunning. Rare has created a world in a detailed cartoonish style which looks absolutely awesome. Seeing hundreds of flying fire-breathing dragons flying overhead is but one example of the kind of things which are going on in the background whilst you’re working you way through a level. That scene in particular reminded me of watching Lord of the Rings – it was that good. Another memorable scene sees you riding a horse through literally hundreds of fighting trolls – No slowdown at any time – I’ve never experienced this level of detail in a console game before, and it sometime takes your breath away. It’s not uncommon to just wander (or fly) around before you clear a level just to look at some of the sights and detail which Rare have included in the game.

Sound & Voice
Kameo includes great background music which sets the mood well for each level, which rises in tempo as the action heats up. The voiceovers are average, but suitable for the general audience this game is aimed at. All creatures have their own voices and sound effects which all fit well within the game, although can get repetitive after a while .

Multiplayer
Kameo includes co-operative gameplay which can be great for those Parent/Child sessions.

Fun Factor
Kameo is a lot of fun. The game is relatively easy and would represent a reasonable challenge for casual games. Hard-core gamers would not look at this sort of game anyway, and accordingly its difficulty is set just right for the family type game it is .

Extras
There are no extras per say, although you can purchase different things in-game to change elemental looks, buy upgrades etc. Also there are some new costumes coming to the XBOX Live Marketplace to download.

Also, you can replay levels in order to obtain higher game scores and achievements, as well as try different methods to slay enemies etc.

Summary
Kameo is a great family-friendly game which all but the hard-core set will really enjoy. The rich world created by Rare is gorgeous to look at and play within. Kameo is about fun, and fun it is.