Kameo: Elements of Power – 360 – Preview 2

Kameo:
Elements of Power is a simple tale of good versus evil. Kameo is a fairy-like creature who
can morph into other creatures, making her a valued warrior. But when called
upon to rescue her mother, Kameo faces the boss monster, is soundly whooped,
robbed of her powers and must start again to regain her confidence as well as
the power to unleash other warrior types upon the minions that block her path to
another showdown.

 

In
order to unlock those skills, Kameo will have to defeat shadow trolls, and they
usually are not solo mobs, and yes – there is a trick to beating them.
Eventually she can unlock 10 different mobs (the final one is the mighty
Thermite, who launches fire bombs and can do some devastating Area of Effect –
or AoE – attacks), but she can only assign four of them to the hotkeys, so
determining which ones to take into one of the more than 200 levels in the game
is a key to success. Power, or mana, for special attacks are tied to the
individual characters that Kameo can become (you can see her inside the form of
the monsters, giving a delightful sense that she is in control of the beast and
not the other way around), which encourages players to swap between the
different beasts during the context of the game.

 


Kameo: Elements of Power Xbox 360 screenshots

 

The
game is not just about combat, but has some decent puzzle-solving elements as
well. And when speaking of combat, all those are tied to the left and right
triggers, all of which makes for a simple interface. The camera is controlled by
the right thumbstick and movement is attached to the left thumbstick. And there
is a focus mode to enable players to slow the game, and fire off some solid
combination moves.

 


Navigating through the world is not a chore either. The game has a map
superimposed over a corner of the environment, giving players the direction they
are facing and showing where the destination is. Getting to that destination is
not simply a matter of walking there – what fun would that be. There are
sometimes hundreds of minions in the way.
 


 

The
game was originally designed to be an Xbox title, but quickly was moved to the
360 platform when the dev team realized they could not achieve the graphical
effects they wanted on the Xbox platform. And that look is dazzling. From the
water effects to the environment texturing and lighting effects, Kameo is a
remarkable achievement.

 


Kameo: Elements of Power Xbox 360 screenshots

 

That it
plays well is a solid bonus. Kameo is a diverse game, that should find a home
with a wide range of players, from experienced to inexperienced. The gameplay may
be a little simple, but if any title shows the diversity and beauty of the
graphical splendor that will be showcased on the 360, this is the title that
will do it.