Kameo: Elements of Power
| Kameo: Elements of Power | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Rare |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Director(s) | George Andreas |
| Producer(s) | Lee Schuneman |
| Programmer(s) | Phil Tossell |
| Artist(s) | Mark Stevenson |
| Composer(s) | Steve Burke |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 79/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | B– |
| Eurogamer | 5/10 |
| GameSpot | 8.7/10 |
| GameSpy |   |
| IGN | 8.4/10 |
| Play | 9.5/10 |
| The Times | |
Kameo: Elements of Power is a 2005 action-adventure video game by Rare and Microsoft Studios released for the Xbox 360. The player controls the title character, an elf, who journeys to recover her elemental powers and captive family from her evil sister and the troll king. Kameo's ten elemental powers let her transform into creatures and use their varied abilities to solve combat-oriented puzzles and progress through the game's levels.
Kameo is known for its prolonged development cycle, which spanned four Nintendo and Microsoft consoles. It was conceived as a Pokémon-style game of capturing and nurturing monsters, but traded its lighthearted Nintendo overtones for darker themes more befitting of Xbox audiences when Microsoft acquired the developer. In this process, Kameo was repurposed from a fairy to an elf—a transition the game's director later concluded was unsuccessful. While nearly finished for the original Xbox console, the title was delayed to become an exclusive launch title for the upcoming Xbox 360. Rare used the extra time to improve the game's audiovisuals, including Rare's first orchestral soundtrack, and add a local cooperative multiplayer mode. Kameo released alongside the Xbox 360 launches: November 2005 in North America and several weeks later in Europe.
The game received generally favorable reviews and sales estimates ranged from subpar to par. Reviewers praised Kameo's graphics as setting standards for the new console, and noted its vivid color palette. Their criticism focused on the gameplay, in particular its repetition, awkward controls, easy combat, disorganized introduction, and overbearing tutorial. Reviewers found the story and Kameo's character lackluster, but largely liked the other characters and the core morphing concept. They had high praise for the orchestral score and other technical features, apart from the game's camera. Rare released several cosmetic downloadable content packs, and a free online cooperative mode upgrade.
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