Knack

Though it fails to live up to the promise of its biggest ideas, Knack is a good game, a solid a challenging old-school adventure for gamers young and old.

It looks like a family-friendly game, but this one is aimed at the hardcore players, and when you consider it’s a new IP for a new console, that’s kind of brave.

It’s certainly no Crash Bandicoot or Spyro, but it is a game you should pick up in the PS4 launch window.

Knack offers a refreshing return to the PSone platformers of old. The title may not be particularly ambitious, but it has a nostalgic quality that can make it difficult to put down. Checkpoint hiccups, framerate issues, and difficulty spikes prevent it from reaching its maximum potential – but much like the titular hero himself, the title will definitely grow on you.

Knack’s not perfect, and shouldn’t be your first priority when picking up a PS4, but if you miss the old days, or want to share a bit of them with your kids, it may very well be worth your while.

The end product seems like it’ll be one of the better original titles to come out of the system’s early exclusives. It hits enough checkboxes to warrant a look, but that $60 price should call for some thought before you buy in.

The game is a solid initial effort, despite it being a little long and rather hard.

A fun romp, and definitely worth a play. It’s easy to pick up, a joy to look at, and and some of the boss battles are pretty great. My recommendation is that you take it in smaller doses, or try out the drop-in/drop-out cooperative play, which will definitely help when the going gets tough.

Thanks to a beautiful glance and an array of enemies that never allows to rest completely, Knack tends to be a pleasant game to play. An interesting addition to the launch lineup.

Knack is an interesting platforming-action adventure for children and adults. It looks like a DreamWorks film and it's clear that Mark Cerny had a story to tell us about goblins and a golem with the ability to throw and absorb hundreds of particles.

In spite of its family-friendly aesthetics and its co-op option, Knack ended up being more repetitive and unsatisfactory than we expected from one of PS4's big release titles.

Whereas Knack does not justify buying a next gen console, this PS4 exclusive is not lacking interest. A clever mix between a nice classic gameplay, a very hard level of difficulty and cartoon graphics to go with the Disney-inspired scenario should get the attention of platform fans. Still plagued by a number of faults like a linear story and a badly set camera, Mark Cerny's game seduces us with its hard level and its uncommon hero. Loaded with badly-used qualities, this game is a call for a second opus which should have a better finish, more development time and a better knowledge of the console it's designed for.

Sharp graphics and subtle gameplay can’t disguise Knack for what it is: a shallow platformer with little personality. The story, music and the world don’t grab players and feel distant and sterile due to the American sauce that was mixed in. In a launch line-up filled with shooter violence, it stands out, but in a few months most will have probably forgotten Knack.

A competent throwback to the golden age of platforming, but not a giant leap forward. [Jan 2014, p.68]

While not devoid of charm and a solid visual showcase for the PlayStation 4, Knack is best described as a PSOne title in shiny modern clothing.

A wobbly title that misses the mark on both sides — keeping the wrong things of a bygone era while failing to introduce much of anything exciting to go with a new console generation.

Every console release has to have its well-intentioned but ultimately not-quite-there launch title. Unfortunately, Knack appears to be that game for the PlayStation 4, despite some cool ideas and genuinely fun moments. [Christmas 2013, p76]

Knack has some fundamental problems, but it can be entertaining. Moments of inspiration and strong design are held back by the game’s many annoyances, though. Proof that charm isn’t always enough.

Knack isn't a bad game: there is satisfaction to be derived from it, some of the gameplay is genuinely good fun (at its best moments, it does begin to acquire an air reminiscent of a more ponderous Crash Bandicoot), and it's one of the longer games to emerge in recent years, so will at least keep youngsters occupied for decent periods of time. But neither is it a particularly good game, which is hugely disappointing given that it's supposed to be one of the flagship reasons for buying a PlayStation 4.

The biggest problem here is that people expected way too much from it. It's not a bad game, and children or parents willing to play with its kind will definitely have some fun with it.

Knack is just a decent videogame with AAA production values.

With an absurd level of difficulty and some poor choices in its level design, Knack will probably appeal only to die-hard action/ platformer fans.

Knack has its moments, and PlayStation 4 owners starved for something to play on their shiny new console will appreciate that the game actually becomes more fun to play the second time around, allowing it to keep players busy during the several month drought that seems to follow every system launch.

Knack desperately wants to be the 3D platformers of old, but dull combat and a half-hearted story leave it difficult to recommend.

Knack is technically impressive with its utilization of extreme particle physics and bringing to life what could have easily been a Dreamworks animated film, but the gameplay does little to really satisfy.

Knack is not a bad game, it allowed me to have a good time. It is some kind of generic platformer, but the universe and the overall quality of the game is still decent. There is still some real flaws, starting with the confusing difficulty and the lack of character's development.

Knack is a colorful, but mediocre platformer that has issues with repetitive gameplay on top of being frustratingly difficult at times.

The moments of payoff come too infrequently to make plodding through another three dozen frustrating enemies any less tedious.

Playing Knack is like watching a dull movie on a plane – it's tolerable if all you want is a way to pass the time, but it's not something you'd seek out for its own sake. I finished in about 11 hours and, challenges, co-op, and secrets aside, there's just not much here worth recommending.

Overall, Knack provides early PS4 owners with a solid if unspectacular adventure and a decent dose of family friendly co-op gameplay. It's neither a system seller nor a must have launch title, but thanks to the challenging and enjoyable combat-oriented gameplay, it's also not the abomination that some reviewers have made it out to be. Give it a try.

While never truly bad, Knack's simple gameplay and dull level design make it tough to recommend. [Issue#238, p.64]

Generic level design, a world without magic, technically weak: This is an exclusive disappointment for the new system.

There's nothing to recommend Knack, and it's destined to join the ever-growing pile of low-budget launch titles that nobody remembers.

The game is fun, and it’s even more fun when playing co-op. It has a boatload of charm. The fighting is fast-paced and occasionally rewarding. But where’s the rest of it? Where’s the robust skill set, the varied combat challenges, the compelling story and character development? We’ve come to expect this and we certainly expect it from a new era of gaming.

This is one of the worst games available to Sony’s new console, which is odd, given that it was created by Mark Cerny, the console’s architect, and should show the capabilities of the new hardware.

Knack, like its namesake, is something constructed of relics – from the basic gameplay to the poor characterisation, nearly everything feels like something from two console generations ago.

Nothing more than forgettable. [Issue#142, p.79]

Knack is a game with some solid core mechanics which cry out for a bit more polish and a lot more variety in the gameplay. While changing size is truly amazing, it doesn’t bring enough in the table to make the lengthy game fun, and it becomes quite tired after the halfway mark.

The idea was interesting, but Knack's development team is unable to use it in a fun way nor show what the new machine can do.

Knack is an incredibly generic action/platformer, with poor design, some balance issues and lacking gameplay mechanics. Disappointing, even for a launch title.

Knack is a charming romp, but not one I could recommend shelling out full price for. The old-school difficulty combined with tedious combat make for an experience that simply isn’t enjoyable.

The story is also a convoluted mess, going on for much too long. Even worse, its reliance on deus ex machinas is almost comical. The emotional manipulation that Cerny attempts through the story is a bit too brute-forced.

Knack is a big disappointment. Old gen visuals and boring and repetitive action doom this new game from Japan Studio.

With the way it looks and how simple it is, it’s easy to think Knack is a game for kids. And while that may be the intent, it doesn’t make Knack any less dull. Whether you’re five or 25, Knack is boring throughout its 10-hour duration.