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LTTP - Kameo: Elements of Power

250px-Kameo_boxart.jpg


Spoilers, of course. But since it came out in 2005, you should know better than to expect me to cover them up. Anyway...

As a semi-recent owner of the Xbox 360 (got the red Resident Evil bundle early last year) I’ve made an effort to catch up with the earlier titles on the system, starting with the launch titles. Kameo was the first on my list to try. Back before the 360 came out, Kameo was easily the title I was most excited about. I hadn’t heard the greatest things about Kameo. I knew that it looked and sounded fantastic (though I did wonder if both held up over four years after their release), but what about the game itself? Most of what I heard was that it had potential but was unrealised, not least due to its incredibly short length.

And after playing it, would that be a valid criticism? Most definitely. The game is short, but not in the sense that it’s over before you know it - no, this is still a 10-15 hour game (it actually took me nearly 20 hours since I took my time to soak everything in). No, the reason why it’s too short is because what’s there is actually very good, but could have so much more fleshed out. Not to say its mechnics are flawless, but considering its troubled development and the fact it was a launch title, it’s impressively fun, cohesive and deep.


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Whether it be day or night, the Enchanted Kingdom is magical.


For those who don’t know, Kameo is an action-adventure game in the purest sense. There’s a great deal of exploration to be found here, and doing so will reward you with various items that help make you stronger and more versatile. This includes fruit (of which there are 100 pieces – these can be used to grant your warriors extra moves in combat), elixirs to increase your max health, and several crystals that boost your abilities (but negatively affect others at the same time, making them balanced). Most warriors have abilities that help you gain access to new area - in a very similar way to series like Zelda and Metroid, you’ll see items and areas you can’t reach until you acquire the right elemental warrior to get you there. Unfortunately, this does lead to several warriors being glorified ‘keys’ (albeit very fun keys), but their versatility in combat usually makes up for it.

Which brings me to the combat – I was expecting it to be pretty mindless and repetitive like most brawlers are, but there’s actually a great deal of variety in Kameo. Each of your warriors has a variety of moves that can be used to take down trolls – you’ll end up mostly using Pummel Weed since he effortlessly unlocks focus (slow-mo) mode, but a bit of playing around and experimentation can be very rewarding. Grabbing trolls with Chilla and chucking them off cliffs or into explosive barrels; creating a pillar of flame with Ash and leading trolls into it; dragging trolls in the abyss with Deep Blue; and more are just some of the ways you can finish them off in brutal fashion. There are also various elemental various, a cheap tactic perhaps to force you to use a variety of warriors, but it works. The various multipliers that are rewarded for clever/fast kills also add replay value and incentive to complete the A-rank challenges in the game’s action stages. Most of the stages are the classic ‘beat one room, move onto the next’-style temples, but the formula works fine and Rare throw in just enough set-pieces and variety to keep things from becoming tedious and repetitive.


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Killing trolls somehow never manages to get old.


The real creativity comes with the game's boss battles. They are simply spectacular, and superior to any Zelda boss battle in recent times. They’re difficult, but not too hard. They’re gorgeous to look at and are really quite intricate. All of them require use of multiple warriors, and it’s these battles where the game’s creativity truly comes alive. The Snow Temple boss is one of the best bosses I have ever faced, and I’ve played a shitload of games. It’s ingenious and fun as heck. Even better is the fact that the boss is not just randomly placed at the end of the temple – nope, it comes into play right at the beginning, eerily watching you from above and attempting to impede your progress. It makes finally reaching and defeating the bastard so satisfying. It’s moments like those that I couldn’t help but think “damn, Rare’s still got it”.

But, of course, it’s not all good.

The main issue I have with Kameo – aside from some small control issues (falling off cliffs because of poor turning circles is quite common in Kameo) and other minor things that I’ll get to later, is simply that there is so much potential here, but the game doesn’t make the most of it. In fact, you don’t get the final elemental warrior until right before the last stage, and it’s a real shame too because that particular warrior (Thermite) is especially fun to use. Indeed, quite a few of the warriors are underutilized – 40 Below has his moments but aside from the Snow Temple boss and a couple of ice slides in Snow Pass is pretty much unused, Snare is only used for two puzzles (one which was a bit obtuse, even for a Zelda veteran like me) and a boss fight, Rubble is used for a few early fun puzzles and isn’t seen after that (although he absolutely rocks the hidden tests), Flex is only used in Snow Pass, and Ash is too slow for the combat and is essentially only used to light torches and burn ice blocks. It’s frustrating because you can see how much potential is there, but there just isn’t many opportunities to use it. The game sometimes combines the powers of two warriors (such as Major Ruin and Chilla) but these moments are few and far between, which is a real shame.


kameo-elements-of-power-20051004105123940_640w.jpg

Ash isn't as good in combat as he should have been.


That said, at least Rare managed to get the most out of a few warriors – Pummel Weed is brilliant in combat, Major Ruin is used constantly for traversing the environment (and for good reason, since his morph-ball-esque mechanics are brilliant), Chilla is used for a great deal of climbing and puzzles that require projectiles, and Deep Blue virtually gets a whole temple to himself. This guy gets a very bad rap from most Kameo players, since his underwater controls are different from the norm. Me? Once I learned to NOT touch the right stick and instead solely use the left stick, the controls were fine. Play around with them and figure them out and the water temple boss (a sticking point for many) is no problem. I’m not making excuses for Rare either. Deep Blue controls ok. Weird, but ok.

As for the warriors themselves, they are full of personality and superbly animated. Despite there being two warriors for each element, they are all varied and distinct, and a real pleasure to play with. Especially of note is Flex, who is hilarious to watch and listen too. To be honest though, perhaps Rare would have been better off sticking with maybe five warriors, instead of ten. That would have allowed them to flesh out the warriors, give them some more moves and ensure that the level design got the most out of them. Instead, we got four or five that reached their potential and the rest were sorely underused.


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Flex is awesome.


The overworld itself doesn't quite live up to its potential either. It's generic in design - essentially a round hub (not unlike OOT) with entrances to the game's various areas along the border. There's not much to find unfortunately - there are only about 8-10 abandoned houses overall, and though these do feature helpful items (including new skins for your warriors, which all look pretty cool) and a few secret caves, you can't help but feel that the game could have done a lot more with it. There was definitely potential for multiple towns or dungeons, so it's a real shame that it turned out so simple and barren. That said, the game does chuck a few set-pieces into the overworld every time you complete a dungeon most of which involve you having to protect shrines, and though these moments aren't particularly special, they do help keep you on your toes and prevent the game from becoming too formulaic in its structure. Indeed, the instance where you are midway through snow pass and suddenly need to rescue the kingdom is really quite engrossing.

Yet, for all its faults, the experience itself is just too magical for me to really care. I’m not saying that these problems don’t exist, nor that they don’t matter – they most certainly do. But sometimes a game can really draw you in and make you forget about some of the things that you would otherwise take more notice of, and I think Kameo is just one of those games. The world – while decidedly generic – captures the fantasy feel perfectly. There’s a real serene, ethereal feel to the world of Kameo, and it’s something that I’ve rarely experienced in a game before. It’s a combination of many things – not least superb art and visual design.

Kameo is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous, and screens don’t do it justice. Naturally by 2010 numerous games have surpassed it, but for a launch title Kameo is damn good looking. Superb texturing, fantastic lighting, brilliant particle effects (throne room goddamn), an incredible draw distance, and a real attention to detail make Kameo a visual feast. The best looking area in the game is most definitely the Forest Glade, an early area that just looks ridiculously good in motion. Rare put a lot of effort into that area and it shows. Most of the other areas in the game also look great, particularly the Enchanted Kingdom. If the initial foray in Thorn’s Castle doesn’t impress, then stepping out into the Kingdom surely will. That place is simply magical. I also have to mention the treasure cave in Mountain Falls, for some reason the lighting and shadowing in that area really wowed me.


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The garden in the Enchanted Kingdom is simply beautiful.


It’s not all great, however. Some areas are a fair step back visually, and it’s these areas where the game’s troubled development makes you think that they didn’t get quite as much attention in the rush to release. Prior to playing the game I had heard that the game was unbalanced in its visuals – and this is true to an extent, though I was surprised at how consistent the visuals actually are throughout the game. The only places that look average are areas within the Badlands and the gateway to Thorn’s Pass, which is positively ugly and I have no idea how that one didn’t get looked at. The areas surrounding the Badlands look fine, it's the stuff in the middle that is simply too sparse and dull. Rare made a big deal about having tons of enemies on screen at once, and though it definitely improves the scope of the overworld and helps convey the battle (and it's a ton of fun to plow through trolls on your horse), all of the trolls animate virtually the same in cut-scenes, which looks odd and prevents it from being truly spectacular.

The character design, for the most part, is pretty good – as mentioned the warriors are superbly designed, but the various NPCs throughout the game also look pretty great, particularly the ones in the Kingdom with their excellent fur shading. The ‘human’ characters, however, are not so good. Kameo herself is generic and, really, totally uninspired. In fact, the warriors completely steal the show, and since you only use Kameo occasionally throughout the game anyway, she’s not nearly compelling enough for someone who has the game named after them. Her various relatives, who you save throughout the game, are pretty dodgy in their design as well, though I did have a soft spot for Yeros and the Mystic.


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The badlands, whilst impressive in scope, suffers from mediocre texturing and sparse areas.


Animations can be a bit rough too. The warriors and NPC animate great, but Kameo looks ridiculous when running, so you’ll get used to pressing the hover button whenever using her. Lip-synching is also pretty poor. The game also features a few pre-rendered cut-scenes, and these aren’t very good at all. They have this weird cell-shading look to them, but Rare didn’t commit enough to it, so they come off looking pretty ugly. The final cut-scene is well-designed though, I will give them credit for that, but I think most of that has to do with the freaking awesome music.


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Snow Pass is probably the best-designed area in the game, requiring the use of nearly all your elemental warriors.


Which brings me to the soundtrack. God damn. If you ever wanted to hear what Zelda should sound like, this is basically it. Completely orchestrated, it’s simply a treat for the ears. Early on in a game you’ll hear The Legend Unfolds, a theme that reccurs during the game’s various temples. This is simply one of the best tracks I’ve heard in a long time in gaming, and it has to be heard in-game to really appreciate. Hearing it as I was making my way up Thorn’s Castle was one of those magical moments in gaming – it gave me chills, and I haven’t had that kind of feeling in a while. Other great pieces of music throughout the game include Thorn's Pass, Lament of Solon, and the Water Temple battle. The subdued stuff is great as well, particularly the various house and cave themes you hear through the game, one of my favourites being Cave of Echoes. Also, although the Hero's Theme ended up being the game’s theme, the original intended theme can be found in one of the game’s houses. There was also a piece of music that was scrapped for some reason – Feast of Kings, which can be heard in Forest Glade Cafe’s jukebox. It’s brilliant. That said, the whole soundtrack is quality – it’s easily one of the most consistent soundtracks I’ve heard. Steve Burke did an amazing job with this game. If there’s one thing we can all agree on about Rare, it’s that they’ve never really lost their ability to create outstanding music – hence why the loss of several key composers in recent times is such a shame.

The voice-acting isn't quite as good. Some of it is ok - in fact a lot of the NPCs are voiced well and have a great deal of character - but once again, Kameo herself strikes out hard. Thorn turns out to be pretty lame too – his lines are completely generic. Also, something I noticed immediately was that he appears HUGE in the pre-rendered cut-scenes, but he’s not big at all when you end up facing him at the end. Thought that was pretty odd. The story itself isn't anything particularly special, but it's conveyed well-enough and the superb musical score makes it seem a bit more epic than it actually is. There's a "twist" towards the end, but the constant (and painfully obvious) hints towards it ruin any chance of it having an impact. The actual ending sequence, however, was surprisingly engrossing and though cliche, a suitable finish to the game. Kameo does a much better job of creating a fantasy world than it does in creating a fantasy story.


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Did I mention Flex is awesome?


Is Kameo the game that it could have been? No. Rare had a potential classic with this game, and for as much promise as it had, it never quite reaches the brilliance that it should have. But, when you consider how many times it switched platforms and the fact that it was rushed to launch, Kameo is a pretty damn good game. I can’t help but think about how good it could have been if Microsoft gave them another year to develop, but what we got is still a pretty magical experience. There’s a real charm to Kameo – it pulled off the feel of a fantasy game really well, and when you consider how rare games like this are these days, you really start to appreciate what Rare managed to create – a team that was being rushed to the deadline to make launch, and one that was under real pressure to deliver. The great thing is that Kameo turned out well. The bad thing is that it could have been so much more. But what we got is still something pretty special, and it’s one of those games I’ll look back on with real fondness.


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For those of you who have never played it and are considering it, I really encourage you pick it up and see what you think. It's an experience that you don't get too often in the HD generation, and there's a certain magic to Kameo that you rarely get these days. For those of you who have played it, what are your experiences with the game?
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Wow, what a LTTP thread.

I still haven't played Kameo yet, I bought the 360 a couple years after launch.
I'll have to try it, though, it sounds pretty cool.
 
Absolutely beautiful game. I played it pretty late myself (about a year and a half ago) and was stunned by the quality of the game and its production values.

The only thing I remember disliking was the underwater controls of the water character. Other than that, it was an impressive game all around.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Big Papa Husker said:
I just saw that my GS had this for $5.99. Maybe I should pick it up...

Yeah, I just looked it up.
The cheap price and this great OP is enough convincing for me, I'll get it next time I'm near GS.
Plus I <3 Rare so it should be a no brainer.
 
Wow, strange. Literally like 10 minutes ago I was thinking "I never played Kameo...Wonder if it ended up being any good." Come upstairs, check GAF and...Here's a Kameo thread.
 

goldenpp72

Member
kameo is a wonderful game but it was a fragmented enjoyment to me, the main game is fun, over time rare added a lot of fun modes that are INSANELY hard to win, getting ALL achievements in kameo was one of the hardest things ever (especially since one mode requires a team mate as good or better than you)

It's not perfect though, it's short, and not 10-15 hours short, i think I beat it my first time in 10 hours and that was with being a completionist, if my memory serves a second playthrough was like 3 or 4 hours.

However for the price it goes for now, anyone who doesn't own it is a fool, it's a rare entity on the xbox/playstation side in terms of style and theme, a next generation nintendo style game.
 
I played it at launch and enjoyed it. I won't go back to it ever as I fear I wouldn't feel the same love for it, and I want to keep my happy memories.

I remember the battles blowing me away with the number of characters on screen. I wonder how that looks now... :lol
 
I bought Kameo launch day with my 360 and six other games. It was easily my favorite of the lot. Rare was able to do so much with the hardware so early. Kameo was a short game but it deserved to do way better than it did. Loved the music in it too. Here's to hoping Rare might have a sequel to announce at E3.
 

bill.cosby

Neo Member
I bought this back around launch for $50. It was worth it at the time for that price, so to get it now for about 10% of that price is a no brainer.

The scale was pretty cool in that sort of hub world part, getting on the horse and plowing over hundreds of trolls was pretty awesome. I didn't care for the last boss though.

Oh and this game had co-op, albeit it was just two kameos playing thru the same level at the same time. I don't think there were any puzzles designed for two players in mind, that would've been crazy. A well thought-out, fully developed sequel would be most welcome :)
 

Roquentin

Member
One of my favorite 360 games. I remember playing it for the first time and hating it. I quit after about 30 minutes. Came back to it a few months later, got through that first level and then it clicked. I think the problem was that I thought it would play like a platformer. When I finally got what the game really is, I've had no problems with controls (including underwater stages). Replayed it a year later and still loved it. Also, playing it for A-rankings felt quite different than a normal playthrough (especially in Forgotten Forest).

And Kameo's soundtrack is amazing.
 

Peff

Member
Why did Steve Burke have to leave Rare ;_;? Really like the game, love the soundtrack. It's a shame there aren't many whimsical adventure games like this nowadays.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Great game, one of my favourites for 360 (as I absolutely hate shooters I prefer less violent games) and I'm sad it didn't receive a sequel. There is so much potential left unused...
 

skyfinch

Member
It's the only launch game that I still own. The only things I've never liked about Kameo are trigger buttons as action buttons. I know they used the face buttons so you can change characters quickly, but they could have given us the option to use the D-pad instead. Triggers don't fit very well with this type of game. I also wished every character had something as basic as a jump button.

Second, what really pissed me off are the amount of sections that involve you to push round objects around.

Graphically, it still holds up today. The texture would is stunning and there's so much detail in the foliage. Great characters, pretty good story, fantastic music.
It's too bad this game didn't sell very good. A sequel could have been something fresh thrown into the mix of racers and shooters on the Xbox.

I'm sure you can find the game for next to nothing now. Highly recommended.
 

Darth Sonik

we need more FPS games
It was definitely a flawed gem, but a gem none the less.

It gets off to a fairly slow and pretty frustrating start, which takes a long time to get through. Once it hits its stride it is very enjoyable, except for the under-water section. Once you get Thermite you want to revel in this great new warrior, but alas it was too near the end of the game.
 

TripOpt55

Member
Yeah, I liked this game. It was pretty cool. Not without it's issues, but still good. I would have liked to have seen an improved sequel. I think that would have had a lot of potential.
 

Hartt951

Member
I got my 360 on launch day at Costco, and it was bundled with Kameo. At first I was like 'wtf is this fairy bs game', but once I played it I was blown away. The game is just insanely fun and the graphics are great, even for a 5 year old game. If Rare made a sequel, I would be a very happy gamer.
 

Speevy

Banned
Got it free with E10M contest. If I had known then that it would be the only action/adventure game of its type on the Xbox 360 for 5 years, I could have given it more praise.
 

vMaxx

Member
Foliorum Viridum said:
I played it at launch and enjoyed it. I won't go back to it ever as I fear I wouldn't feel the same love for it, and I want to keep my happy memories.

I remember the battles blowing me away with the number of characters on screen. I wonder how that looks now... :lol
Exactly
 

Zaphod

Member
After I got through the castle level with the rolling I really dug it. I rented it since I knew it was short, I should go pick it up again to replay it. Thanks for the OP.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
This was my first Xbox 360 game - I sold it a couple years later, but I may just pick it up again. I remember the graphics back then being amazing (the art styles of Rare never disappoint) but I just never desired to finish it.

Looking back now, it really is unique and I definitely would not mind if Rare eventually developed a sequel.
 

goldenpp72

Member
Karram said:
I loved Kameo so much. Its really depressing that there will never be a sequel for this game any time soon :(

Never anytime soon?

So should I assume no kameo 2 ever or kameo 2 eventually :(
 

Jacobi

Banned
I picked it up last year. Didn't like it at all, I stopped playing it after 2 hours... So there wasn't really a party for me
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
Speevy said:

Except with Nuts and Bolts - I really like Rare's art style.

And then there's that Xbox game where the art style was pretty horrid...
 

GHG

Gold Member
Still one of the best looking games on the 360. THE best looking in places even.

This game was the most fun I had on my 360 in the 2 years I had it before I sold it in 2008. Massively overlooked and underrated title, so much so that its criminal.

The game got lost in the hype of the 360 launch and wasn't fairly reviewed due to rediculously high expectations. Funny thing is, if the game was released now rather than at launch it'd get better reviews and it'd have a bigger following.
 

a.wd

Member
wow what an OP, much respect. Loved the game, the underwater bit stopped me completing it. When people talk about amazing graphics these days and art style, and don't mention Kameo I literately shake my head, amazing at the time still holds up now and seriously unde-rated.

Dammit, now I'm probably going to go back and finish it.
 
So where's the sequel to this great game?

Why does rare waste their time with games like Nuts & Bolts though its pretty obvious which game should get a sequel?
 

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
I can underatand why people hate the art design, the game itself wasn't that bad. In some ways, games like Primal and Folkore are sort of similar. The hate is way over blown IMO, but then it usually is.
 
I just played this for the first time about 6 months ago. Definitely had some fun with it, but also wasn't sad when it was over, as I was eager to move onto something else. It was good enough to make me think that I should check out some of Rare's other games from this gen (which I have yet to do).

The graphics are impressive even by today's standards, but Rare sure does go out of their way to come up with the most hideous character designs ever.
 

Fun Factor

Formerly FTWer
truly101 said:
I can underatand why people hate the art design, the game itself wasn't that bad. In some ways, games like Primal and Folkore are sort of similar. The hate is way over blown IMO, but then it usually is.


The art design wasn't any more overblown than a Zelda or Mario game.

Loved every minute of the game. While I thought it was short too, I honestly was glad they didn't add filler like other games do to pad out the game. Collecting 100 piece of whatever or backtracking through every town to get one new power would have just dragged the game, even if it meant it would be a 40 hour game.
 

Shiggy

Member
Peff said:
Why did Steve Burke have to leave Rare ;_;?

He wanted some of his work to see the light of the day. Having worked on Kameo for four years probably wasn't that much fun either. But as all of the successive prototypes (including Kameo 2, the others were not revealed but had a more "adult" style when compared to Viva Pinata or Banjo) were cancelled, it was kind of 'hopeless'. It was a similar situation with David Wise, whose works were cancelled too (e.g. Sabreman Stampede).
To clarify the situation of Kameo 2, the material that was leaked was part of a prototype. There were different concepts floating around the office until it was shattered altogether in 2008 by the higher ups.
 
Great OP, Kameo never got as much attention as it deserved so it's nice to see such a comprehensive LTTP topic for it.

I picked up a 360 in early 2007 and hadn't enjoyed anything I had played, so I wasn't expecting much when I downloaded the Kameo demo. Boy, was I wrong. I must have completed that demo upwards of 30 times and played virtually nothing else for weeks until I finally found a second hand copy for £9.

As soon as I popped the disc in and saw the Enchanted Kingdom I was absolutely blown away, visually it light years ahead of the PS2 games I had been previously playing. I was already hooked on the gameplay from the demo, but I wasn't prepared for the way the warriors worked in perfect harmony during combat to let you rack up insane scores. And to top it all off Kameo's soundtrack featured some of Steve Burke's best work to date with a wonderful orchestral score that puts most games to shame.

I still think about the game on a regular basis and it's a source of constant regret that I no longer have a working 360 to play the game on. Even more painful than that is the knowledge that a sequel was being made and it was killed off by Microsoft because the first game didn't sell anywhere near as well as it deserved to. It suffered because it was released at the wrong time, when most 360 owners wanted gritty realistic games rather than a brightly coloured adventure game - and to this day there is still nothing similar to Kameo on the system.
 
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