We Tried. We Really Tried.

For the month of May, the SuperPod Game Club was tasked with playing the Xbox 360 exclusive "Kameo: Elements of Power"; which was developed by Rare and released in 2005. Surprisingly, none of us managed to play all the way through the game. 

Let's take a look at what each member had to say about Kameo.

Tony

Sorrow flows with wind
Kameo silently weeps
Rare bows head in shame

Adam

Kameo: Elements of Power, developed by Rare and released as a launch title for the Xbox 360, is a game that, despite its creative premise, struggles to deliver a consistently enjoyable experience. While the game initially promises an intriguing adventure with its shape-shifting protagonist and fantastical world, it ultimately falters in several critical areas.

Visually, Kameo was meant to showcase the power of the Xbox 360, but the graphics feel inconsistent. The vibrant colour palette and imaginative creature designs are appealing at first glance, yet the character models and environments lack the fine details and polish seen in contemporaneous titles. This inconsistency detracts from the immersion, making some sections feel rushed or underdeveloped.

The gameplay centers around Kameo’s ability to transform into various elemental warriors, each with unique abilities. While this concept is innovative, the execution is flawed. The controls are often clunky, particularly during combat and platforming sequences, leading to a frustrating experience. The combat itself becomes repetitive quickly, with little strategy required beyond button mashing. 

Narratively, the game also falls short. The storyline is generic, populated with cliché characters and predictable plot twists that fail to engage the player. The voice acting does little to elevate the weak script, often coming across as flat and uninspired, which further hampers the game's ability to draw players into its world. I did not even get far enough to comment on the pacing of the game.

In conclusion, Kameo: Elements of Power is a game with an intriguing premise and moments of creativity that are overshadowed by its numerous flaws. The lack of polish in graphics, repetitive gameplay, and weak narrative ultimately make it a disappointing experience that fails to live up to its potential.

Thrak

Kameo was my pick and it won (sorry guys).

This game has a rather turbulent history of development starting on the Nintendo 64 before migrating to the Gamecube and Xbox before landing on the Xbox 360 as a launch title in 2005. I remember seeing this game at the demo kiosk’s and being blown away by how amazing the game looked. Bright, colorful and eye-catching are all the things that a launch game for a new console should be. Yet, how does this game play?

When you boot up the game the first thing you do is get dropped into some crazy war scene in a castle and you are tasked with getting through the thing safely all while using your abilities to defeat enemies. The big gimmick with Kameo is being able to switch between different types of creatures to use their specific abilities. For example, you can be a yeti (or as I refer to it YETAYYY) to climb ice walls and throw ice spears, a giant venus flytrap looking fuck who can box like he’s in Punch Out or an armadillo to roll around all Sonic style. This intro stage is atrocious and throwing someone into a game that has this type of depth and complex controls with not much but scrolls to vaguely tell you what to do is frankly cruel. It goes on for way too long and any sense of drama or scope is completely absent. After you finish this, Kameo gets dropped into a village where she gets tutorials from people on how to fight, which I had already figured out from the opening stage and having all the button commands on screen like it’s a Zelda game. In fact, this game feels like a Zelda clone with the map ripped from Twilight Princess (or maybe the other way around), talking to villagers, the button layouts and the sense of adventure scope. Quite frankly, a hour and a half was about all I could stomach of this game.

The month of May was rather messy for Sir Thrakington so fitting in this game that the folks didn’t seem too high on wasn’t on my list, but alas I attempted to put some time to see if I could enjoy any of it. I will say graphically the game still looks great for a 360 launch title. Cleaned up on Rare Replay really shows this game has aged fairly well and it still has some of that old-school Rare charm within it. I can’t say much more about this one unfortunately, but next month’s game I will have plenty to say about. Stay tuned kiddos…

Aaron

Kameo is nuts. I remember trying this game when Rare Replay came out and I thought it was very okay. Aggressively okay. Even then, I didn't care to play through the game.

In the year of our lord, 2024, I still couldn't bring myself to play all the way through the game. Some parts of the game are very cool - like the pause menu being a magic book and the wide open hub areas. But about 90% of the game is very meh. The ability to transform into different creatures with different playstyles and abilities is very cool, but very half-baked. 

When we decided to play the game for the Game Club in May, I decided that I'd just resume my previous playthrough from 2015. As soon as I did, I quickly realized what it was that made me quit the game in the first place: the boring and slow combat. There are so many times where the game has some really great platforming segments with cool traversal methods, but then stops you dead in your tracks and makes you fight waves of enemies for reason other than to fight them. 

Not a fan at all. 

As you can see, Kameo just didn't sit well with any of us. But if you, dear reader, are a fan of Kameo, let us know in the comments what you think about the game.

You can also join the SuperPod Game Club by joining our Discord server! 

OKAY BYE.