Kameo: Elements of Power

When Microsoft picked up the much heralded British developer Rare in the fall of 2002, many saw the move as a surefire acquisition that instantly added credibility to Microsoft as a legitimate player in the console market. With a library that included many of the N64’s greatest hits, and over $1 billion in revenue during the preceding 5yrs, Microsoft looked to have snatched the golden egg right out from under Nintendo’s nose. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned for Rare on the original Xbox. In fact, the company’s performance could be summed up as lukewarm at best. The house that Goldeneye built managed to squeeze out only two titles for Microsoft’s big black box, and neither lived up to the huge expectation that fans had for the company. The lack of a bona fide hit on the Xbox left a lot of gamers wondering what happened to that Rare magic that was so prevalent in the Nintendo era.

Well it’s a brand new generation, and in the gaming industry; you’re only as good as your latest game. In this case, Kameo: Elements of Power, an action adventure game that has been in development for what seems like an eternity. Few games have had more hurdles to overcome during development than this one. Well, few that ever make release that is. Kameo has not only jumped multiple platforms in its five year development cycle, but also multiple generations. The game was even thought to have been shelved in late 2004 but it seems nothing was going to keep this tenacious elf off store shelves.

You play the title role of Kameo, an elf princess who must master the ability of transformation in order to free her captive family from the clutches of her depraved sister, all the time fending off a colossal troll invasion. The gameplay is based around the ability to transform Kameo into a number of elemental warriors, basically a bunch of unique monsters. Each warrior has specific skills and abilities that are essential to your success. At the beginning of the game you have only one creature at your disposal, with another nine scattered throughout the world just ripe for the collecting. The transformation gameplay not only gives the game a healthy dose of variety; it also helps progress things at an appropriate pace. As you regain the elemental warriors you gain certain powers and abilities that allow you to reach different areas and also the necessary abilities to take on specific boss battles. It’s a touch reminiscent of something we’ve seen in games like Metroid or Zelda, where certain paths open up only when you’ve achieved the necessary skill or item. Take Major Ruin for instance, an armored powerhouse that looks like the twisted love child of an armadillo and a miniature elephant. Major Ruin can morph into a whirling ball and propel over ramps or other obstacles, obstacles that would normally block your path to the next objective.  The rest of the creatures are just as unique, from the punitive punching power of the plant like creature Pummel Weed to the cliff climbing and ice shard shelling yeti named Chilla.  Each of the creatures echo the respective elements as well, like Ash the fire breathing dragons close affiliation to the element of fire, and Chilla’s cold connection to snow and ice. The shear variety of creatures (and therefore skills) really keeps the core gameplay fresh. Whether you’re shooting, swimming, boxing, climbing, or mastering any of the other abilities, the developers do a great job of presenting you with the next Elemental Warrior at the perfect time.
 
The custom of retrieving the strewn warriors has always been a difficult task for each generation of chosen one, but Kameo has more on her plate then just the traditional pilgrimage. Each elemental warrior is guarded within a spirit troll that serves as a mini-boss. The shadow trolls are vicious foes that must be defeated in order to absorb the warrior and thus the ability to transform. This is one area in the game where a little variety would have gone a long way. The shadow trolls do get progressively harder as you go along, however the process for defeating each is relatively the same and can get somewhat monotonous.



Last, but certainly not least, Kameo must rescue each of her captive family members, three in all, and this is where things really get interesting. Each member is detained in a different location, and while the boss fight at the end is definitely the cherry on top, getting there really is half the fun. The path to each of the enslaved family members is riddled with obstacles requiring use of one, or in many cases multiple, elemental warriors. You will find yourself quickly switching warriors on the fly in order to chain the necessary skills together. For instance, you may need to launch yourself over a ramp using Major Ruin, and quickly change to Chilla in midair in order to grab onto the ice covered cliff walls. Taking on the bosses also requires you to switch creatures on the fly, you may have to use Ash to ignite bomb plants and then swiftly toggle to Major Ruin in order to launch the explosive at the enemy. With ten creatures at your disposal, the battles become more then just twitch action affairs and do require a healthy dose of strategic brain power. A great deal of the satisfaction comes from figuring out exactly what creatures you need to use and which of there many skills to intermingle.

Although the games main objectives must be accomplished in a linear fashion, there is also a huge world to explore. You can spend hours traversing the beautiful landscapes, taking on a mix of side-quests that range from unthawing frozen children trapped in a castle, to helping a farmer water his fields. You will also be called upon several times in your quest to join the Elfin Army’s effort against the advancing troll armed forces. These interludes help break up the standard missions with tasks that range from taking out huge bomb blasting assault vehicles to destroying an enormous airship bent on wiping out the protective force field surrounding your kingdom. As if this wasn’t enough, you can also upgrade each of your warriors by collecting the set number of elemental fruit for each upgrade. The fruit is hidden throughout the world and can also be obtained by completing many of the side quests. In addition to the fruit, you will also find coins concealed throughout the world, provided by breaking vases, chests and other items. You can spend your bounty at the local shops where you’ll find larger coin purses, elemental fruit, or even new skins for your warriors. Rounding out the available collectibles are the four Crystal Eyes (Restoration, Strength, Spirit, and Protection) in the game, each of which provides one or more boosts to Kameo’s powers. The story mode could probably be breezed through in around ten hours but with all the extra’s your probably looking at around fifteen hrs or so, a decent length for any action game in this day and age. The game does feature an in-game hint system, but I definitely only recommend this for younger players or gamers new to the genre. The real challenge, and thus reward, of Kameo is figuring out what elemental Warriors are needed for each situation, and the hint system takes out all the guess work. While I’m on the subject, I also recommend that you use the warp gates sparingly. Getting from destination by horse or foot allows you to explore the vast lands and is a necessity if you plan on completing side quests or finding the many hidden items scattered about.

Overall the gameplay in Kameo can be summed up in one word, entertaining. Sure, we’ve seen some of these ideas implemented in other games before but never quite like this. The innovative take on action/puzzle solving and the rewarding progression of new warriors to play with keep Kameo fresh and fun for the entire length. The nice mix of objectives and the sensation that there are so many things to see and do make Kameo a must have adventure for any fan of the genre.