Knock-knock

The real goal is to come out the other side with some sort of meaningful appreciation of our hero’s plight. To understand what tools are required for such a person to even exist while being plagued by these nightmares so often that they become reality itself. To gain the ability to adapt well enough to those circumstances to be able to use those tools effectively. That is Knock-Knock.

A peculiar logical game able to both put in fear and to make think not only about your rules. Every now and then it manages to do so with difficulty, however, its storytelling opened to your interpretation, and its eye-catching execution help to not fall down into the abyss.

Knock-Knock is is an interesting and deep videogame, a great work of art from Ice-Pick Lodge. Try it.

A dread-drenched take on hide-and-seek which will mesmerise some, and alienate most. [December 2013, p.80]

Great horror stories are many things, but tedious isn’t on the list, and that’s exactly the feeling that’s born of Knock-Knock’s inability to explain itself.

Bizarre and difficult to place, Knock Knock is a vague adventure, with an almost intangible and rather monotonous gameplay; however, behind these assumptions you can still find a path that can accompany the player to the discovery of a star, a story to tell and multi-faceted concept.

I’m not entirely sure who’d enjoy a game like this. It’s possible we’ll see a few desperate YouTubers record their girlfriend getting scared by some of the earlier moments in the game, but aside from that tiny bit of stimulation and the initial hope that the nonsensical plot will have a logical finish, there’s very little here for anyone other than the most desperate of horror fans.

Many indie games already proved that even the weirdest concept can be supported by a robust, addictive gameplay. Such is not the case with Knock-knock, that in the end just fails to entertain.

Knock-Knock offers players two different endings based on how quickly they finish the game, neither of which provides any kind of satisfying conclusion or explanation as to what the heck is going on in the game. Ultimately, Ice-Pick Lodge is right; Knock-Knock isn't much of a game – or a story, for that matter – which makes it hard to recommend.

Aside from the presentation and art style, there is really no way I could suggest Knock-Knock to players. Unless you really enjoy trial and error game play and confusing mechanics that aren’t explained, you may want to stay away.

Boredom, not ghosts, is your worst enemy in Knock-knock.

Knock-Knock is a game you want to love because it has a nice, freaky style. Unfortunately, the game itself feels like repetitive work which makes it very unattractive. For a horror videogame, we do not think Knock-Knock is scary enough. Too bad, because we would have enjoyed figuring out what that weird key character is up to.

The original idea wasn't bad but its execution produced a game that tries so hard to be weird that it hurts its enjoyability. [Issue#236]

When it becomes clear that success isn't a matter of overcoming psychological terrors but of discerning rigid, obfuscated logic, Knock-knock reveals itself to be not something horrifying that defies all understanding, but simply a mundane, frustrating little puzzle box.