A new standard for the adventure genre.
The story centers on Kameo, an elf princess that has the ability to transform into elemental beasts with different abilities. Her evil sister kidnaps her family, and unleashes an army of trolls to attack the kingdom. Thus setting up the background of the game. Not the most original story, but it serves its purpose, and the supporting characters are great.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is slick, and original. The ability to change into different forms, adds a lot of variety to the game. Some enemies can only be defeated by using various skills your other forms have. It’s also a great way to make puzzles much more interesting. It takes a little getting used to the different forms, and how they work. But Rare did a great job making all of the forms useful and entertaining. My only real complaint is that there’s no introduction, and you’re immediately tossed into a troll castle with no explanation of the controls. The story also starts off slow, but picks up later on.
GRAPHICS
Kameo has amazing visuals by the bucket. There are lots of high rez textures, and shiny objects. But what will really catch your eye, especially on the first level, is the attention to detail in the background. You can see everything from dragons to huge clouds of smoke in the background, and all of it looks great. Although she’s not marketed as a sex symbol, Kameo herself is easy on the eyes and is very well animated.
SOUND
Kameo features a great orchestral score, and makes you feel like you’re part of the game. Nice sound effects, and voice acting, all add to the immersive soundtrack. If you have a 5.1 surround sound system, you can really take advantage of this. But even on normal TV speakers, you’ll get a great sounding game.
VALUE
Kameo is a little short for the genre, and most players can beat it in less than 10 hours. However, there are many unlockables and achievements for those willing to play through again. There is a co-op mode that can be played via Xbox Live, but it feels half-baked, and doesn’t offer anything new over the single player game.
If you can get past the frustration of being dropped into the first level, you’ll find a lot to like about this game. It needs a little more in terms of replay, and game length, but overall Kameo has some very funny moments, original characters, and great level design. The production values are very high, and all of this adds up to make a game that is a worthy addition to any adventure fan’s library.