The last two times we saw a Rare game appear on a console we were disappointed, to say the least. Grabbed by the Ghoulies was a sub-par adventure with poor controls, and Conker: Live and Reloaded was a remake of an N64 game that attempted to be amusing by making references to movies that came out last century. To make matters worse, their next console project was a title that we had seen in various forms, none of them very compelling. So, in short, we weren’t expecting much – if anything – out of Kameo: Elements of Power as a launch title for the Xbox 360.

Well, color us surprised. Though Kameo isn’t a system-seller, and it’s littered with incomplete ideas, unmet potential, and a pile of strange design choices, it still manages to be good fun. It doesn’t hurt that the game looks absolutely gorgeous running on the new hardware. Does it scream, “next gen”? Not entirely, but there are some truly incredible visuals to be found. The level of detail on the character models is very impressive, as are just about all the environments. From the fields of grass to the stony mountain tops, Rare offers up a lush, immersive landscape through which you’ll travel as Kameo or one of her many forms.



So let’s talk about those first: Kameo’s forms. To begin the game, you have three forms: a brutish abominable snowman character, a portly reptile-like creature who can roll up in a ball, and a plant…who punches things. Kameo has been given the power to shape shift and her jealous sister, feeling overlooked and neglected, has imprisoned her family and freed the troll king, who is know waging war on all elves. After finishing the first level, your forms are lost and from there on you must track down each of the forms as well as rescue your individual family members.

The biggest problem with the forms that Kameo can take is that none of them are very compelling. The game is reminiscent of Majora’s Mask, if that game had no memorable characters, and the different shapes Link took weren’t of any interest whatsoever. Some forms, like the aforementioned Pummel Weed, seem slightly arbitrary and absurd. However, at least Pummel Weed’s ability to move underground is useful at multiple points in the game. Some forms only get used once or twice and are then forgotten about.



And this is just a hint of Kameo’s biggest problem. It feels like a game with a lot of ideas, but none of them ever fully realized. The villages you visit are beautiful, and the villagers are well designed. Unfortunately, there aren’t any plot devices implemented to make you remember them, like you remember the Gorons or the Zoras from the Zelda franchise. And then there’s the much publicized, gigantic battle scene that takes place in the game’s overworld. It looks cool, yes. But other than a few random side-quests, it’s never fully utilized. It’s almost as though Rare threw it that scene in there to simply show off the power of the 360.

Despite this, as mentioned, Kameo still manages to be fun to play and the world Rare has created is enjoyable to travel through. The story isn’t exactly award-winning, but it’s enough to motivate you to progress further. Boss battles are especially entertaining, and bring back the warm and fuzzy feelings we had from playing Banjo-Kazooie. But beyond the pretty visuals and charming fantasy-adventure setting, Kameo is simply a pretty game that shamelessly apes things like The Lord of the Rings and The Legend of Zelda. Unfortunately, it does so unconvincingly.



Article By: John