Knack

Game was fun but I kept getting the feeling that I needed a little more variety to the enemies and more ability to use gadgets than allowed. Graphics were good and story line was decent so definitely a rent but did fall short on excitement.

Knack was fun to play and given the limited amount of game available for the newly released PS4 I would recommend playing it. The story wasn't bad but could have been more fleshed out and detailed. Many plot points left you with unanswered questions by the games end. <br /> <br />Changes in Knack's size seemed more driven by the plot then by actual control by the player, with very few exceptions. <br /> <br />The platforming was ok but could have been more challenging then it was. The levels were very linear and seemed at many points to discourage backtracking and exploration, which was very disappointing. The levels could defiantly have benefited from design styles more in keeping with Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter. <br /> <br />Combat was ok but could become redundant quickly. Punching was alright but limited to a series of combo punches on the ground and a rolling meteor strike into enemies while jumping. When changing size from gigantic knack into a small version the difference in the length of your punches could cause some very unfortunate error in judgement when throwing a punch. It also would have been nice to have quick vs. heavy attacks similar to what is in the God of War series. The next major combat mechanic was the super moves you could unleash using the power of sunstones. These were effective in getting you out of very dangerous situation and the limitation on how often you could use them required some discretion. There were a very points where you could pick up objects and throw them but it was very clunky compared to punching and super moves. It seemed almost safer to ignore picking up an object to throw because the time it took often exposed you to injury. This is too bad. The size changing nature of Knack made it seem like this could have been a better method than it was. Smoother quicker movement is needed to fix this problem. It also would have been nice to be able to hold onto these objects for a while and use them as melee weapons.

I feel Knack has had some harsh reviews. People should not be surprised by what they are getting when playing this game. It looks great and plays great. It is a great alternative launch game that is more child appropriate and is not a "shooter." The game is very linear and unforgiving as it only takes a couple of hits to make you start over at the last check point. The story is not too bad either. An interesting concept is being able to swap out the hidden treasure find for one that your friends might have found if you want or need it more.

You may have read some bad reviews of Knack by usually reputable sites such as IGN or Gamespot, but I'd argue that the game is much better than they'd have you believe. The attention to detail and a worthwhile demonstration of next-gen capabilities is present here, along with decent voice acting and a compelling story. Sure, the concept is simple, beat up goblins and robots, bosses, etc., but each chapter features new enemies and forces the player to approach each encounter with a different strategy. Given, there's plenty of hidden chests either containing jewels or parts needed to assemble gadgets which aid in your efforts, but it is actually fairly far into the game before you can actually complete a single, simple gadget perk, which is really Knack at its worst. Also, there aren't even any puzzles of any form which would've enhanced the experience tremendously, but taken as a whole, Knack is a noteworthy and ultimately awesome piece of the PS4 launch lineup, and should be played by anyone looking for a lighthearted, immensely satisfying example of a game that deserves a much better critical analysis than Gamespot was willing to give it, (a 4.0 out of 10), and IGN's "mediocre" 5.4. It appears some people don't recognize a great game when they see one. Typically, professional review scores reflect the quality of a game with all aspects of the game taken into account, but I believe the big boys dropped the ball on this one. Play Knack! If you don't like it then there's probably something wrong with you, LOL!

When I first played this game I was excited. I got my PS4 and I was ready to play a next gen game! After beating the first level, I noticed something. I wasn't bored, but I was also not having any fun at all. That's a feeling that goes on the entire time you play this game. Every level is so incredibly average. There's absolutely nothing special about this game. The characters are very linear and have no depth. One character has a "tragic" back story, but it's not enough to make me care about him. Knack himself really doesn't stand out as a character. Nothing he says makes you like him, and most of his lines are cheesy and have been said by every other "super cool" cliche character. The story isn't really anything worth mentioning. Imagine Uncharted, but not interesting. The villains try too hard to make you not like them, but aside from the girl (who reminded me of an evil, not cool, Laura Croft) I really didn't mind any of the enemies. The music is so easy to miss I almost forgot it had music, so nothing worth mentioning there. And then there's the gameplay. At a first glance, this game seems like it might be really fun. Don't let that fool you, it's not. Every level starts you off as a tiny verison of Knack. EVERY LEVEL! Playing as him makes you feel defenseless and incredibly weak. It's not until at least half way through EVERY level you become as strong as a level one character in any other game. But, every level has a point where you become pretty big, or in some cases massive. This is when the game gets fun. It's always entertaining running around smashing tanks with one punch. Sadly, every single time you become huge and start actually having fun, it takes no more than three minutes for the game to come up with a lame excuse to shrink you back down and make you weak again. There really isn't anything wrong with this game, it's just that there isn't anything good about it either. If you're looking for the next gen experience. Look somewhere else.

I am pleasantly surprised at how good Knack is for a new IP. Critics all around just slammed this game for either being too easy or too difficult, I think they are just a bunch of entitled jaded goons who can't enjoy games anymore. <br /> <br />I started playing Knack on Hard Mode from the get go, never looked back. The game definitely is hard, but I never found it so frustrating that I wanted to stop. I actually found it amusing at how unforgiving one mistake is. It sort of reminded me of Super Meat Boy, one wrong jump or dodge or swing will usually mean death. <br /> <br />My complaints with the game are the secrets you unlock, on my first play through I only managed to find 2 completed secrets and a lot of half completed ones. I felt like some of this secret equipment would've been nice to see in action, but they are so spread out in the game that I didn't even finish a secret equipment until mid way through the game. <br /> <br />My next issue would be the sun crystal power. It takes a long time to build sun crystal meter, you need to use it sparingly which is what I did, and actually only used it if I kept dying to a certain pack of enemies. I guess it isn't a big deal since the powers are extremely strong, but at the same time it didn't feel right when you have 3 max special powers to unleash and you pass all these sun crystals that give on other benefit. <br /> <br />The stages in the game are very linear and there are very rarely more than 4 enemies at any point in the game in which you must fight. It did become a little boring because you fight 1 or 2 enemies, then move up a bit to fight only 2 more. I really wanted to smash a bunch of enemies at once! However, this wouldn't be feasible since you can die in a single hit. <br /> <br />I'm running low on space here, there is more I'd really like to touch up on. In conclusion, the game is very fun, give hard mode a shot. I found the stages to be sort of bare and longing to fight more than 3 enemies, but it'd be way too difficult.

awesome game for my son (10 yrs) he love it! and we bought it finally!

Of the three titles I took home with my shiny new PS4, 'Knack' was the most disappointing to me. I'd heard early on of bad reviews, so I avoided them and have come to agree with some of them post game credits. <br /> <br />To its credit, 'Knack' is a different game than any other launch title in that it is kid-friendly and a platformer. For that reason alone, it will be worth it for some to give it a shot. I imagine if I was younger I would have found a lot to love about this game. The graphics are good, the character is cute (initially), and the art style resembles some of the more popular animated features/tv shows. <br /> <br />What 'Knack' lacks is execution. The game is very linear and provides nearly no room for exploration beyond a set path. This leaves the concept of a creature that grows and shrinks devoid of creativity and, to this reviewer, all around boring. Whereas games like 'Rayman Origins' and 'Little Big Planet' have provided massive outlets for exploration, creativity, and family-friendly fun, 'Knack' just simply doesn't. <br /> <br />That said, I would recommend this game for those who purchased a PS4 and want something to play with their young ones. I would not, however, recommend buying this game. Once it's done, there is not much left to do. 'Rayman Legends' will be launching soon for the PS4 and should prove a better platforming experience than 'Knack' has provided thus far. <br /> <br />I wanted to love this game. I really did... But 'Knack' didn't do it for me.