Kameo: Elements of Power review

Generally, when a game looks this good, we get a little suspicious. There’s usually some sort of nasty problem lurking beneath the shiny surface: the game’s too short, the action gets a little herky-jerky during crucial fights or it’s just plain no fun. But don't let Kameo's good looks fool you. The game isn’t without some minor flaws, but they don’t detract from an otherwise excellent action adventure.

Kameo includes all the elements we've come to expect from adventure games: an inexperienced hero, an enemy out to destroy all that's good and right in the world, a dash of familial infighting and hordes of gimpy baddies. But there's more to Kameo than a fairy out to save her family.

Instead of relying on traditional weapons, Kameo - we're talking about the fairy-girl now,not the actual game -transforms into any of ten different elemental warriors, each with unique powers. By "warriors", we actually mean creatures - ranging from an ice-themed apeor a walking Venus flytrap to a living pile of spiky boulders or straight-up dragon. Their powers range fromicy blasts or lava bombsor novelty smackdowns, such as the ability tograb a baddie by the head and heave him clear across the game world.

Activating each warrior's powers is as simple as pulling the left and right triggers, but you'll only succeed if you utilize theabilities when they're needed. Boss battles usually require a combination of two or more powers, so you may need to stun a boss with one elemental's attack, then quickly switch and damage it with another.