Synopsis
Knack and his doctor friends are sent out to help stop an artifact-driven goblin army from unleashing a great danger that could spell out the end of the world.
Outside of Nintendo launches, it’s rare these days for a Sony or Microsoft system to launch with a family-friendly game that has effort put into it. Most of the launches nowadays consist of hardcore third-person action titles or first-person shooters; there really is no in-between. So, it was nice to see Sony and Mark Cerny’s group put together something that everyone could enjoy. Of course, Cerny is no stranger to family-friendly games, as he has been involved in some way or another in producing games such as the classic Marble Madness (wiki that if you don’t know what the heck it is), Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot. Outside of Marble Madness, you can see a bit of the other two in Knack.
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
Knack’s gameplay is pretty darn simple. You run around and basically punch the living daylights out of every enemy. Along the way, Knack can pick up more artifacts/relics that make him grow bigger and make him unique in some instances. For example of the latter, midway through the game Knack gains a clear crystal that allows him to pass through laser-beam sensors without setting off alarms (which would mean his death). It changes up things a bit in the game, offers a new dimension, which is always okay to do. Outside of little things like that, the game is just a straight up brawler. Of course, if you’re looking for something simple that your kids can pick up and play then this is perfect. As I’m writing this review right now, my son (who is 5-years old) is going on his first hour of Knack and quite frankly that is amazing. Why? Well, the game does tend to get on the frustrating side at times.
The biggest issue I can see with Knack, outside of its somewhat linear gameplay (and it’s a kid’s game, so linear is just fine in hindsight), is that the level of difficult in certain situations can be ramped up to ’11’ on occasion. For example, yesterday I reached the end of the game and I had one ancient golem to get through before going head-to-head with the main guy/gal/eye. Up to this point, the boss fights in the game rang from mediocre-to-normal at best. It usually took me 2-3 tries before figuring out the boss’ pattern and ultimately taking him/her out. This boss in particular threw the entire kitchen sink at me and the entire situation was incredibly difficult and unfair. After about 5-7 tries, and not even touching him once, I quit from the field of battle and vowed to revisit him during the holiday break. I couldn’t imagine a kid going up against this guy and not throwing a DualShock 4 to the ground, so I’ll keep an eye on my son over the holiday break (half joking). Anyway, the frustration of the game does fluctuate in Knack, ranging from small bits of frustration during regular gameplay to all out impossibility at times. Again, I’m not worried so much about me when it comes to this category (I’ve played Demon Souls — I’m an expert in the subject of frustration), but it does concern me a bit when it comes to the young gaming audience. You can’t frustrate the younger gamers too much or they won’t return to the title — ever.
What’s not frustrating at all in the game is how the controls are schemed. The left stick moves our friend Knack, while the right stick dodges enemies. The onscreen prompts throughout the game help to remind gamers of this and are useful in the heat of battle. The prompts are also great because the game slows down to allow gamers a chance to think/move before the enemies land their attack. Again, that’s great especially for the younger gamers in the household. It keeps the frustration down and it’s easy to use. The other buttons on the DS4 control power ups, jumping, attacking and aren’t that difficult to use once you get a few games under your belt. So, in short, if you’re worried your child may not pick up the controls very well, just relax. They’re going to do fine.
Now, most of the distain that reviewers had for this game was on the level design, and I can see their point a little. While I fully didn’t expect this game to be an open world adventure, it does tend to stale out a bit here and there with its linearity. For older gamers that’s an ‘okay’ thing to experience, but we’ve grown accustomed to exploring worlds a bit thanks to sandbox games and MMOs. For younger gamers this is what you want them to play. It keeps them on the path and helps them stay focused with the mission at hand. There are bits and pieces here and there to explore, mainly when you search for old relics in the game, but for the most part the game just stays on its tracks.
As for actual level design, the levels in Knack are quite visually appealing and entertaining. You can expect cityscapes, mountainous areas, airship battles, castle storming and deadly caves/valleys in Knack. The basic concepts for each level stays the same, but the levels themselves (at least visually) offer enough variety to keep the game interesting. With that said, there are repetitive moments that seem to last forever in the game, especially on the enemy side of the field.
While the enemies do change with the levels, the same enemies show up over and over as you progress through them. You will find humans that range from gun wielding imps to sword toting toadies. You will find a variety of robots, goblins, and a few animals scattered here and there. In the later levels you will encounter giant golems made of relics, which are terrifying on the surface. I don’t necessarily mind the lack of a large variety of enemies. I do mind that the enemies are gingerly scattered through out each battle scene. You will rarely face 3-4 enemies at one given time, which makes the levels seem a bit empty. There are occasions where you will be pleased as punch that you only get that many, but ultimately they don’t offer up much of a challenge — not unit the later levels. I can see some valid complaints in this department, but it doesn’t drag the gameplay down enough to make the overall experience bad — not even close.
One of the bigger complaints that has been made for this game is the lack of next generation visuals, which I have to shrug a bit about. Granted, I love seeing games like Killzone: Shadow Fall and what it can display (and give hope to) in terms of visuals. Killzone is one of the prettiest launch titles for the PS4, outside of Battlefield 4, which is just mesmerizing. Knack does an admirable job with sticking to what it wants to visually accomplish. You can see smooth textures and intricate details with the character models (depending on which one you’re looking at), but for the most part the game has established a motif of simplicity in its design, which doesn’t bode well when compared to other games that launched for the PS4. Cerny’s group seem to want this world shaped with simplicity and I can certainly understand it. I give them kudos for sticking to their guns and not wanting to create a tech demo with Knack. Visually, it won’t keep you wowed, but the game visuals match the story/cutscenes that Knack is trying to get across.
I was very impressed with how the game created the scope of the world when Knack grows enormous. The scale of Knack in comparison to his ability to cause destruction (and how hard/easy enemies are to defeat) was done pretty darn well in the game. Giant relic-ridden golems are tough to beat small, but are fun to kick out of existence with one leg when Knack is big. You will feel a wonderful rush as Knack grows in scale and starts quickly dispatching enemies, and that is one of the most fun portions of the game.
Anyway, the visuals are par with the course of the game, but don’t quite achieve that next-gen feel that other launch titles seem to bring to the table.
At the end of the day, is the game fun and long-lasting? The game lasts about 6-10 hours and is extended because it features some treasure exploring options. You’ll need to keep a sharp eye out for hollow walls, buildings and doors to find pieces/parts/gems that unlock other things for Knack. There’s a great chance you won’t find them all in the first go around, mainly because there are some areas you can’t access without them. In a world that is dominated by multiplayer neediness, it’s nice to see a family-friendly campaign driven title that offers a bit more than usual. The ability to play two players in Knack also offers up some more depth — maybe some family fights as well. If we hadn’t been given this game, I definitely would have purchased it for my kids.
