Much like the Xbox 360 console, Kameo: Elements of Power made its first public appearance this week at E3, a graphical showcase for the next-gen console’s capabilities. Since beginning development of the game on GameCube, U.K.-based developer Rare has re-coded the game for two different consoles, but the adventure game seems to have finally found its home on Xbox 360.
In the midst of jam-packed demonstrations at E3, Microsoft’s Dave Johnson made time to talk with DailyGame about the progress Rare has made with the title, as well as the things that have changed in the year since Kameo began its transition from an Xbox to an Xbox 360 title.
Kameo was originally an Xbox title, so at what point in the process did you say ‘OK, we’re going to have to ramp it up and make it an Xbox 360 title’?
Dave Johnson: It was very near close to completion. We were pretty happy with the product. But Rare and Microsoft both decided that our vision was just too great, and the goals that we had for this game were too great, that it was going to need to be bumped to the next generation just to accomplish those goals and achieve what we wanted to with the game.
So what were some of the goals and parts of that grand vision that you couldn’t do with the first Xbox?
Johnson: One of the key features is thousands of enemies fighting on the field at the same time, which was something that never could’ve been done on the Xbox and was something we definitely wanted in the game. It was very important to us to have that in there, and in order to do so we needed to go to the next generation.
But you said the game was almost done on Xbox, so how much reworking of the game engine and gameplay mechanics did you have to do given the different hardware setup and system capabilities?
Johnson: There was a lot of reworking of the graphics, but it was definitely for the better, I mean, bump-mapping, normal mapping, all those sorts of things you’re seeing going on here. The folks at Rare are amazing; they were able to port this from the Xbox to the Xbox 360 in just an insane amount of time. It didn’t take them long at all to get a full working version of this.
We understand there are some co-op options in Kameo: Elements of Power. Are the co-op options going to be split-screen, Xbox Live, or are you still trying to finalize that aspect?>
Johnson: We’re definitely still trying to work that out, but I can tell you that it’ll be split-screen for sure.
Kameo can turn into ten different creature forms during the game. Do players receive those all at once, by completing missions, by learning the spells or just simply unlocking them?
Johnson: You acquire them through various means throughout the course of the game. So while you may only start with one at the beginning, throughout the course of a level you build up your army and give yourself the ability to transform into more and more warriors as you progress through the game, and those warriors will actually help you in the game through specific puzzles that perhaps only they have the powers to solve.
We’ve seen the forest level and the orc meadow level, but how many levels are there total in Kameo: Elements of Power?
Johnson: That’s actually stuff that’s still being decided. Because we made the move to Xbox 360, we wanted to add some more in, so as far as the final number of actual levels, we haven’t decided on anything yet. I can tell you that each one is different from the next. I think players will find that each world is totally different from the ones they’ve been to before.
One of the things we’ve heard a lot about at this year’s E3 is that Microsoft is really trying to reach out to a broader audience, kids and adults alike. How does Kameo: Elements of Power fit into that equation?
Johnson: I think [reaching a broad audience] is definitely the goal. Microsoft is going to keep making games for the hardcore gamers, but at the same time make the broad-appeal games, like Kameo, that will appeal to the younger players but also appeal to players like you and me, who eat, sleep and breathe games but can still find a ton here to enjoy. That’s definitely the goal of games like Kameo.
