Kameo: Elements of Power
| Kameo: Elements of Power | |
|---|---|
| Kameo: Elements of Power box art | |
| Developer(s) | Rare |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Designer(s) | George Andreas |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release | November 9, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Kameo: Elements of Power is a video game launched for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console and developed at Rare beginning circa 2001 for the GameCube.
Plot
Template:Spoiler When Theena the elf queen gives her daughter Kameo the power of self transformation, her sister Kalus grows jealous, and releases the ancient curse which held the Evil Troll King Thorn captive. Unleashing his army upon the world, Thorn captures the three Ancestors and the ten Elemental warriors. Guided by the Mystic, Kameo must rescue them all, and ultimately defeat Thorn. She battled through the badlands and each of the elemental temples to rescue her ancestors: Halis, Lenya, and Yeros. She in turn defeated 3 demons who held her ancestors. She also helped repel the troll invasion of the Enchanted Kingdom by protecting the 3 elemental shrines. Eventually she saught to confront Thorn in his domain. Farron, the army general, lead a full scale assault on the Troll forces while Kameo made her way to Thorn's Pass. There she confronted Lord Drok, a huge hulking robot made by the Trolls. The Trolls then lead an airship strike consisting of thousands of ships. Kameo sabotaged the ships and finally made her way to Thorn. In the end Kalus comes to her senses, and after Kameo as worn Thorn down, Kalus turns herself and Thorn into stone. It is also revealed that the Mystic was manipulating both Kameo, and Kalus. The mystic's motives are unknown but it is assumed that the mystic wanted the power of the elemental warriors. It is also known that she held an orb that could allow her to transform into the elemetal warriors. If Kameo had not gone to Thorn's pass the Mystic would have taken the Wotnot book from her. The Mystic flees at the end of the game and there is possibly a sequel in the works.
The game appears to draw heavily from Nintendo generally, Banjo-Kazooie and The Legend of Zelda specifically.
Elemental Warriors
Pummel Weed | |
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| Description | |
One of Kameo’s original three Elemental Warriors, Pummel Weed winds up and delivers a punch worth a thousand words. A humanoid plant with large boxing gloves. It is used in the game primarily as a melee fighter. It can also burrow through the ground to escape from foes or slide under gates. It likes water, sun, boxing, and the Rocky films. It dislikes fire. | |
| Obtained | |
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Available at beginning of game. Reobtained by defeating the first Shadow Troll in the Enchanted Kingdom | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Chilla | |
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| Description | |
Chilla, the glacial yeti, is big, brawny, and earnest about walloping Trolls. With the help of the Element of Power, Kameo wears Chilla like a living fur coat. At her command, this blue yeti slings icicles, hurls foes, and swings Trolls around by their ankles. It is the only form that can climb up ice walls, and it is good, but not great - at both close and long-range combat. It likes snowmen and King Kong, but dislikes snow angels. | |
| Obtained | |
| Available at beginning of game. Reobtained by defeating Corallis in the Water Temple. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Major Ruin | |
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| Description | |
Kameo inherited Major Ruin along with the Element of Power. This roly-poly Warrior will plow through anything not nailed down. He moves fast and ramps up the rock-and-bowl just when Kameo needs it the most! He is a bizarre cross between an elephant and an armadillo, but made of stone. He is used primarily for movement, rather than combat. It likes bowling and Rollerball, but dislikes the circus. | |
| Obtained | |
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Available at beginning of game. Reobtained by defeating the third Shadow Troll in Lobster Hollow. | |
| Baic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Rubble | |
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| Description | |
When Rubble comes rumbling in, anyone not on Kameo’s side had better skedaddle! This fella is one of the bolder Elemental Warriors. Rubble is an amorphous pile of spiked rocks. It is good for attacking many enemies at the same time, but becomes very vulnerable after many of its attacks. It likes Avalanche and Rock & Roll, and dislikes moss. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat the second Shadow Troll in the Mushroom Cave. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Ash | |
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| Description | |
Ash is a red dragon that has got firepower (literally) to spare. Although his attacks aren’t as varied as some of the other Elemental Warriors, they can dish out a lot of damage. Ash is totally geared toward offense, and isn't very useful for exploration. It has very powerful attacks, and can also heal itself. Even though it has wings, they are too small for it to fly. It likes Godzilla and maidens, and dislikes knights. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat Old Maawood in the Forest Temple. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Deep Blue | |
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| Description | |
Deep Blue is an octopus with the head of a fish, and is most at home in the water, where he can blast powerful torpedoes at his foes. With some upgrades he is surprisingly flexible, and his abilities compliment the other Elemental Warriors very well. It is primarily used for underwater navigation, and setting up combos on land for other Warriors. It likes swimming and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and dislikes fishing. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat the fourth Shadow Troll in Summit Spring. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Flex | |
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| Description | |
Flex is a gelatinous, tentacled, sea lily. It is chiefly used for exploration, like Major Ruin. It is decent at melee if only one enemy is present. It likes Octopussy and sea monkeys, but dislikes stiff people. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat the fifth Shadow Troll in Sulfur Cavern | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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40 Below | |
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| Description | |
40 Below is an ice man with a snowball for legs that's most at home in the snowy mountains, but he can bring his chilling powers to bear in any battle, anywhere. It has decent offense, but is very quick, albeit difficult to control. It likes popsicles and Frosty the Snowman and dislikes the sun. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat the sixth Shadow Troll in the Crystal Grotto. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Snare | |
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| Description | |
Snare is an immensely powerful venus flytrap with vicious jaws that make short work of any Troll unlucky enough to get caught in them. It is one of the best offensive fighters in the game. It likes water, sun, meat, and The Little Shop of Horrors. It dislikes vegetarians. | |
| Obtained | |
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Defeat Queen Thya in the Snow Temple | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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Thermite | |
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| Description | |
A fiery insect that pushes around an egg made of magma. It may be slow, well as the smallest Elemental Warrior, but Thermite packs a mighty wallop with his array of fiery, explosive mortars, which can lay waste to an entire landscape in short order. It is the most powerful Warrior in the game, in terms of collateral damage. It likes lava surfing, the movie Volcano, and dislikes exterminators. | |
| Obtainable | |
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Defeat the seventh Shadow Troll in the Ogre's Swamp. | |
| Basic Techniques | |
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| Advanced Techniques | |
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History
Kameo was originally slated for the Nintendo Gamecube and was set to be one of Rare's flagship titles for the system, along with Star Fox Adventures and Donkey Kong Racing. However, when Microsoft announced its purchase of Rare in late 2002, Kameo's future was put in question. It was decided that work would continue on the Xbox, and a planned release date of 2003 was given. After several revamps, causing repeated delays, Kameo was put on indefinite hold in late 2004. Following this, rumours began that the game was once again undergoing a platform change, this time from the Xbox to the Xbox 360, where it was finally released as a launch title. The launch of the game brought with it the sale of an official soundtrack featuring 27 musical tracks from the game. [1]
Reaction
Critical reaction was mostly positive, receiving a combined score of 81% on GameRankings[2]. Most reviewers praised it for its fun and inventive gameplay and orchestrated music, but criticised it for its rather short length.
Game reviews
- GameSpot - 8.7 out of 10
- Gamespy - 4 out of 5
- IGN - 8.4 out of 10
- GamePro - 3 out of 5
- Yahoo! Games - 4 out of 5
- 1UP.com - 7 out of 10
- Game Informer - 7.5 out of 10
- Electronic Gaming Monthly - 6.33 out of 10
Trivia
- Kameo, herself, has undergone many costume changes throughout her hopping between systems, her most famous can be unlocked as the Classic Kameo Skin.
- Rare released a skin set for Kameo and her Elemental Warriors shortly after the game's release called the Winter Warrior Pack. This dressed each character in festive, holiday-themed skins. It is currently available from Xbox Live for 200 Microsoft Marketplace Points. Rare has also shown interest in Xbox Live by releasing a free download to enable cooperative play over Xbox Live and System Link. Previously, the feature was split-screen only.
- In the Forgotten Forest, Kameo destroys a boulder in front of a man's house which is denying him access to his home. This is very similar to a mission given to the protagonists in Rare's Nintendo 64 release, Banjo-Kazooie, by the beaver Gnawty (which, in turn, was a cameo from the Donkey Kong universe) in Click Clock Woods. Upon destroying the boulder in front of the man's house, entrance is granted and a small jukebox placed upon the man's dresser will play a special remix of the Banjo-Kazooie theme with an electric guitar.
- Kameo: Elements of Power was the very first Xbox 360 game officially reviewed by GameSpot.
Gallery
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Kameo screenshot
