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League of Legends: Camille Skins’ Review – StrategyZero
Dec 132016
 
Camille, The Steel Shadow
Camille, The Steel Shadow

The will to sacrifice the self for the good of the many is seldom seen. For some, it is a way of life. It’s the path chosen and no price is too steep in the best interests of a society with a bright future. It isn’t the responsibility of a chosen few: all are part of the machine that will enlighten and improve life. Each one has a role to play that can’t be underestimated. If a part fails then it needs to be discarded and replaced. Some have chosen as their job to repair such inconsistencies and a few have become very good at it. Only one is considered the most effective tool for such a job. Please, meet Camille, the Steel Shadow.

Program Camille
Program Camille Splash Art Program Camille Model
Category: Regular
Price: 1350 RP
Concept: Camille turned into an automaton.
Model: New model for Camille. New reflections for her coattails and new glow for her chest and thighs.
Particles: New particles for her abilities, auto-attack and recall.
Animations: New recall animation.
Sounds: New sounds for her abilities, auto-attack and recall. Processed voice-over and new quotes when starting a match, attacking, walking, entering the enemy base, buying an item, killing enemies, recall plus taunting and killing PROJECT, Program skins and a few others.
Splash Art: A dark sky filled with machines, one of which is scanning the buildings. Is it possibly looking for a specific target? With cold, effective architecture progress advances undeterred by the few natural phenomenon that still remain; like the rain that blurs the city. On top of a clock’s face we find a potential interest for the droid’s scan. The old fashioned clock is a good contrast with its florid design against the ruthless efficiency of engineering.
Camille displays a pose that reflects her inhuman agility but also challenges the viewer to get a good view of her advanced physiognomy. The abrupt perspective also plays with the size of her limbs perhaps emphasising too much the already clear insectoid feel. With clean lines and sharp colours the artificial body is fascinating despite some parts being more diffuse than others. The metal welcomes the rain with glee and the light enjoys playing with the elaborate surfaces of Camille’s body. The virtual hookshots reflect the advanced weaponry at her disposal. Such hi-tech is given further relevance by the glowing chest and subtle headlights. None of the elements vie for attention but are able to attract and share it with the rest of the portrayal.
All things considered, this is an evocative splash art with an interesting setting. The city is too relegated for its relevance but there’s enough to provide a rich context to Camille’s appearance. Thanks to a portrayal that is able to display the abilities she has chosen for herself the piece ends up being full of meaning. Even if it needs some extra polish to be one of League of Legends’ best splash arts it isn’t far. Besides, it serves as a reminder of the fact that what lies ahead may be closer that we think to where we stand now.
Rating: Star clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZero
Conclusion: At a glance, Program Camille displays an impressive model. While it’s true that Camille is classically an interesting and unique champion Program has the wisdom of stressing her synthetic enhancements turning her almost into a machine. The artificial legs are no longer her most prominent feature, her entire body is modified and even her face, otherwise clearly visible, is hidden behind an expressionless visor of many functions. The fantastic ribbon cables on her back are the obvious way to interface with other compatible machines. The chest glows with the power source presumably responsible for keeping her functions and her legs also adopt holographic displays. This astounding model is a great base to start the skin which, sadly, isn’t followed in the best of ways by the rest of the additions.
The main problem with the changes to the abilities is that particles are too brief and sounds familiar. The former employ triangular bases and circuit designs to communicate the theme. While the polygonal shields of Adaptive Defenses stand out those used for auto-attacks, Tactical Sweep’s impact and Hookshot’s cables are too brief and simple. The circuit trails used for Precision Protocol and Tactical Sweep are much more attractive but they are so briefly visible that their complexity is difficult to appreciate. The mark on the ground used by Hookshot is simple and also similar to classic. Fortunately, The Hextech Ultimatum takes all that is good about the classic version and enhances it with circuit-like beams and a triangular mesh which nicely takes advantage of the skin’s futuristic concept. While more could be achieved, its sober design is effective and appealing without being overloaded with bells and whistles.
The sounds have a virtual energy feel that is always suitable but seldom stands out. The vibrating sound of Adaptive Defenses manages to be different like the booming flow of energy of The Hextech Ultimatum. The other abilities have sounds that feel more virtual in comparison to the classic ones yet also strike as familiar. The style is consistent though and so the aural landscape provides a good support to the visuals. It’s just that, like the visual side, they only stand out in very specific instances.
The new recall is a mix of old and new. It returns the focus to Camille’s artificial legs while also cementing her synthetic nature. Disassembly for effective teleportation seems the perfect choice for the final stroke to the Program personality.
When all is added together, Program Camille is an uneven skin that is never bad but often feels like it could’ve been much better. The model is fantastic with an attention to detail that brings out the best of the synthetic identity. However, perhaps because of the respect to the classic self, particles and sounds struggle to stand out and tend to adapt more than transform the abilities to the new identity. In spite of these flaws, Program Camille is a skin that knows greatness even if it can’t reach excellence. There’s no doubt that it has a formidable base to work with yet it doesn’t always take advantage of it. If you can accept certain imperfections then Program Camille can be quite an interesting version of the Steel Shadow.

Coven Camille
Coven Camille Splash Art Coven Camille Model
Category: Regular
Price: 1350 RP
Concept: Camille as an aristocratic witch.
Model: New model for Camille.
Particles: New particles for her abilities, auto-attack and recall.
Animations: New recall animation.
Sounds: New sounds for her abilities, auto-attack and recall plus processed voice-over.
Splash Art: A dark forest of great trees with twisted branches. There are a few crows with eyes lit by unnatural life. They may have felt the call of the bodies hanging from the branches. In the still waters that barely get some sunlight we might find the one responsible. A lone sword stands as testament of a futile struggle. In atmosphere, this is a setting that has much to offer. Unfortunately, it’s unnecessarily diffuse and an effort has to be made to notice the few meaningful elements present.
Camille stands in the middle of it all enjoying what little light is available. Her legs are a bit diffuse but, in general, there’s a sober but appealing use of highlights to make the dim colours pleasing to the eye. This allows the design of her clothes catch the eye. However, an effort is necessary, again, to enjoy all there is to like. The shy glow of the ropes she holds are a quiet supernatural touch. The stance, defiant and feminine is a good fit for Camille. The low gaze adds a menacing feel that works with the style of her headpiece.
Overall, this is a nice splash art. There’s context and an attractive portrayal but elements and designs aren’t easy to notice. While the piece is rather atmospheric it could welcome a bit of extra light to employ more contrasts and make some areas clearer.
Rating: Star clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZero
Conclusion: While the idea of Coven Camille is that of a witch with an aristocratic vein she does look like she’s wearing armour. From the many ornamented plates that cover her to the headpiece sporting horns as a helmet she appears more like a warrior than a witch. It’s rather elegant armour with nice though often subtle decoration.
In terms of particles what stands out the most is the twisted lines that make up each design. Hextech Ultimatum is the clearest example but Tactical Sweep also benefits from it as well as the trails of Precision Protocol. They give a dark feel to the abilities which would otherwise only have a new colour to show. Hookshot, strangely, looks borrowed from the Hextech skin line but does look magical. Adaptive Defenses also looks hextech-like and, with its gold shield, clashes with the dark style of the skin; auto-attacks’ bright sparks also don’t work that well.
New sounds seem all to be made of different tones of clashing metal. Hextech Ultimatum is the sole exception with its eerie howl which is rather nice for as long as it lasts. The rest of abilities fail to have a distinct magidal feel. The processed voice-over adds a sinister echo which adds to the dark identity.
The new recall is half a show of dexterity on her part and half the casting of a summoning circle. When the magical ravens appear there’s a good supernatural component. However, simply vanishing in thin air, ravens and all, seems simplistic so the magical side isn’t fully exploited.
Overall, Coven Camille is more of a magical-infused armoured warrior than a witch. There’s too little magic even when there’s room to emphasise it. It does have a nice, dark aesthetic, though. It’s just that the skin was supposed to go much deeper than it does.

Conclusion

For a release skin Program Camille manages to impress with a complex and attractive model that easily conveys her synthetic identity. The abilities often play it too safe in their adaptation instead of reinterpreting the actions in an advanced, artificial way. Regardless, there’s much to like even if there are a few problems. The result is nothing short of appealing so fans of cyborgs and enhanced warriors will find in Program Camille a great option.

Coven Camille is a skin with a nice, dark aesthetic. The problem is that instead of representing a witch Camille looks like an armoured warrior with a touch of magic. While the result has appeal it surely doesn’t delve deep into what the concept is supposed to offer. Thus, the adaptation seems shallow.

  16 Responses to “League of Legends: Camille Skins’ Review”

  1. Zero, huge admirer of your reviews and content. I was wondering whether this particular Program skin pertains some level of similar elements present in Master Yi’s model in your eyes. For me, awaiting this champion and having high expectations usually leads me to dissapointment. Unfortunately, this skin is no exception and how it may provide an abundance of novelties such as a new recall and animations. Yet considering the overall design of the skin. It just looks lazy and tired ideas being rehashed. The green shade seen on the blades share so much with the Kha’Zix Sands skin. And considering the classic skin already being downright gorgeous and beautiful. I hate to say this skin doesn’t adapt necessarily reflect well among its predcessors at its price point. Also its splash art displays evidence of the lack of effort taken into its drawing and colouring. Just generic background in my opinion which doesn’t do anything for the character present. In conclusion, the skin has its kudo traits yet flaws are more open in this one. I want to hear your thoughts and how the current state of skin design is on the bring of hitting the fan.

    • While we don’t completely agree that Program Camille is lacking as a skin we do agree that it does have notorious flaws. The concept is certain reused but it’s an interesting concept that suits Camille well so it would make little sense to ignore it for fear of not making something new. In terms of model work we find that Program Camille is a great skin. The model distances itself well from the classic style and captures the synthetic feel it intends.

      With regards to the rest we agree: it simply goes through the motions. Particles have some nice designs but, perhaps because of being a release skin, it chains itself to the classic blueprint and never lets all of its personality flourish. Something similar happens with the sounds which end up as timid supporters. The recall, suits the identity of the skin, however it’s nothing groundbreaking by any means. If we compare it to other Program skins also we can see that the effort doesn’t seem to be the same.

      We can’t really say that Program Camille is an average skin because it does some things very well; like the model which is key to the skin. However, it’s surely riding on the coattails of the attractive concept. For all it does well it owes a great deal to previous Program skins which is something that often happens nowadays. Skins tend to play it safe and reuse concepts and styles from previous skins not always to great effect.

      There’s also the fact that LoL is simply saturated with skins and probably too filled with champions. There’re literally thousands of skins and over a hundred champions. Not only does that make old skins, no matter how potentially good if updated, to be abandoned but also means that there’s too much competition between choices that end up having overlapping elements. While themes that go across several champions of skins it seems more of a necessity to recycle what’s succesful than something that organically arises from the concepts.

      Program Camille isn’t the best example of the problems with LoL’s saturation but it does start to show the seams. Skins have become a matter of good enough and charging for as much as possible. For example, there are skins would perfectly a lower price tier consdiering what they offer; not even taking into account how well or badly they do things. Then there’re disasters like PROJECT: Master Yi which is just the worst exampe of a recurring trend.

      By now, it’s blatantly clear that Riot should prioritise quality over quantity. Champion and skin releases have slowed down but there’s a lot that has been done and is still being done at a steady pace. It’s understandable that they need to sell skins because it’s their primary source of income. However, there’s already enough stuff to sell.

      Perhaps it’s time to reassess how skins are approached and instead of simply executing good ideas trying to convey something more with the skins. There’s a lot of potential as Captain Gangplank showed; once. That shouldn’t prevent individual ideas that are good from arising in skins. Regardless, if the focus is changed then there’s the exploration of possible futures and pasts; like Program, Mecha and Battlecast skins do. In that case, skins could be more valuable. Adding that to other game modes that take advantage of the specific themes there could be more variety that would appeal beyond the pro-competitive crowd. After all, an elite can only buy so many skins.

  2. Hey, didn’t know where to post this, but since this is the newest skin I decided to post it here. Before I start I want to say I did buy her program skin and want to say it is beautiful. Her classic skin is also great, but I personally love the adaptation of program.

    This is more of a question, but have you guys received any recognition from Riot for your reviews? I think for myself, on if I want to purchase a skin or not, but you guys definitely have influenced any of my purchases. I love to read your insight on skins, and why you give the ratings (easy, and fun reads :D). Riot should definitely give you guys a shout out because I know you have influenced many of their skin purchases.

    • Thanks for the kind words and we hope you enjoy the skin.

      We are not affiliated with Riot in any way. We also doubt that Riot is majorly aware of our existence. They probably know, of course, it’s part of their job. However, they don’t seem to mind which is good enough. We don’t need any recognition. We simply want the reviews to help people make the best purchases possible. As long as people are informed by the reviews and they can guide them to choose the skins they would enjoy then that’s all we need.

  3. I really enjoy your reviews!
    I’ve come to notice that the Program skin line seems to be a line that so far has quite a good reputation, with each Skin in the line; Lissandra, Soraka and Camille all receiving 4 stars.
    Would you say this is due to the skin theme being very strong?
    So as a result the skins, even with their flaws, stand out as being very individual and unique variations to their classic designs?
    Or would it just be luck that the theme fit comfortably to the champions?

    • Glad that you like the reviews.

      It’s true that the Program skin line is, so far and knock on wood, quite good. Actually, Program Lissandra managed to get five stars despite its price tier as it show a nicely cohesive implementation. We think that the success of the line is based on two principles: one is the appeal of the concept and the elaborate implementations, in other words the adaptation is effective and realises the charm the synthetic angle.

      The other thing that we note is that the Program skins tend to customise the adaptation to each champion. While it’s true that all skin concepts need to the adapted to the specific characteristics of each champion the fact remains that in some cases it seems like a one size fits all approach was taken. With Program you can, without even knowing the champion behind, identify each champion with a different artificial role: the Supervisor, the Heal-bot and the Eliminator. Their role is communicated in the actual execution without need of additional descriptions.

      We really don’t think that luck plays much of a part in the design of skins. Sometimes Lady Fortune’s hand may give or take but there are enough resources involved to minimise what’s left to chance. When a skin succeeds it’s because there was good work behind and when it fails then something didn’t work well. Ideally, past mistakes should serve as a lesson and not be repeated. In practice, skins have shown a lot of variability in their quality.

  4. Will you make reworked Warwick skin review

  5. In your opinion, do you think Camille specializes in some form of Martial Arts, considering the ”acrobatic” display of kicks in her Basic Attacks, Tactical sweep which is used for sweeping opponents off the ground in some forms of Martial Arts, and her Precision Protocol’s second cast ”Backflip” kick. In my opinion it does share some similarities to Lee Sin’s featured ”signature moves”, but differs in a way such as Lee Sin’s identity is based on a Shaolin Monk, rather than Camille’s which is based on MI6 Agent, trained in hand-to-hand combat, or should I say that she is quick-on-her-feet!

    • Camille is so focused in kicks that Taekwondo wouldn’t be far-fetched. Her style is more acrobatic than what is seen at the Olympics but the general idea, as in most games, is not being faithful to reality but being visually attractive. In fact, saying that she’s quick on her feet might be the most accurate description of her fighting style.

  6. Program Camille also has a plethora of new quotes and interactions, particularly to the other programs and the project skins.

  7. I know this question is quite a bit late but I wanted to get into Camille and I was looking into her skins. I’m not sure which I would prefer but I think I am leaning towards program. But I wanted to know what you guys thought of the Coven Camille chromas? I was dissapointed that they do not change the colours but it was to be expected but I feel like some of the chromas do not work with the purple them.. Any thoughts on her chromas?

    • Program Camille is rather well done albeit uneven. The main problem with Coven Camille is that the witch concept isn’t really realised even if the skin isn’t bad looking. The chromas modify the dress as well as show different colours. Overall, they are rather good because she tends to look different from the base look. Still, the changes aren’t always that noticeable. Those chromas that are the most different seem the most interesting. Yet, to be fair, they tend to offer, more or less, the same amount of changes; as if there were a limit to how different they can be from the base.

  8. Will you add a review to the IG skins as well?

    • Eventually, we are trying to get up to date with reviews but we are caught with a lot of stuff that we have neglected for far too long. Still, we keep working, albeit slowly, to get everything up to date.

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